Intermittent water supply in Indian cities: considering the intermittency beyond demand and supply

Abstract

Intermittent water supply (IWS) is a typical characteristic of cities in developing countries like India. One of the factors responsible for IWS is unaccounted for water (UFW). Factors like increase in population, upward trends in water demand, water scarcity due to climate change, and asymmetric distribution of water resources are also equally important. However, social relations of water are poorly understood and camouflaged under technicalities associated with IWS. Thus, in this paper, we examine IWS in Indian mega cities and secondary cities with an ethno-economic framework by bringing the data together from various administrative sources like government agencies, allude to its parameters from logistical perspectives, e.g. distances, capacities, population strength, etc., and try to position the water issue with challenges associated with caste, class, gender, religion, region, and governance. The ethno-economic perspective is an attempt to not only complement but also supplement the scientific studies from other disciplines by understanding the real nature of demand and supply problems in urban water management. This paper demonstrates IWS as a multi-dimensional problem and stresses on the human drivers of intermittency.