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Water security in Guwahati City (India): examining present status and emerging challenges

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Abstract

Guwahati, the largest city in India's northeast, characterized by rapid increase in population and urban functions during the last few decades, is confronted with alarming challenges in water insecurity due to the widening gap between supply and demand and the slow development of associated infrastructures. An attempt is made in this paper to examine the changing status of the WS (water supply) system in Guwahati city and to explore the challenges faced by the city dwellers in ensuring water security based on both primary and secondary data. Despite having a massive water source in the form of Brahmaputra river near the city, more than 70 per cent of its population is still deprived of urban water supply. The water quality, which has been assessed through the water quality index, is found to vary among different schemes of WS systems in the city. On the other hand, the water accessibility index at the household level is indicative of a discouraging picture. Given the lack of adequate water security, city dwellers are compelled to adopt various strategies to overcome diverse challenges in accessing water, looking at quantity and quality.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the University Grants Commission (UGC), Government of India, for providing financial support in the form of a Fellowship (3165/NET-DEC 2018).

The authors are grateful to Mr. Rupjyoti Talukdar, Executive Engineer, GMDWSB, Guwahati for providing water supply related information and data of different agencies in Guwahati and also for cooperation and assistance offered by his junior colleagues during field survey. B. Hazarika thanks the University Grants Commission (UGC), Government of India, for financial assistance in the form of a research fellowship (3165/NET-DEC 2018).

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  1. Department of Geography, Gauhati University, Guwahati, 781014, India

    Bharati Hazarika & Bimal K. Kar

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Highlights

• Unplanned urban growth and the slow development of water infrastructures have left a large segment of urban dwellers deprived of access to water in Guwahati city.

• Despite having several WS schemes, the water supply in terms of quantity and quality is yet to be ensured.

• To ensure the sustainability of WS system, service charges can be levied with a provision for a subsidy to the economically weaker sections.

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Hazarika, B., Kar, B.K. Water security in Guwahati City (India): examining present status and emerging challenges. GeoJournal 89, 89 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-024-11103-9

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