Water in Towns: Communitize Or Commodify?
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WATER IN TOWNS: COMMUNITIZE OR COMMODIFY? 2 About the cover: A picture of Dehradun’s heavily overcast September sky with the middle range of the Himalaya forming a massive backdrop. 3 CONTENTS 01. OVERVIEW ......................................................................................................... 10 OVERVIEW OF DEHRADUN ’S WATER SITUATION ....................................................................11 The RAA Team ...................................................................................................11 02. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................................... 13 INSTITUTIONS DESERVING OF SPECIAL THANKS .....................................................................13 The Government ................................................................................................14 The ADB ............................................................................................................14 The Consulting Group ........................................................................................16 03. A SNAPSHOT ...................................................................................................... 17 SECTION 1 SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS ................... 21 04. BACKGROUND ................................................................................................ 22 TOUCHSTONES OF PERFORMANCE ....................................................................................23 Economic Efficiency ...........................................................................................23 Environmental Soundness ...................................................................................24 Equity ...............................................................................................................26 Endogeneity ......................................................................................................26 THE DEFINING ENVIRONMENT – T HE DOON V ALLEY ...............................................................29 Geographic Setting of the City ...........................................................................32 Origin and Growth .............................................................................................33 05. DEHRADUN’S WATER RESOURCES ............................................................. 35 WATER SOURCES ........................................................................................................35 SURFACE WATER SOURCES ............................................................................................35 GROUNDWATER SOURCES ..............................................................................................36 06. CITY WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM .................................................................... 38 SUPPLY SYSTEMS ........................................................................................................38 HOURS OF SUPPLY ......................................................................................................41 Consumption Pattern .........................................................................................44 SLUMS – N EED FOR SPECIAL ATTENTION IN BASIC SERVICES .....................................................45 Water Supply in the Slums .................................................................................46 07. WATER QUALITY ................................................................................................ 49 QUALITY OF WATER ....................................................................................................49 STATUS OF WATER TREATMENT FACILITIES ..........................................................................50 4 Shahanshaai Filteration Plant ............................................................................50 Dilaram Bazaar Water Works ..............................................................................51 CHLORINATION OF TUBEWELL WATER ...............................................................................51 08. THE STORY OF NUMBERS ............................................................................ 53 CITY -WIDE WATER EXPENDITURES ...................................................................................53 CITY -WIDE WATER REVENUE ..........................................................................................55 SURFACE WATER SOURCES ............................................................................................55 Economics of Surface Water Supply ....................................................................56 COST OF S OURCING AND D ISTRIBUTING CITY -WIDE WATER .......................................................57 COST OF ENERGY FOR DISTRIBUTION ................................................................................57 09. WHERE THE POWER LIES ............................................................................ 60 UTTARANCHAL PEYJAL SANSADHAN V IKAS AVAM NIRMAN NIGAM ...............................................60 Legal Status ......................................................................................................60 UTTARANCHAL JAL SANSTHAN ........................................................................................61 Legal Status ......................................................................................................61 NEED FOR CORPORATISATION , R EGULATORY AND TECHNICAL ADVISORY BODIES ............................61 10. BUILDING WATER EFFICIENCIES ................................................................ 64 REMEDIAL ACTION .......................................................................................................65 Building A Case for Continuous Water Supply .....................................................65 Dependence on the Power Grid for Water ..........................................................66 Localized Power M odules ...................................................................................66 Portending New Ways of Resource Management ..................................................67 First Step to Innovation .....................................................................................67 24x7 Power Can Energise New Technology ..........................................................67 Building Managerial Efficiencies .........................................................................68 The Politician's Wield and Influence ...................................................................69 Beyond Party Lines ............................................................................................70 WHAT 'S IN IT FOR ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS ? ........................................................................70 THE WATER SWEEPSTAKES ............................................................................................72 BUILDING JAL SANSTHAN 'S NICHE ....................................................................................72 De-risking Water Retailing .................................................................................72 Core Strengths ..................................................................................................73 Lean and Mean Operation ..................................................................................73 WATER BOTTLING FROM THE DEV BHUMI ...........................................................................74 Twin Value Proposition ......................................................................................74 5 SECTION 2 DESIGN AND PLANNING — THE WAY AHEAD ....................................................................... 76 11. SHAPING THEIR DESTINY ............................................................................. 77 1. State’s Intent to Provide 24x7 Urban Water Supply Systems ............................78 2. Scope for Creating Decentralized Units Amenable to Local M anagement .........79 3. Effective Structures for Accountable Local M anagement Systems ....................79 4. Growing your Own Water ...............................................................................79 5. Catch-water Plans .........................................................................................80 6. Inviting Knowledge from Responsive Institutions ............................................80 7. Policies for M andatory Water Harvesting and Conservation M easures ..............81 8. Convergence of Various Development Programmes .........................................81 9. Policies to Provide for Diversity of Financing Options .....................................81 12. SETTING THE GROUNDRULES ............................................................................. 83 CITY LEVEL EFFORTS AT CREATING VIABLE WATER SUPPLY ZONES ...............................................83 DEMONSTRATION OF COMMUNITY PRACTICE .........................................................................83 INSTITUTIONAL 24 X7 PRACTICE ......................................................................................84 EVOLVING COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS FOR ADAPTING T O CHANGE .............................................85 Water not as a Commodity .................................................................................85 Breaching the ‘Us and Them’ Barrier ..................................................................85 CONDUCTING CONCURRENT RESEARCH AND MONITORING PRACTICES ...........................................86