World Water Day 2024

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While Bengaluru’s water woes make headlines, India’s smaller cities are quietly running dry. From industrial pollution to vanishing borewells, water stress is deepening across towns like Hosapete, Mussoorie, and Devanahalli. As innovative schemes and rainwater harvesting campaigns emerge, can these overlooked municipalities outpace a looming crisis?

Are Smaller Cities Facing Bigger Water Troubles?

Source: Deccan Herald

With the ongoing water crisis in Bengaluru, numerous tech professionals have temporarily moved to Mysuru. But out of the 30 Indian cities at risk of ‘severe water scarcity’ by 2050, according to the WWF’s report, 26 are midsized or small cities like Dhanbad, Nashik, and Jabalpur. On the eve of World Water Day 2024, Nagrika throws light on overlooked municipalities and their water issues!

Despite proximity to Tungabhadra Reservoir, Hosapete, Koppal and Ballari face erratic water supply during summers due to siltation and groundwater contamination from industrial pollutants. According to the NGT committee’s Factual and Action Taken Report, Mussoorie is likely to exhaust drinking water resources by 2052. At the site of Kempegowda International Airport, Devanahalli MC resorted to hiring water tankers as 32 borewells in the town had dried up.

Population growth, rapid urbanisation, inadequate infrastructure, and overreliance on groundwater have exacerbated water scarcity. Smaller cities lack robust water supply systems and struggle with institutional inadequacies. There is also an absence of centralised sewage systems in such cities.

However, Devanahalli has begun utilising Bengaluru’s treated wastewater blended with rainwater in two of its lakes to supply 0.2 million litres of water per day to households. Similarly, Noida has been selected as a ‘water warrior’ city by the Jal Shakti Ministry for its wastewater reutilisation for irrigation purposes.

Inclusive water governance is crucial for tackling scarcity amid the growing pressures on our collective environmental resources. In Kangra, the ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign aims to mitigate groundwater depletion with approved schemes for Dehra, Palampur, and Jwalaji. Rainwater harvesting structures are also underway in Dharamshala. In Mysuru, the Jal Diwali Campaign empowered SHGs to collectively address water conservation challenges. A green-strategic MoU between Rajasthan and Denmark aims to support sustainable urban water development aims to support sustainable urban water development, including groundwater aquifer mapping & river rejuvenation.

Source: Times of India

The first phase is set to improve drinking water distribution systems & introduce 24-hour water supply in the selected areas of Jaipur, Bhilwara, & Nawalgarh on a pilot basis.

Are there any water-related problems or shortages in your city? How have city authorities addressed water scarcity challenges?