How to solve Water Scarcity in India

Currently, India is battling one of its biggest challenges: Access to drinking water scarcity in India. This issue increases day by day because of factors such as growing population, rapid urbanization and growing demand for water from agriculture, energy, and industry.

Access to drinking water is a question of both, public and domestic health. UNICEF reports that only a quarter of the total population in India has drinking water on their premises and approximately three-quarters of all diseases in India are caused by contaminated water.

To ensure equal access to water for all, the water sector has to act on five main requirements:

1.     Capitalize on existing assets

Optimizing water production and treatment plants, water networks and reservoirs is the first step for water scarcity in India. The trick here is to use water in the same capacity, instead of waiting for new infrastructures to be built. It is important for management to be efficient in order to extend the scope of existing services.

2.     Adapt services to ensure affordability

Ownership of assets and the setting of tariffs are the responsibility of the public sector. One of the main challenges is to ensure that individual connections are cost-effective and tariffs are not prohibitive for poor people.

3.     Create local customer services

Offering the most well-adapted customer service to everyone by targeting their needs should be followed by every water operator. Such designed services in partnership with elected representatives are sure to meet the expectations of the common man.

4.     Apply the notion of ‘Social Business’

With the global economic crisis and growing discontent created by mainstream capitalism, new business models are emerging. ‘Social Business’ is one such model which is quite talked about. However, water operators face the challenge of testing new models while creating water accessibility to peri-urban and rural areas. To resolve this issue, Veolia Water and Grameen Healthcare set up a quality water service for two villages in Bangladesh where the country’s groundwater reserves weren’t deep and were naturally contaminated by lethal arsenic levels.

5.     Speak to users and raise awareness

Technological expertise can’t solve the problem of water scarcity in India alone, social support is needed too. Communicating the relation between water, good hygiene and health should be one’s primary responsibility.

Access to drinking water scarcity in India is a concern that everyone faces in India, rich or poor. By distributing water 24*7, everyone can have equal access.