The relentless summer heat continues to grip the country, with water scarcity emerging as a critical issue. As temperatures soar, the demand for water has skyrocketed, leading to a crisis in many regions. In major cities like Delhi and Lucknow, water is being supplied by tankers, a sight that has become increasingly common. However, this struggle is not new for the people of Bundelkhand, who have been grappling with water scarcity for years.
The region’s arid climate and lack of sustainable water management practices have made it a perennial hotspot for water shortages. During the peak summer months of April, May and June, the situation becomes particularly dire.
To understand how people in Bundelkhand manage water during these challenging months, this reporter took a look at towns in the region and found something surprising — Home-grown water plants have mushroomed, drawing water through borewells.
Every morning from 7 am to 2 pm, more than two dozen loaders and e-rickshaws laden with water tankers can be seen supplying water to various parts of Rath, a town in Uttar Pradesh’s Hamirpur district. “This loader belongs to the plant owners; we just do the job,” one such water supply loader driver told this reporter. Under the condition of anonymity, he stated that it takes five to seven rounds per day to supply 150 water cans.
Rath has a population of around 200,000. There are currently around two dozen RO water plants supplying approximately five thousand cans (each holding 20 litres) of water during the peak season from March to June.
This is separate from the supply for events like weddings. The summer season is also the wedding season, for which about 1,500 cans are sold, totalling around 200,000 litres of water sold during the peak season.
Meanwhile, most areas of town receive government water every two days. Some areas have not received government water for more than a month. The taps in Rath’s Bajaria neighbourhood have been dry for the past two months.
Naseem, a resident, stated that residents received water from tankers sent by the ward member and municipality throughout the summer. “A week ago, a water tanker stood in the neighbourhood for over a day,” he said.
According to Sushil Sahu, who owns a water plant, the water supply industry is rapidly expanding because everyone requires clean water due to the poor quality of government-supplied water. “Because it is a low-cost, high-profit business, many people are thinking about starting their own water plant. To start a water plant, you will need a borewell with a submersible pump (10 horsepower motor is enough), a reverse osmosis system and a water cooler machine, which will cost around Rs 3 lakh,” he said.
Additionally, campers for storing and keeping the water cool are essential and are the most expensive. The remaining costs are for the water supply, Sahu added.
When asked about government approval and licensing, Sahu claimed there was no specific charge or licence required.
“The State Health Institute tested the quality of borewell water for some long-time business owners. This can be viewed as a type of licence. The test looks for nutrients and their quantities. According to the regulations, every plant operator should perform this test, but most do not. Out of the town’s more than 20 plants, only three or four may have this certificate,” said Sahu.
Another plant operator, speaking anonymously from Gohand, Hamirpur, stated that it takes just 10 minutes to check water quality at any location. “The problem is that the lab is in Lucknow and the sample test must be completed within 24 hours to receive the certificate. As a result, the majority of people believe it is unnecessary. Another reason for not following rules and regulations is that most people operate these plants from their homes and do not want to incur additional costs,” the operator said.
Harishchandra Sahu (name changed), who sells water from a home-based plant, said, “All businesses require money, space and time, but this one doesn’t need many resources. We had already installed a borewell for water, which is essential for every home. We had an electricity connection and needed machines to filter and cool the water and campers for water supply, costing around Rs 3 lakh in total. We started by renting the other equipment and later bought it.”
Another plant operator, Adil from Charkhari in Mahoba district, stated that at least 60% of the water is wasted during the filtering process. “It is important to understand what others do with it. I installed two bores in my plant, one for water extraction and one for wastewater disposal. We dispose of 50-60 litres of wastewater per hundred litres,” he said.
Another plant operator disagreed with Adil, claiming it was a waste of money trying to put the water back into the ground. “We use the wastewater for household chores, although we have to flush it out daily,” they said.
Harishchandra said reverse bores were expensive, around Rs 1.5 lakh. “Spending that much money in this competitive era makes no sense,” he said.
Meanwhile, the widespread use of borewells to meet the water needs of small towns is taking a severe toll — the groundwater levels are plummetting. For towns in Bundelkhand, borewells have become a lifeline amid rising temperatures and erratic government supplies. However, the over-extraction of groundwater is depleting aquifers faster than they can recharge.
Pappu Kushwaha, a borewell maker, pointed out that the water plans are unsustainable and further exacerbating water scarcity.
“Borewells that once reached water at 60-80 feet now often need to drill 150 feet or more. However, people had access to government supply back then, which was good quality water. Now, these water plants are extracting 300,000-400,000 litres of water daily and the water table doesn’t recharge fast enough,” Kushwaha said.
These illegally operated water plants also contribute to plastic waste and harm the environment by lowering water levels. Most RO plants sell water pouches to boost profits. Both are illegal, but plant owners argue that selling only tankers does not cover their costs.
“We deliver 20 to 30 sacks of water pouches to different shops every day, with each sack containing 50 pouches priced between 35 and 45 rupees. Shopkeepers charge Rs 4-10. People who do not want to spend money on water bottles use pouches, which are less expensive and more readily available, despite Uttar Pradesh’s plastic ban,” a plant operator told this reporter.
Vijay Singh, a Palika Parishad officer in Rath, said there were no rules and regulations for these water plants, nor was there a taxation policy. Regarding the town’s water crisis, he stated, “There is a high demand, which we meet by supplying water tankers to high-demand areas. Sometimes we fail because of glitches.”