At a glance
- The problem
- Water comes for a few hours, often at low pressure. Families pay for tanks, pumps, filters and tankers. When pipes sit empty, dirty water can seep in through leaks, and a large amount of treated water is lost underground without anyone measuring it.
- The proposal
- Divide every water network into small metered zones. Find and repair leaks zone by zone, meter every connection, keep pipes pressurised around the clock, test quality continuously and publish the results by ward.
- Who benefits
- Every household, and most of all the women and children who manage water at home. Poor families who depend on tankers gain the most. Water utilities gain too, because they stop losing water they have already paid to treat.
- What we ask of government
- Make continuous supply the design standard for every new and upgraded water scheme. Fund leak repair and zone metering before new water sources. Require every utility to publish supply hours, pressure and quality.
The problem: water that comes and goes
A tap that runs for one or two hours changes how a whole family lives. Someone has to be home, awake and ready when the water comes.
Storage and pumping costs
Underground sumps, rooftop tanks, booster pumps and the electricity to run them.
Health risk
When a pipe is empty and without pressure, dirty water from outside can enter through cracks. This is why many homes need filters.
Leaks nobody sees
Without meters, a utility cannot tell where water is leaking or being taken illegally.
Tankers for the poorest
Families without a reliable tap often pay far more per bucket than families with one.
Lost time
Hours spent waiting, filling and carrying, mostly by women and girls.
Why continuous supply can use less water, not more
It sounds backwards, but it is how well-run water systems work. With part-time supply, people fill every container they have and throw away yesterday's water when fresh water arrives. Leaks stay hidden because nobody is measuring.
When pipes are always full and every zone is metered, leaks show up as numbers and get repaired, and people take only what they need because the tap will work again in an hour. Puri in Odisha became the first Indian city to offer 24-hour drink-from-tap water across the city in 2021, and pilot zones in cities in Karnataka and Maharashtra have run continuous supply as well. It can be done here.
The proposed system
Six parts, built zone by zone so that each completed zone keeps its benefit permanently.
1. Small metered zones
The network is divided into zones of a few thousand homes, each with a meter where water enters. Water sent in minus water billed equals water lost.
2. Leak repair first
Fixing leaks and replacing the worst pipes is cheaper than finding new water, and it is what makes round-the-clock pressure possible.
3. A meter on every connection, with a fair tariff
A basic daily quantity for every home at a very low price or free, with higher prices only for heavy use.
4. Quality tested in public
Sensors and regular laboratory tests, with results shown for every ward so people can trust the tap.
5. Secure sources
Rainwater harvesting, revival of lakes and ponds, groundwater recharge, and reuse of treated wastewater for industry, construction and gardens.
6. A public dashboard
Supply hours, pressure, quality results and open complaints for every zone, visible to everyone.
Villages: from a tap connection to a tap that works
The Jal Jeevan Mission has brought tap connections to a large share of rural homes. The next step is service: water on a known schedule moving towards all day, tested quality, and someone local who is trained and paid to keep it running.
Village water committees should get simple meters, solar pumps where power is unreliable, and the same public reporting as cities.
How to start
No city has to convert everything at once.
Step 1: A few zones
Each city converts a few zones, including at least one low-income area, and publishes the results.
Step 2: Zone by zone
Water saved from repaired leaks in finished zones supplies the next zones.
Step 3: A national standard
Continuous, drinkable, publicly reported supply becomes the normal requirement for funding any water scheme.
Common questions
Will my water bill go up?
A basic quantity for every home should stay very cheap or free. Many families would spend less overall, because they would no longer need to pay for pumping, storage, filters or tankers. The exact tariff has to be decided city by city and should be published before meters are switched on.
Does India have enough water for 24-hour supply?
Continuous supply is about how water is delivered, not about using more of it. Repairing leaks frees up water that is already being treated and pumped. In water-short cities, protecting and refilling sources is an essential part of the plan, not an extra.
Why do we need meters?
Without measurement, nobody can find leaks or illegal connections, and a careful family pays the same as a wasteful one. Meters make the system fair and make the losses visible.
Will the tap water really be safe to drink?
That is the goal. Pipes that are always under pressure do not let outside water in, and public testing in every ward is what lets people see the proof for themselves.
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