An assessment of domestic water use practices in Delhi

Abstract

The rapid population growth, economic development and changing life style caused improper use of water. Delhi, which is already facing shortage of water, is going to face worse in near future. Unfortunately, with diminishing resources of water, the human behaviour towards water conservation is not changing. Therefore, this paper was designed to understand the proper utilization and consumption pattern of water in selected areas of NCT, Delhi. The study examined the household daily and activity wise water consumption, sources of water, perception on quality, gender and water and the level of awareness about rainwater harvesting. The finding shows that the higher income group urban area people are using more water than lower income group locality people. However, majority of the households are not satisfied with duration of water supply. It is also observed that the majority of respondents are not aware about rainwater harvesting technology. This needs to be addressed immediately by changing public perception towards water use through media and by organizing public awareness programs. It is hoped that the results of the study would benefit the urban development authorities in optimizing the existing water resources through proper distribution system viz-a-viz society.