The Hindu Business Line : 65 pc households in cities are water deficient: Study

The study, which covered households across seven major cities, revealed that household water consumption is the highest in Kolkata (445.5 litres a day) and the lowest in Madurai (370.9 litres a day).

The figures for Delhi and Mumbai are 400.1 and 407.0 litres, respectively.

The average household water consumption per household is 408.6 litres.

The top three activities where water wastage is the highest are washing clothes (82 per cent respondents), bathing (56 per cent) and washing utensils (49 per cent).

In Delhi, 30 per cent of water is lost due to leakage and 20 per cent of water in Mumbai flows into the gutter before it reaches the consumer.

Chennai was not considered for the study because its case is unusual.

"From our study it is evident that stringent measures must be initiated by citizens to conserve water through efficient use and minimisation of wastage. The need of the hour is to increase awareness on conservation of water and collective conviction from our countrymen to internalise this social cause," said Dr Abdul Shaban, faculty, Urban Studies Unit, Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

The study recommended that water could be saved by an individual by using a bucket for bathing instead of a shower. Bathing water should be recycled and used for gardening.

For washing clothes, using full loads of laundry, low sud detergents, and putting a stopper in the washtub for both wash and rinse, are some of the methods suggested.

Among the cities, 73 per cent of households in Delhi and 69 per cent in Mumbai are water deficient. Kolkata (47 per cent) and Kanpur (75 per cent) are the best and the worst in terms of water deficiency. Among slum dwellers, 72 per cent of households are water deficient

According to the World Health Organisation, 100 litres of water per person per day is the minimum requirement.

Water consumption per person is the highest in Kolkata (115.6 litres per day) and the lowest in Kanpur (77.1 litres per day), among the cities surveyed.

The figures for Delhi and Mumbai are 78 and 90.4 litres, respectively.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page