Tackling Non-Revenue Water for a Water-Secure Viksit Bharat

Tackling Non-Revenue Water for a Water-Secure Viksit Bharat

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Key takeaways

  • In major Indian metropolitan cities, Non-Revenue Water (NRW) ranges between 40% to 50%, whereas well-managed global cities keep losses below 10%.
  • Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) currently recover less than 55% of their operation and maintenance costs due to severe water leakage and billing gaps.
  • Indian urban centers treat only about 28% of their wastewater, relying on a linear consumption model rather than a circular recycling system.
  • Dividing urban supply networks into District Metered Areas (DMAs) and using SCADA technology can help cities reduce distribution losses and meet SDG 6 targets.

Why in News

  • India wants to build a Viksit Bharat, but its growing cities face severe water shortages because of heavy groundwater use, quick urban expansion, and climate change.
  • Government planners are deeply concerned because municipal water utilities lose more than 30% of their clean water supply as Non-Revenue Water (NRW).

What is Non-Revenue Water (NRW)?

  • Non-Revenue Water (NRW) is clean water that a city treats and pumps out, but loses before it reaches consumers or generates bill payment.
  • Physical losses happen when water leaks out through old broken pipes, damaged valves, or overflowing storage tanks.
  • Commercial losses happen because of faulty water meters, illegal pipe connections, and unbilled public taps.
  • Well-managed international cities keep their NRW level below 10%, but major Indian cities lose between 40% to 50% of their treated water.
  • This means city governments spend huge sums of money treating clean water that produces zero income and never reaches household taps.

Challenges in Urban Water Governance

  • High water losses leave Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) financially weak, allowing them to recover less than 55% of their daily running costs.
  • Cities must haul water from distant rivers and deep underground wells, which increases electricity bills and triggers disputes between states.
  • Most Indian cities treat only 28% of their wastewater because they follow a traditional use-and-throw approach instead of recycling water.
  • Cities lack modern tools like Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and SCADA systems to spot underground leaks early.
  • Rich families get piped water at low flat rates, while poor families in informal colonies must spend extra time and money buying private tanker water.
  • State agencies build water systems while municipal bodies run them, creating confusion over who is responsible when systems break down.
  • Construction on lakes, wetlands, and natural water channels leads to severe city flooding during rainy seasons and acute water shortages during summers.

Major Government Initiatives for Urban Water Governance

  • The central government launched AMRUT 2.0 to improve municipal water distribution and restore local water bodies across urban areas.
  • The Smart Cities Mission (SCM) installs digital sensors and modern water management tools in selected cities.
  • The Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban) focuses on providing functional tap connections to every urban household.
  • The government uses Pey Jal Survekshan to assess water quality and utility performance across different cities.
  • NITI Aayog tracks state-level water management efforts using the Composite Water Management Index (CWMI).
  • The Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain campaign encourages cities to harvest rainwater and recharge underground aquifers.

Measures Needed for Effective Urban Water Governance

  • Cities must adopt Sponge City designs by building permeable roads, green areas, and urban wetlands to absorb rainwater and prevent floods.
  • Laws must separate drinking water pipelines from non-drinking systems, forcing industries to use recycled municipal wastewater under Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) rules.
  • Local governments should charge fair fees for commercial groundwater extraction to prevent private wells from drying up local underground reserves.
  • Water departments must combine GIS pipeline maps with SCADA monitoring systems to detect pressure changes and repair underground leaks quickly.
  • Municipalities should divide pipeline networks into smaller District Metered Areas (DMAs) and reward local teams that successfully reduce water losses.
  • Health departments must conduct regular sewer line inspections to catch leaking sewage before it pollutes groundwater and spreads diseases.
  • City authorities need to register, inspect, and track private water tankers using GPS to protect residents from unfair prices.
  • Cities should judge their water departments by how fairly they distribute water rather than just how many kilometers of pipeline they install.
  • States must set up State Urban Water Regulatory Authorities to set loss targets, inspect pumping energy use, and make fair tariff choices.
  • Local bodies can partner with private firms through the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) and link private payments directly to verified reductions in water loss.

Way Forward

  • India cannot achieve its dream of Viksit Bharat while losing nearly half of its municipal drinking water to avoidable leaks and theft.
  • Building true urban water security requires smart city planning, circular wastewater reuse, fair pricing, and strong action toward achieving SDG 6.