WATER SCARCE(CITY) DELHI 2037
The Indian population is predicted to overtake that of China by 2050, when it will peak at
40 million Indians will be at risk from rising sea levels by 2050. Mumbai and Kolkata having the maximum exposure to coastal flooding
30 to 100cm
1.6 billion
estimated increase in sea level by 2100
55%
increase in water demand between 2000 to 2050, while the sources of fresh water have started to dry updue to increased rate of evaporation.
2 out of 3
people in the world will be facing water shortages by 2025
With the current scenario and projections for the next two decades, one of the major challenges while planning our future cities will be efficient management of existing resources whether it is land or water. A report from the United Nations states that two out of every three people in the world will be facing water shortages by 2025, a situation that will inevitably lead to global conflict. (URBAN LAB, 2017) Water demand is also expected to go up by 55% between 2000 and 2050. By far the most powerful factor, which explains why groundwater irrigation grew faster in India than elsewhere, is the regime of flat rate tariff and power subsidies that India has introduced since the beginning of Green Revolution,a 2012 study by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) said. Freshwater supplies have started to dry up, climate change has led to sea levels rising and altering borders, explosive population growth is straining world resources, and global hyper-nationalism is testing diplomatic relations. Water, in terms of its value as a global resource has been described as “the next oil”. (Lufkin, 2017) Urban water resource management is increasingly important while planning our future cities, given the need to provide equitable distribution of safe and reliable water. The first issue is the most obvious: water scarcity. The second issue is the political implications of that scarcity. For example, in the case of Syria, the draught condition lead to more people moving to the cities, rising food prices, more political tension within the country and giving rise to “climate refugees”, who travel to other countries that have better water availability. The third main issue – the transboundary flow of water, in other words-water moving between countries or regions. (Lufkin, 2017) Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have had repeated disputes leading to political tension and violence over the sharing of water from the river Cauvery since the British rule. (BBC News, 2016) For urban populations, the importance of water cannot be underestimated. Its management is a challenge in terms of sustainability and administration, for cities have to offer the best possible water administration, wastewater collection, rainwater harvesting, and effective water treatment without generating negative environmental, social, sanitary, or health effects. Urban water management is increasingly important, given the need to maintain water resources that comply with global and local standards of quantity and quality. The effective management of water resources requires
the optimization of financial resources without forsaking social requirements. (Prats, et al., 2017) RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: 1. Literature Survey: Though enough work has been done on Delhi and its water sources, we see our research as a connection between the environmental and political understanding of water sources and urban morphology. 2. Resource Persons: Dr. Vikram Soni, Sohail Madan, Dr. Ar. Suptendu Biswas, SPA Urban Design Studio’s Water Lab,Sunita Narain, Ar. M.N. Ashish Ganju. 3. Tabulation And Mapping of geographical water data and related elements across the timeline to have the tools set down for an urban structure level analysis. Trend Analysis Of Delhi’s Resettlement Pattern: Pictoral presentation of trend analysis of Delhi with respect to water and settlement. 4. Case Study Of Aya Nagar: The pilot project in Delhi at a neighbourhood level where decentralisation is used for managing sewerage, storage of water, preserving the forest greens and harvesting rainwater with proper public participation. 5.Projected Scenario: Projection for the future with all the tools used above with respect to the ecological, economical, technological, political and cultural aspects. KEY ARGUMENTS Learning from traditional practices of water management Traditionally, we were connected with the nature and environment in the sense of reverence of all life forms. The source of water for domestic needs of a settlement or a city has always been either groundwater or a collected rainwater. Furthermore, the
extraction used to depend on the season, i.e. in the monsoons they used the tanks and in the dry seasons the wells. For purposes such as agriculture only, did they use the rivers or the nalas along with heavy dependency on the rains. The sensitivity made all the difference to come from careful water management to abashed extraction of water for individual selfish purposes from first, a singular source and then any source that could be exploited. Issues with present system of water supply management 1. Centralised Water Supply-Delhi has its water distributed via pipelines and tankers. According to statistics, 55% of water is lost in transition. The Delhi Jal Board pumps 30 million cubic meters of water a day into its pipes, but only 17 million cubic meters actually reach users, who obtain the rest of the water they need from inefficient and expensive tankers sent in to solve the problem. Therefore the city loses about 1,200 MLD in leaks which is equivalent to the water expected from the Renuka Dam (built 300km away from Delhi). ). If the city can cut down its distribution losses, there will be additional water available without having to construct a dam which displaces 10,000 villages. Large quantities of fresh water are therefore wasted and never reaches the consumer due to lack of adequate or aging infrastructure. (Fogden, 2009) 2. Absence of Rational Water Policies-Absence of rational water policies have led to the relentless exploitation of groundwater resources. Massive subsidies have been provided by politicians on equipment and electricity required to mine groundwater. “By far the most powerful factor, which explains why groundwater irrigation grew faster in India than elsewhere, is the regime of flat rate tariff and power subsidies that
India has introduced since the beginning of Green Revolution which has led to a drop in groundwater tables up to several metres a year in key aquifers.” a 2012 study by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) said. 3.Pricing of Water as a Resource-Pricing is a key factor affecting the water situation in India. Water services -irrigation, domestic and industrial water supply, and wastewater treatment are heavily subsidised by most governments, leading to more consumption and wasteful utilisation. Once water is appropriately valued, users and producers will have incentives to conserve it and to invest in innovation. To sustainably manage the demand for water, our government needs to account for the economic value of water as a resource. A Case for Decentralised System for the Future-Ayanagar Aya Nagar is a case in study whereby a decentralized, self-sustaining, in situ drainage and water-management system is proposed which will ensure that a clean and hygienic environment can be maintained to a large extent by the residents themselves with support of the government and other local authorities (RWA or CBO) at neighborhood or block level. This design approach of extreme decentralization would also allow for a greater sense of ownership and control of each digester by the users. The technology used allows for it to be easily managed by ordinary people with occasional monitoring by technical persons. The Aya Nagar Pilot project aims at developing and implementing a proto-typical model for urban development (a closed loop water supply system), to serve as a guide for similar settlements in the whole country.
The future is towards community level decentralised nexus of water-energy-waste. While large centralised structures for supply and service will still be intact for reserve, strict planning around the ecological boundaries for a capped but self-sufficient settlement is the way to be.
WATER SCARCE (CITY)
DELHI 2037