Migration coupled with growing industrialization, urbanization and economic activities are adding to the pressure of providing clean drinking water that has reached crisis point.
Delhi has a need of 870 million gallon per day. Out of that 100 million gallon comes from ground water rest is drawn from the Yamuna River before the river reaches the capital where it literally turns into sewage.
However, the inequitable distribution and mismanagement caused water supply woes, according to local reports. "In Delhi, the government gives more than 200 liters per capita per day. Still, there is shortage of water mainly because there is inequity of supply. In central VIP and cantonment area where 3 percent of Delhi population live, they get about 500 liter per person per day,"said Sushmita Sengupta, a research associate of Delhi based Center for Science and Environment.
In Mehrauli area of the capital, the water supply is just 25 liters per person per day. This inequity of supply is forcing people to either depend on water tankers or switch to ground water which is already severely exploited.
A recent World Bank report said that 29 percent of India's 5, 723 groundwater blocks is now over-exploited, critical or semi- critical. Two decades later, 60 percent of ground aquifers would be in critical state if their over-exploitation continues. "Except eastern and central parts, entire Delhi is over- exploited. Its south and south-west districts draw maximum groundwater. Since the groundwater is overexploited here these districts have been declared as dark blocks,"said Sengupta.
The water in southern part has gone down 70 meters below. According to the Central Groundwater Board report, the decadal water is falling by 10 to 20 meters. The situation is alarming, Sengupta added.
In the next two decades, all the major Indian cities will run dry, according to a report of the World Bank.
To control the situation from getting further worse, Sengupta suggested that the Delhi government should tackle the demand side of the management alongside the supply side.
"It should focus on water conservation, rain harvesting, recharging of ground water, recycling and reusing the bathroom water and encouraging people to fix water efficient fixtures and dual flush,"said Sengupta.
Moreover, it should control water supply. The more water is supplied the more it is wasted and the cost of recycling waste water goes really high.
"There is a need to learn to stop wasting vital resources," Sengupta added.
