What a water-wise city would look like – and how India can get there
A comparative review of global cities highlighted four pillars of "water-wise" urban planning: equitable access for low-income households, demand management through tariffs, floodplain protection through planning rules, and wastewater reuse
Durban and Bhubaneswar were cited for measures protecting water access for low-income households
Las Vegas and Bengaluru were cited for using tiered/higher tariffs to discourage excessive water consumption
Seoul and Guwahati were cited for planning regulations that protect floodplains from encroachment
Windhoek and Chennai were cited as examples where treated wastewater is used as a reliable, reusable water source
Water Reuse and the Circular Economy in Urban Water Management
Wastewater (used water) reuse is central to reducing a city's dependence on freshwater sources by treating sewage to a quality fit for non-potable or, in some cases, potable use. India's policy push for this is anchored in the National Framework for Safe Reuse of Treated Water, issued by the National Mission for Clean Ganga.
Key Details
- The National Framework for Safe Reuse of Treated Water was released in 2022 to guide states in framing their own water-reuse policies and building markets for treated wastewater
- AMRUT 2.0 (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation), launched 2021, requires urban local bodies to prepare a City Water Action Plan (CWAP) targeting at least 20% of city water demand met through reuse of treated used water
- Windhoek, Namibia, is internationally recognised as a pioneer of direct potable reuse — reclaimed wastewater treated to drinking-water standards and blended back into the supply since 1968
- In India, Bengaluru and Chennai have advanced non-potable reuse programmes, treating sewage for lake rejuvenation, industrial use, and agricultural irrigation
The Windhoek–Chennai comparison illustrates the spectrum of reuse ambition, from India's current focus on non-potable reuse (industry, irrigation, lake-filling) toward the more advanced potable-reuse model, which AMRUT 2.0's CWAP targets are designed to build toward.
Floodplain Zoning and Urban Planning Regulation
Floodplains are the low-lying areas adjacent to rivers that naturally flood during high discharge; encroachment on them through construction increases flood risk and disaster vulnerability, especially in rapidly urbanising Indian cities.
Key Details
- India does not have a uniform national floodplain zoning law; a Model Bill for Flood Plain Zoning was circulated by the Union government as far back as 1975, but adoption by states has remained patchy (only a few states, such as Manipur and Rajasthan, have floodplain zoning legislation)
- Seoul has integrated floodplain and river-corridor protection into its urban master planning and flood-control infrastructure following major flood events
- In India, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Central Water Commission provide flood-hazard mapping guidance, but enforcement of no-construction/restricted-construction zones along floodplains rests with state and municipal planning authorities under local town-planning acts
- Guwahati, situated on the Brahmaputra floodplain, has been cited for strengthening local planning rules restricting construction in flood-prone zones
The Seoul–Guwahati comparison underscores the gap between advanced economies embedding floodplain protection in statutory master plans versus India's reliance on largely non-binding or state-specific floodplain zoning provisions.
Water Tariff Design as a Demand-Management Tool
Tiered or increasing-block water tariffs charge higher per-unit rates as consumption rises past a defined threshold, encouraging conservation while keeping a low-cost "lifeline" slab for basic needs.
Key Details
- Bengaluru's water utility, the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), applies a slab-based tariff structure with escalating rates for higher consumption bands
- Las Vegas (via the Las Vegas Valley Water District) uses a four-tier increasing-block tariff structure specifically designed to penalise the highest residential water users amid Colorado River basin scarcity
- India's Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban) and the 74th Constitutional Amendment place water supply and sanitation as a municipal function (Twelfth Schedule), meaning tariff-setting is largely a state/urban local body subject, leading to wide variation in slab design across cities
- Equity concerns persist: informal settlements and low-income households in several Indian cities pay significantly more per litre for water sourced from private tankers or vendors than metered households pay through formal utility connections
The Las Vegas–Bengaluru comparison reflects a shared policy tool (tiered tariffs) but different objectives — scarcity-driven conservation in Las Vegas versus a mix of conservation and cross-subsidy for low-income access in Bengaluru.
Protecting Water Access for Low-Income Households
Ensuring a basic minimum water entitlement for low-income and informal settlements is a recurring urban equity challenge, especially where formal piped connections are absent.
Key Details
- Durban (eThekwini Municipality), South Africa, pioneered a free basic water policy from 1996 onward, providing a daily entitlement (around 200 litres per household) before metered charges apply
- The Twelfth Schedule (Article 243W) of the Constitution, added by the 74th Amendment Act, 1992, lists water supply for domestic, industrial, and commercial purposes as a function that may be entrusted to municipalities
- Bhubaneswar has been cited for measures to formalise water access in slum and low-income areas, though studies note continuing gaps in duration and quality of supply for underprivileged and lower-caste households
- The Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban), launched 2021 under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, aims at universal coverage of water supply connections in urban areas, including informal settlements
The Durban–Bhubaneswar comparison highlights the policy design choice between a guaranteed free basic quota (Durban) and incremental formalisation of slum-area connections (Bhubaneswar) as alternative routes to equitable urban water access.
- AMRUT 2.0 wastewater reuse target: 20% of city water demand via treated used water, through City Water Action Plans
- National Framework for Safe Reuse of Treated Water: released 2022 by the National Mission for Clean Ganga
- Durban's free basic water entitlement: approximately 200 litres/household/day before metered billing
- Windhoek has practised direct potable water reuse since 1968 — the earliest sustained programme of its kind globally
- Water supply and sanitation is a municipal function under the Twelfth Schedule (Article 243W), inserted by the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992
- India's Model Bill for Flood Plain Zoning was circulated to states in 1975; adoption remains limited to a handful of states