Poor Provision of Household Water: Environmental Impact & Private Response

Lack of funds, and generally poor municipal governance has contributed to a situation where much of urban India does not obtain 24 hour water. This has prompted individual households to undertake self-supply measures such as boring underground to access sub-surface water. This has contributed to the dramatic fall in sub-surface water levels and associated environmental damage. In parallel, a large private sector is emerging in water supply though illegally. Indian laws, partly due to environmental considerations, do not allow private operators to undertake water supply using sub-surface water. In fact, policy has directly or indirectly, discouraged any type of private sector activity in water supply. However, these laws are proving to be un-enforceable due to inability of the local governments to satisfy the demand for water. If the private sector is included and not excluded from water supply and in a legal manner, both coverage and environment would benefit