Daily Editorial Analysis for 30th December 2019

In the pipeline

Paper:  GS III

Topic: Government Policies and Interventions for Development in various sectors and issues arising out of their Design and Implementation.

For Prelims: Atal Bhujal Yojana, Jal Jeevan Mission

For Mains:  Issues associated with the conservation of water and groundwater management and potable water to every household in urban cities.

Why in News:  In the wake of the coming Legislative Assembly election mandate to provide a constant supply of clean, drinking water is what the AAP promises to provide each household if re-elected to power. 

Urban Planning

In a city like Delhi, which has grown unplanned especially since the 1970s and is heavily dependent on neighbouring cities for water, the primary challenge to this dream is water availability.

The Centre first discussed a project to supply water throughout the day in 2003. In a few districts in Karnataka, the project has been implemented already.

What is the concern in Delhi related to potable water?

• Less supply than demand: Delhi’s estimated water demand at present is around 1,150 million gallons daily (MGD). The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) provides around 950 MGD of water through various sources per day.
• Failure of Private-Public Partnership: Delhi’s first experience with constant water supply in South Delhi has been a mixed bag. A private company tied up with the DJB to take over supply in eight areas. The idea was to start with two colonies and eventually cover all eight. But the company that undertook the project hit a roadblock as it got only 40 MGD as opposed to the 80 MGD promised to execute the project.
• Problem of overflowing: This is essential for the system’s success as it prevents water from overflowing and getting lost to seepage.
• Adequate pressure: Adequate pressure is also an issue so that to pump water to houses on upper floors is also necessary.

Measures suggested by the Delhi Government

• The 24×7 water supply project: This is the first time in the country that a government is planning to supply water consistently for 24 hours every day.
• Popularity of the earlier project: In 2013, when the Aam Aadmi Partycame to power for the first time, its first manifesto promised 20,000 litres of free piped water per household per day. The move clubbed with a power subsidy, is still believed to have played a key role in pushing its popularity up.
• Consensus between other states: water-related projects, a combination of agreements with other state governments and groundwater recharge projects means that Delhi should be water-rich soon. Earlier this month, the DJB signed an agreement with the government of Himachal Pradesh under which Delhi will get at least 170 MGD of water per day starting next year.
• Lake rejuvenation projects: lake rejuvenation projects whereby 240 water bodies will be revived to help improve the water table. It has already started showing results.
• Financial incentives: By giving financial incentive to motivate people to start harvesting rain-water, and community-level harvesting is being encouraged. Example of the Palla Project, where dug pits to conserve flood water is sowing successful result. The water table in that area has already risen by 1 metre. This is water that can be extracted and used.
• Infrastructure development: On of the important requirement is infrastructure development.

Some of the developments in recent years

• In 2015, when AAP formed the government for the second time, water pipelines covered only 58% of Delhi, DJB reports say. This has now reached 93%.
• The DJB also found that 33% of water carried from treatment plants to reservoirs was being lost during transmission.
• After putting up meters at outlets and inlets and some points in between, losses have now been curtailed to 6%.
• Ensuring decentralization: For 24×7 water supply to succeed, the water utility has to ensure decentralisation and closed loops. This means that all water must be accounted for and transmission losses kept to a minimum. New pipelines conforming to this pattern will have to be laid in areas where replacement has not happened recently.
• Detecting leakages: Detecting leakages in such a scenario becomes crucial.
  • Example of the South Delhi project being managed by Suez India Private Limited for the DJB, leakages is detected using inert Helium gas.
  • Helium is mixed in water, small holes are bored near the pipeline and if there is a leak, sensors detect escaping Helium.
  • Then, small sensors are to be placed in pipelines to test for pressure, turbidity and chlorine levels.
  • If pressure drops, the system will be alerted.
• Issue of quality water: Facing allegations of providing impure water, the DJB also has to make sure that if water is provided through the day, it is potable.
• Continuous supply system is a solution to quality water:
  • According to experts, it is easier to do this in a continuous supply system as opposed to a timed supply. “Because the chance of developing leakages is much lower in a continuous supply system, maintaining the quality is easier.
  • If a vacuum is not created in the pipe by switching on motors and exerting pressure, the chance of contaminants entering the line are very low.
  • Apart from this, sensors along the pipeline also have to be installed to alert the system about any impurities.
  • If pipes inside a house are old, they should also be changed to ensure no contaminants are added.
  • According to experts, constant water supply reduces the risk of water contamination. Contaminants enter the pipeline when there is no water in the line and a vacuum is created.

What are the challenges involving the project?

• Sufficient amount of water for this project: This is not a small project and Delhi is one of the largest cities in the world. Therefore, the requirement of water is high too.
• How to finance this project? Will the Centre have any role in it?: The financing will be done partly by the Delhi government and partly through a loan. There are agencies such as JICA, World Bank and others to approach for loans. Whenever a loan is sanctioned, the Centre gives a sovereign guarantee on it. In this project, the Centre’s role is that.
• How to ensure water quality is maintained? It would be an automated system and completely computerized. People would not have to use pumps to draw water and store it in tanks as it is would be available to them every time. This would, in turn, make water quality even better.

Conclusion

As like Delhi government, other states can also ensure 24 X 7 supply of potable water, through proper management and community conservation mechanism.

Way Forward

The first step, though, is ensuring there’s enough water to go around, Union Government initiative like Atal Jal Yojna can be driving force for conserving and recharging groundwater.

Additional Information

Jal Jeevan Mission

1. In 70 years, only 3 crore out of 18 crore rural households have access to piped water supply.
2. Now Government has set the target to deliver clean drinking water to 15 crore homes in the next five years through pipes.
3. Providing access to safe and adequate drinking water to all Indians is a priority of the Government.
4. A major step in this direction has been the constitution of the Jal Shakti Mantralaya, integrating the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. This new Mantralaya will look at the management of our water resources and water supply in an integrated and holistic manner and will work with States to ensure HarGharJal हरघर जल– (piped water supply) to all rural households by 2024 under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
5. This Mission, under the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, will focus on integrated demand and supply-side management of water at the local level, including the creation of local infrastructure for source sustainability like rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, and management of household wastewater for reuse in agriculture.
6. The Jal Jeevan Mission will converge with other Central and State Government Schemes to achieve its objectives of sustainable water supply management across the country.
7. The Finance Minister informed that the government has identified 1592 Blocks which are critical and overexploited, spread across 256 Districts for the Jal Shakti Abhiyan.
8. Besides using funds available under various Schemes, the Government will also explore the possibility of using additional funds available under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) for this purpose.