Page 70 - GRIHA Manual Volume IV - Introduction to National Rating System
P. 70
Building planning and construction 61
CRIteRIon 21
wAteR ReCyCle And Reuse
(InCludInG RAInwAteR)
Introduction
Urban India has a water-intensive centralized sewage system. The existing political economy of
defecation in India is such that there is year-on-year massive investment in the so-called centralized
modern sewage systems in the urban sector, which the government cannot afford but continues to
subsidize for users in the name of marginalized and poor sections of the society often not served by
this centralized system. This coupled with increasing water shortage in urban areas, even in places
that receive bimodal rains and increasing pollution loads is reaching a critical point, especially in
densely populated cities. To meet the ever-increasing water demand, there is an incessant sourcing
of groundwater without any replenishment leading to severe groundwater depletion adding further
to the water stress. As a consequence, water is often brought to such big urban centres from far-off
places at stupendous costs.
Some key features of the water situation in urban India are as follows.
# There is an increasing trend of declining per capita water availability over the years.
# Drought is becoming more or less permanent. Even in good rainfall years, there is water stress;
even after a flood there is a drought. During rains, most of the urban centers get flooded as a
result of stormwater mismanagement.
# All sources of water are getting increasingly polluted.
# There is a rapid decline of groundwater, which is the main source of drinking water in most parts
of the country. There is reduced recharge of groundwater.
Figure 1 Reduction in per capita water availability
Source CSE
CRIteRIon 21
wAteR ReCyCle And Reuse
(InCludInG RAInwAteR)
Introduction
Urban India has a water-intensive centralized sewage system. The existing political economy of
defecation in India is such that there is year-on-year massive investment in the so-called centralized
modern sewage systems in the urban sector, which the government cannot afford but continues to
subsidize for users in the name of marginalized and poor sections of the society often not served by
this centralized system. This coupled with increasing water shortage in urban areas, even in places
that receive bimodal rains and increasing pollution loads is reaching a critical point, especially in
densely populated cities. To meet the ever-increasing water demand, there is an incessant sourcing
of groundwater without any replenishment leading to severe groundwater depletion adding further
to the water stress. As a consequence, water is often brought to such big urban centres from far-off
places at stupendous costs.
Some key features of the water situation in urban India are as follows.
# There is an increasing trend of declining per capita water availability over the years.
# Drought is becoming more or less permanent. Even in good rainfall years, there is water stress;
even after a flood there is a drought. During rains, most of the urban centers get flooded as a
result of stormwater mismanagement.
# All sources of water are getting increasingly polluted.
# There is a rapid decline of groundwater, which is the main source of drinking water in most parts
of the country. There is reduced recharge of groundwater.
Figure 1 Reduction in per capita water availability
Source CSE
