NEW DELHI: The AAP government's decision of providing 20,000 litres of free water to each household per month will result in a gross waste of this precious resource, claim experts. This will mean each person in a family of four will be entitled to about 166 litres of free water per day. Since the per capita need is not so high, 60-70 litres per day is sufficient , they say.
They also raise concerns as to where will the government source water from and how it will manage the excess water that will be generated.
The water distribution pattern in Delhi is already quite skewed. "Our study has shown that parts of Lutyens' Delhi get about 500 litres per capita per day (LPCD) while places like Mehrauli get only 22 LPCD. You can see people washing their SUVs with DJB water. But the real per capita need is obviously much lower than 500 LPCD. A more realistic LPCD figure needs to be worked out," said Sushmita Sengupta of Centre for Science and Environment's (CSE) water programme unit.
The other issue Sengupta is worried about is how AAP will fulfil its promise when there is already a demand-supply gap. "It may be done through groundwater extraction, but this is also not sustainable," she added. CSE recommends implementing rainwater harvesting on a large scale. According to its analysis, volume of rainwater that can be generated from the city is approximately 56 billion cubic metres annually.
Some environmental groups said they didn't expect such an "unsustainable promise" from the AAP government. "While there is certainly a case for highly subsidized water supply for the poor, it is nothing short of a social crime to supply free water to those who can pay," said a statement from Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan (YJA). In 2013, critics had ripped apart AAP's claim of providing 700 litres of free water per household per day. They had urged the CM to revise the amount to 50 LPCD.
Vikram Soni of Jamia Milia University said the government's move will add to the city's air and water pollution. "Such policies will further aggravate air and water pollution. For instance, will they deliver so much water in tankers to those who don't have supply? Will that not add to air pollution?"
