Question

4. Why providing safe water has become a challenge for the municipal bodies​

Answer 1

Answer:

The problem of access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities in urban areas of India is a major concern. There is a need to reuse treated wastewater in order to meet the current and future demands for water.

Urban water issues

The consistent increase in the rate of growth of India's population has also led to the increase in demand for water, particularly in the urban areas where the rate of increase is highler compared to rural areas. In 2001, urban population was 285 million and assuming water supply of 135 litres per capita per day, the domestic water demand is estimated at around 38,475 million litres per day (MLD), whereas as in 2011 urban population was 377 million with a domestic water demand of 50,895 MLD. It shows that growth in urban population leads to additional water demand of 12,420 MLD in urban areas. The water supply of 135 litres per capita per day (LPCD) as a service level benchmark should be given for domestic water use in urban local bodies. However, currently as per Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO), an average water supply in urban local bodies is 69.25 LPCD. This indicates that there is a vast gap between the demand and supply of water in urban areas of India.