[RE[SEARCH [DIA]LOGUES
RE-CENTERING DELHI UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
MUNICIPAL W A T E R
INTRODUCTION Anna Cai
This research has led me to the conclusion that Delhi is conspicuously at odds between its residents and its government. One is in dire need of a solution and the other is either ignorant or conciously focusing its energies on other endeavors outside obtaining drinkable water, a seemingly natural human right, for its people. Furthermore, the corruption of the distribution of water is growing beyond the means of what the city can provide ecologically and municipally. The solution may very well lie in the earth far below the roads of Delhi, but here water has also been disappearing. Waste accumulates in its place. The contributors to this crisis are also cultural. How do we eliminate problems that are essential to the identity of a civilization? These are the questions we will face in trying to save water for Delhi.
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THE YEAR OF WATER CONSERVATION This article is an update of ongoing conversations which outlines the priority of clean water and water conservation within the capital and the nation.
[“Cleaning of the Yamuna river: Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti promised to work pro-actively,� DNA India, 20 Aug 2014, accessed 4 Sept 2014]
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FIRST TOILET AT AGE 40 Karmaben Rakhya Ahir is the focus of the Aga Khan report on women and sanitation. Her story guided the research connecting women’s education, safety and welfare with the inavailibility of toilets in India.
[www.akdn.org, Aga Khan Development Network. 2005]
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PUBLIC PIPES: RICKETY AT BEST If spigots are availible in villages, they are seldom well maintained. 22% of Delhi’s population relies on communal taps or pumps for water.
[“Delhi Water Crisis; The Capital Going Dry” Dewan, Anuj. 24 Feb 2014. documentary]
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THE GRIND OF GETTING WATER Residents in the jurisdiction of water tankers must wake up at the crack of dawn to await the arrival of the trucks. Some truck services are scheduled in early morning hours of 3AM.
[“Delhi Water Crisis; The Capital Going Dry” Dewan, Anuj. 24 Feb 2014. documentary]
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NGO’S NOT WELCOME Colony-dwellers regard the arrival of NGO’s with disdain. NGO’s offer the facade of adequate water supply, when in fact they do not offer total solution for the residents surrounding their HQ, only an image of doing-good. An already unreliable government orders fewer water tanker visits when made aware of NGO presence.
[“Delhi Water Crisis; The Capital Going Dry” Dewan, Anuj. 24 Feb 2014. documentary]
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DJB, AN UNRESPONSIVE PARENT Consumer Complaints is filled with residents reporting sites of drainage disrepair and sullage. The archive is abundant and unrelenting, showing an active public despite the seeming lack of government response.
[consumercomplaints.in]v
“We hope that our government will take some strict action in this matter so we can proudly say we are Delhites. Yours Truly, Tula Pam Resident of 1-17 DDAJJ [JJ Cluster Colony] “
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TANKERS RUN WATER MONOPOLY An estimated 2,000 illegal tankers ply New Delhi roads, lifelines to millions whose taps have run dry, costing anything between 600 rupees to 3,000 rupees (10-50 USD) for a thousand liters. Delhi Jal Board (DJB) sends 900 onto crowded roads everyday.
[“Water shortages give rise to ‘tanker mafia’ in ND”. Reevell, Patrick. 2014 Sep 8. www.therepublic.com]
[ARTIFACT]
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BOTTLED WATER: AN ILLEGAL SUBSTANCE These illegal units are msotly located in slums and congested by-lanes. They often hardly meet purification standards, but escape getting check by governmental officials due to their location.
[“Lives at risk with 10,000 illegal bottled water units in Delhi.� IANS. 2014 Sep 7. timesofindia.indiatimes.com ]
“The number of unlicensed bottling units in Delhi is over 10,000. There’s a shortage of drinking water. Operating illegal units is an easy business. We did a survey this year and
over 2,000 people were caught running unlicensed bottling plants of North Delhi alone.� -North Delhi Municipal Corp Mayor Yogender Chandolia
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THE CONSTANT HAZARD “Pedestrians in NYC may be accustomed to glancing down and seeing the “Made in India” stamp on their city’s manhole covers, but Delhites are more worried about not seeing their drains covered at all.”
[[Jenkins, Cordelia. “The rising menace of open drains.” 2012 July 25. livemint.com/politics]
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THE ISSUE OF NEGLIGENCE Ashok Bhattacharjee, director of the Unified Traffic and Transportation INfrastructure Planning and Engineering Centre, feels the problem in Delhi is the mentality that roads are primarily for vehicles, putting pedestrians in second place. “It’s not just open drains but street lighting and women’s safety also”.
[[Jenkins, Cordelia. “The rising menace of open drains.” 2012 July 25. livemint.com/politics]
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DEBRIS IN SODA Many residents have reported incidents of finding packing foammaterial in their sodas. This brings fearful speculation at what could make up the contens of drinking water.
[“Delhi Water Crisis; The Capital Going Dry� Dewan, Anuj. 24 Feb 2014. documentary]
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IGNORANCE OR A BLIND EYE? Despite repeated audits acknowledging the problems, little has been done to address them. Often, the DLB ignores many of the real reasons behind the shortage.
[“Water shortages give rise to ‘tanker mafia’ in ND”. Reevell, Patrick. 2014 Sep 8. www.therepublic.com]
“‘I wouldn’t call it a crisis,’ says Vijay Kumar, the agency’s chief, ‘If you look at Delhi overall, certain pockets are water scarce, not all.’
Those pockets, though, are home to roughly
3.5 million people.”
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66% EFFECTIVENESS IN STP’s One-fifth of centrally-funded sewage treatment plants remain non-operational.
[timesofindia.indiatimes.com]
“‘Out of the 152 STP’s, nine plants are under construction, 30 are non-operational and performance of 28 plants are not satisfactory. As against the collective sewage treatment capacity of 4716 million liters per day, these plants however treat only 3126 MLD of sewage.”
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SLOW PROGRESS Treatment plants have only gradually made strides in comparison to the vastly expanding demand for treated water.
[delhi.gov.in]
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PATH TO WATER Delhi residents, depending on their background, rely on a variety of methods to obtain drinking water.
[delhi.gov.in]
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GROWTH SPURTS Research shows that Delhi has been growing by approximately 1000 peolpe per day for a number of years. According to the 2011 Census, today, Delhi’s population stands at about 16.8 million.
[Rai, SC. “Water management for a Megacity: National Capital Territory of Delhi.” Water Resource Management. 2011 ]
Approximately
45% 86%
of the city’s population
resides in slums. of Delhi’s water supply comes from surface water, the Yamuna being a prime source.
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RECYCLED WATER
[delhi.gov.in]
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CAPACITY OF STP’s at 62% All data, especially that distributed by the DJB can be questioned against public complaints filed.
[delhi.gov.in]
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MORE PEOPLE, LESS WATER
[delhi.gov.in]
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THE POISON OF RELIGIOUS RITUALS How do you combat the pollution while still perserving cultural rituals of idol immersion and riverside cremation?
[“A River about to Die: Yamuna” Misra, Anil. 15 Jan 2010. http://file.scirp.org/Html/12-9401064_1806.htm] [http://blog.tracypowell.com/]
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WHERE DOES THE WASTE GO? This table provides invaluable information for designing solutions to open-close drain systems. The physicalities of these drains are also affected by urban density surrounding those areas.
[Sunita Narain et al 2007, Sewage Canal: How to clean the Yamuna, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi]
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TO SHOP OR TO HYDRATE? Shopping malls are consistently being forwarded the amount of water that could hydrate an entire colony in one day.
[“Delhi Water Crisis; The Capital Going Dry� Dewan, Anuj. 24 Feb 2014. documentary]
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THE OBSERVED VERSUS THE REPORTED The reported value for the water pollution content in the Yamuna is a gross estimate of what is actually observed. Although an approximation, the numbers are misleading nontheless.
[indiatoday.intoday.in]
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FECAL WASTE IN THE RIVER Standard values for fecal colliform are virtually non-existent in most raw water resources. The Yamuna is an enormous exception.
[indiatoday.intoday.in]
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WEST VERSUS SOUTH ASIA This is a comparison of the culture behind argiculture and irrigation system differences that feeds perspective to current failures.
[fao.org]
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WATER LOST THROUGH FAULTY DRAINS A large portion of the treated water is lost through leaking infrastructure and never makes it to the homes with piped water supply.
[www.delhi.gov.in]
30-50%
About of the raw water discharged from Tajewala Head works is lost through seepage during transit in the present water carrier system comprising of Western Yamuna Canal system and River Yamuna.
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MORE DEFICIENCIES
[downtoearth.org.in]
To be considered potable, water must have a BOD (biological oxygen demand, in mgs per liter) not exceeding 3. But the BOD of the Yamuna water has measured about 51 during the monsoons and as high as 103 during the non-monsoon periods.
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OLD WAYS THAT WORKED Bundhs, stepwells, and baolis are typologies implemented in earlier years before British interventions that worked in harmony with the state of the Yamuna.
[“Hydraulic architecture in medieval India: the Tughluqs�. Welch, Anthony. http://web.archive.org/ web/20041230231055/http://www.archnet.org/library/pubdownloader/pdf/4861/doc/DPC0691.pdf ]
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OLD AND BEAUTIFUL METHODS THAT WORKED Stepwells are now endangered historical landmarks in Delhi and in other parts of India. They exist less for modes of collection but as monumental architectural feats. They still provide clues as to where more wells may have been built.
[“Hydraulic architecture in medieval India: the Tughluqs�. Welch, Anthony. http://web.archive.org/ web/20041230231055/http://www.archnet.org/library/pubdownloader/pdf/4861/doc/DPC0691.pdf ] Photo: Aaron Bridgers
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NEW METHODS FOR RAINWATER HARVESTING The national capital territory, (NCT), of Delhi receives 611 mm of rainfall on an average annually. The geology of Delhi comprises Alwar quartzites and alluvium whose vertical hydraulic conductivity, (permeability), is high compared to the horizontal permeability. This makes the conditions favourable for artificial recharge.
[“How to harvest rainwater. “http://delhijalboard.nic.in/djbdocs/r_w_harvesting/harvesting4.htm] [“Rainwater Harvesting Potential of Delhi”. http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/Urban/Practices-and-practitioners.htm]
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GROUNDWATER SOLUTIONS This diagram observes the change in the groundwater table through the seasons. Understanding this could provide more sustainable solutions for recharge and distribution.
[www.delhiheritagecity.org]
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BOREWELLS, A RAMPANT EVIL Borewells, despite their illegality, are still used today. They’re abundance has caused significant decreases in the water table around the Yamuna.
[www.delhiheritagecity.org]
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MODERN CONNECTIONS This is the ideal section of the system in Delhi. Whether or not this is a reality is less likely.
[www.delhiheritagecity.org]
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USED GROUNDWELL This houses an old well built in the 40’s. Methods of its kind are forbidden by law but still in commision by those who have no other means of obtaining water.
[“Delhi Water Crisis; The Capital Going Dry” Dewan, Anuj. 24 Feb 2014. documentary]
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TANKS FOR THE RICH This is a resevoir that services a wealthy neighborhood in New Delhi.
[“Delhi Water Crisis; The Capital Going Dry” Dewan, Anuj. 24 Feb 2014. documentary]
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TANKERS FOR THE POOR Water tankers bring a sporadic supply of drinking water to villages. IT is a competitive frenzy. Family members must fight for their hose to reach the mouth of the tank. Shares are not guaranteed.
[http://blogs.wsj.com/photojournal/2009/06/30/pictures-of-the-day-209/ ] [“Delhi Water Crisis; The Capital Going Dry� Dewan, Anuj. 24 Feb 2014. documentary]
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MOTORS AND PUMPS Wealthier residents can afford motors, pumps and other devices to extract water from underground supplies.
[“Delhi Water Crisis; The Capital Going Dry� Dewan, Anuj. 24 Feb 2014. documentary]
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OLD DELHI This map shows a less congested and dispersed river city.
[http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/baedeker_indien_1914/txu-pclmaps-delhi_modern_1914.jpg]
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DELHI DRAINAGE Delhi’s drainage system is complex and faulty. Many pipelines cross-contaminate and often lead not to an appropriate WTP, but into other water resources.
[Delhi Jal Board]
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DRAINAGE LARGER SCALE
[“Rivers of India, Indian Drainage System, Majors River System of India .� http://iasmania.com/rivers-of-india-indian-drainage-system-majors-river-system-of-india/]
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ORIGINS Water resources in the Yamuna originate from a number of places that are then channelled to various treatment plants.
[ ‘Overview of urban water supply and sewerage sector in Delhi’, Delhi Jal Board, New Delhi]
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PARCHED TO THE CORE The groundwater level map of the National Capital Territory presents a gloomy picture with the south and southwest districts under severe stress.
[http://www.cseindia.org/userfiles/delhi_20130314.pdf ]
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BACK-UP DISAPPEARING The Yamuna River occurs at the surface of the groundwater table. Everything below is a secodnary water source and yet even that is quickly expiring.
[indiatoday.intoday.in]
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SULTANATE BAOLIS Baolis are stepwells. This ancient typology was grandly dispersed throughout the city and was an effective and harmonious way for people to collect water from the land.
[www.delhiheritagecity.org]
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ALLUVIAL PLAIN The soil make-up of Delhi is comprised of Delhi Quartzite and Alluvial minerals. These decide the ground consistency and integrity availible to drill into the earth for water.
[fao.org]
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FEAR OF THE UNSEEN Upon first addition of Britain’s pipe system, residents were fearful. The source of water was unseen and it seems that this terror is all the more relevent in Delhi today.
[http://www.toxicswatch.org/2012/06/delhi-water-supply-infrastructure-needs.html]