The situation of urban water management in India is graver
than in rural India. Realizing this fact the twelfth five year plan
acknowledges the need of a comprehensive strategy of affordable and sustainable
water distribution. It aims on reducing the distance of the pipeline and
thereby cutting the distribution losses.
The losses in distribution are more serious than in electricity distribution. As per the survey published by NSS, only 47 percent of urban household has the individual water connection. It is estimated that 40 to 50 percentage of the water is lost during the distribution process. This results the impossibility of subsidies in this sector.
Contamination
Most worrying problem is related with wastage of water.
Sewage water goes into streams and this again contaminates the same water which
the people use to drink. It was reported on higher level of microbiological
contamination in the water of Indian cities.
Ultimately this will contaminate the source water and the authority
would have no any option than to remove the source. Again it increase the cost
on consumer
Sewerage system
As per the 2011 census, 32 percent of urban Indians are
connected with piped sewerage system and 12 percent of are roughly defecate in
the open. Large part of our cities is unconnected. More critical is the system
of our infrastructure at sewerage plants. Here there are different problems.
1-
As per the pollution control board of India
reports India has only the installed capacity to treat only the 30 percentage
of excreta.
2-
Again some of all these treatments plants are
not working properly
3-
They have no any option to treat the treated
sewage.
4-
Location is also problematic. Because it can’t
dispose the treated effluent and it goes to drain
Suggestions
1-
The focus area of water management should be
moving towards the sustainable solutions of urban water management
2-
The policy should be directed on the way which
encourages each city to develop its own
source of water. Then it will cut the cost of distance and reduce the
distribution losses.
3-
No water scheme should be sanctioned to the city
without a proper sewerage plant
4-
The system of reuse and recycling should be
mandatory for each city. They can
receive any of the diverse options from using it in agriculture, industry,
recharge of ground water or gardening.
The proposal of twelfth planning to give an aquifer mapping
and management program is ambitious.
Water pollution is a major concern! Hope this pollution will quickly improve!
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