This book investigates institutional dimensions of urban water supply in India, with a specific focus on institutional capabilities to provide drinking water to urban households in an efficient, equitable and sustainable manner. This book has been developed through empirical research within the context of growing urbanisation and increasing water needs of Indian cities, and the wider developmental goal of achieving universal and equitable access to safe and affordable water for all – as envisaged in goal 6 of the SDGs.
This study revolves around three important aspects of urban water supply and governance. Firstly, it attempts to understand household water service delivery scenarios in urban India, drawing from case studies based on our household survey in four cities – Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kochi and Hyderabad. Secondly, it examines the question of existing socio-economic inequality and access to water in an urban context in India. While dealing with the issue of inequality andaccess to water, it attempts to explore the question of whether access to water and water scarcity is socially neutral; whilst also analysing the mechanisms employed by the urban poor to manage their daily water needs. Thirdly, this book explores the role of institutions for efficient and effective delivery of water in urban India. The institutional analysis from a comparative perspective provides important insights to guide current reforms in domestic water supply in India, especially in a neo-liberal context.
The book is a valuable resource for academicians, policy makers and practitioners involved in water governance in general and domestic (drinking) water supply in particular. Besides, it is of great interest to those working in the area of urban development, urban planning and household water management.
The book is an outcome of a collaborative research project by the authors sponsored jointly by University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhiand UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI).
Table of Content
Introduction.- Major Policy Reforms in Drinking Water Sector in India.- Profile of the Study Region, Cities as well as the Respondents.- Water Availability and Water Service Delivery in Urban India.- Water Scarcity and Unequal Access to Water.- Institutional Dimensions of Drinking Water Governance in Urban India.- Conclusion.
About the author
Satyapriya Rout is an Associate Professor in Sociology at University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India. Previously he taught at the department of Sociology, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. He held Sir Ratan Tata Fellowship at the Asia Research Centre, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK, during 2012–2013, where he carried out post-doctoral research on social inequality and access to water. He was a visiting fellow at Institute for Advance Studies in Humanities (IASH) University of Edinburgh, UK during April – June 2014, for a research study on understanding global-local linkages in contemporary environmental movements. He was awarded Indo-Thai Visiting Fellowship from Indian Council for Social science Research (ICSSR) in 2010 to carry out a study on community forestry in Thailand. His research areas span: social inequality access to water, community based natural resource governance focusing on water and forest, environmental movements, and decentralised governance and development.
Ruth Kattumuri is Founder and Co-Director of the India Observatory at the London School of Economics (LSE) and is an Associate of the Grantham Research Institute. She is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, UK and is also a Cambridge Commonwealth Fellow. Prior to joining the LSE, she was a Professor in Computer Science and Statistics in Madras, India. She has been awarded the Mahatma Gandhi Pravasi Award in recognition of her achievements and contributions for India’s development. Dr. Kattumuri is involved in transdisciplinary evidence based research, teaching, publication, public policy influence and advisory. Her recent work pertains to adaptation and mitigation for climate change, covering the interface with food, water and energy security; renewable technologies and low-carbon energy transitions; urban water resource management and governance; urban planning; and inclusive population development. With her extensive experience she has pioneered several innovative international programmes for knowledge exchange, capacity building and human capital development.
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