MPD 2041 proposes several measures but lacks specificity in prioritisation and actionable strategies
People queueing to collect water from a Delhi Jal board tanker. Photo: iStock This article is the concluding article in a three-part series on unplanned settlements, urban planning, and the challenges related to water, sanitation, and stormwater management that are acutely felt in large, dense, unplanned settlements in cities of the global south, a research that Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) recently completed in Delhi. Read part 1 and part 2 here.
Delhi is recognised as a water-scarce city in accordance with the Master Plan of Delhi (MPD) 2041. There are clear signs of declining groundwater levels, severe pollution in the Yamuna River, and frequent waterlogging in various parts of the city.
Delhi primarily relies on external sources for its freshwater supply, and the ever-growing future demand may surpass the available resources.
The national capital’s reliance on water from neighbouring states is increasingly unsustainable, and the risks posed by climate change and politically driven shortages threaten to undermine the city’s economic and social development goals.
Read more: Global South water-sensitive cities: Framing the discourse
Is there a strategy to bridge this gap in the near future? In the final part of our series, we critique the current approach to planning Delhi’s water supply.
Let’s start by examining the norms for water supply. The norms for urban water supply are set by the central government through the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO).
These norms generally recommend a supply of 135 litres per capita (LPCD) per day for large cities, with even higher standards for major metropolitan areas. For Delhi, the water utility Delhi Jal Board has established specific supply norms for the city.
Water requirement norms as per the Delhi Jal Board
Source: Economic survey of Delhi 2022–23
In areas governed by New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Cantonment, Delhi Jal Board (DJB) supplies bulk water, with NDMC and Delhi Cantonment responsible for its distribution. For areas outside these jurisdictions, DJB provides water through tanker services.
Due to infrastructure limitations and political factors, water distribution across the capital is often unequal.
Levels of water supply across Delhi in LPCD
Source: Delhi-1999 Fact-Sheet, published by National Capital Region Planning Board
Delhi’s water availability in 2020 was 935 million gallons per day (MGD), while the total demand was 1,140 MGD, resulting in a deficit of 141 MGD.
Estimated water demand in Delhi
|
Year |
Population (in millions) |
Demand criteria* (GPCD) |
Availability from all sources (MGD) |
Total demand (MGD) |
Deficit (MGD) |
|
2020 |
19 |
60 |
935 |
1,140 |
141 |
|
2021 |
60 |
935 |
1,380: 23 million pop. (MPD 2041) 1,260: 21 million pop. (ES 2022–23) |
- |
|
|
2031 |
29.1 |
60 |
- |
1,746 |
- |
|
2041 |
29.1 |
50 |
- |
1,455 |
- |
*Includes domestic, commercial, industrial demand and that for fire services, etc
Source: MPD 2041 and Economic Survey of Delhi 2022–23
MPD 2021 established a 60 gallons per capita a day (GPCD) norm. MPD for 2041 has reduced this to 50 GPCD, thereby setting a target of 1,455 MGD for 2041.
Read more: Are Indian megacities forgetting their rainwater endowment?
According to the DJB, about 93 per cent of households in Delhi have access to piped water, although the quantity and quality vary. The city has a network of 15,383 kilometres of pipelines and over 117 underground reservoirs (UGR) to supply water to approximately 20 million people.
As outlined in the Economic Survey of Delhi 2022–23, there are three main sources of water supply.
The first one is raw water from Haryana: DJB receives raw water through carrier line channels, Delhi sub-branch (DSB) canals and Yamuna river. This includes:
The second source is Ganga water supply. The Ganga Canal/Murad Nagar Regulator supplies 470 cusecs (254.08 MGD) for Bhagirathi and Sonia Vihar water treatment plants. Bhagirathi gets 200 cusec and the rest 270 cusec goes to Sonia Vihar plant.
The third source is groundwater supply — 117 MGD through Ranney wells and tube wells in the Yamuna floodplains and other areas in Delhi.
Delhi’s water augmentation plan involves a dual strategy of increasing groundwater and surface water resources, while also focusing on wastewater treatment and reuse, rainwater harvesting, and waterbody restoration.
As of 2041, the anticipated additional water supply is 584 MGD, leading to a projected total water availability of 1,519 MGD. This would account for an estimated 30 million (3 crore) people in Delhi.
Water augmentation plan for Delhi, 2041
Data Source: MPD 2041
Delhi’s water supply network has about 15,383 km of pipelines, with a significant portion being outdated and prone to leakage. Water losses are calculated by subtracting billed or consumed water from total production, referred to as non-revenue water (NRW).
DJB estimates that 58 per cent of Delhi’s water supply constitutes NRW, a rate much higher than the global standard of 10–20 per cent in developed nations. This high NRW includes unbilled water distributed to JJ clusters and unauthorised colonies.
Read more: Constructed wetlands are nature’s ingenious solution for wastewater treatment in India
Delhi faces water and climate crises, including frequent flooding of Yamuna river and potential water shortages due to monsoon delays. Additionally, the urban heat island effect is increasing. MPD 2041 proposes several measures to address these issues:
However, the plan lacks specificity in prioritisation and actionable strategies. It is unclear how much each of these measures will contribute to achieving Delhi’s 2041 target of 1,519 MGD, nor does it provide a clear direction for developing Zonal Plans.
In absolute terms, it is not clear how increasing the 2021 level of water supply by 50 per cent (in 2041), primarily from water supplied by Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, can be justified as a worthy strategy to achieve water security for Delhi or make the city water-sensitive.
Instead, MPD 2041 makes only pedantic declarations of intent:
The Master Plan advocates an integrated urban water management approach and provides inter-connected strategies in the three major water-related infrastructure sectors, namely water supply, sewerage and drainage. While interventions under this approach can incrementally move the city towards being water secure continued efforts shall be made by concerned authorities to procure raw water through inter-state agreements for meeting the city’s requirement.
These ‘interconnected strategies’ for the water supply-sewerage-drainage sectors are nowhere to be seen in MPD 2041 or in directions it gives for the Zonal Planning stage.
MPD 2041 is silent on several issues, like:
As our cities grow more and more into unplanned settlements, the economically better off can buy their way out of the water crisis to some extent (though we see this limit being breached in Bengaluru recently). The brunt of bad planning in terms of water supply, sanitation and storm water management, is felt by those residing in the large dense unplanned settlements of our cities.
Read more: How Delhi Master Plan 2041 misses the bus in every aspect
The future of water supply of Delhi and all our large 10 million plus metro cities, will depend on how we plan for water supply, sanitation and storm water management — in an integrated way. Clear policies and programme directions that prioritise water planning are needed and a framework developed by CSE with global south water sensitive cities framing can be key.
Securing water supply for large, dense unplanned settlements of Delhi is possible in a reimagined, decentralised system of both water supply and sanitation systems. A recent study by CSE, Visioning water supply, waste water and storm water management for large dense unplanned settlements in a climate risk era, found that the colony had a low water supply of only 45 litres per capita a day.
The million plus unplanned and unauthorised settlement of Sangam Vihar in Delhi is at the tail end of DJB water supply pipelines. The solution lies in augmenting water supply from dedicated decentralised sources from recharged and tertiary treated water supply through four lakes and four sewage treatment plants that are within 10-15 km radius of Sangam Vihar.
To accomplish this, not only must water and waste water planning for cities be reimagined from a decentralised systems perspective, but water utilities and boards must also be restructured and strengthened to conduct aquifer mapping for recharge, discharge, and reuse of treated waste water.
This is a shift away from pipeline-based water supply and towards discharge and disposal of treated water.
We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.
.png)
Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.