Planning of Rural Water Supply Systems: Role of Climatic Factors and Other Considerations

Abstract

The chapter discusses why it is important to consider the climatic and socio-economic factors in the planning of rural water supply schemes and how the consideration of these factors can influence the regional water supply planning, particularly the assessment of water demands in various sectors. It discusses the norms used currently for planning rural water supply, especially the norm relating to per capita water supply for human consumption and livestock. Based on the evidence available from scientific literature on the impact of physical and socio-economic factors on water requirement in rural domestic and livestock sectors and kitchen gardening, it defines certain criteria for assessing water demands in domestic and livestock sectors in per capita terms in different regions based on climatic conditions, per capita income, occupational profile and water prices, and describes how the per capita water demands in the domestic and livestock sector in a region could change according to these criteria. Finally, the implications of this analysis for drinking water supply policy for the rural areas of the country are discussed.