Drinking water crisis in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal lake in 2007 on the left and the same lake in 2009 on the right.

Credit: WaterAid / Binu Nair

Residents of Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh, are experiencing the worst ever drinking water scarcity seen in the region and literally paying for water with their lives.

Balbeer Johar.

Credit: WaterAid / Binu Nair

Every possible source of water is precious in the city. On May 13 2009, a leaking pipeline was the sole water source for a cluster of households in Sanjay Nagar and demands on it became unmanageable. An argument over who could fetch water first – the pipeline can dry up any moment – led to a neighbour killing three of the Sooraj Malviya family members including Sooraj's wife and son.

Balbeer Johar, a resident of Balbeer Nagar area, fractured his right arm in a scuffle over fetching water from a public water tap. Johar says, "The water crisis has caused so many problems to my family and now because of this fracture, I have even lost my job."

Shrinking source

The city has been waking up to such stories every day for more than four months now.

One of the tankers being used to tackle the crisis.

Credit: WaterAid / Binu Nair

Bhopal, host to Asia's biggest man-made lake (the upper lake), is facing a water crisis like never before. The lake, which used to be the major source of potable water for the city which has a population of over 1.8 million, has dried up due to insufficient rainfall for the past two consecutive years. The total area of the lake has shrunk from 32 km² to less than 5 km².

"Only 20% of water is available in the upper lake," said Gopal who works at the city water corporation pump house at Bhopal Lake. The city now gets water every second day from Kolar dam, 40 kilometres away.

In face of the main source drying up, the government has brought in water tankers, particularly in areas with no access to tap water. The tankers work in shifts from eight in the morning to four in the evening, from four to midnight and from midnight to eight in the morning.

Each tanker makes an average of 8-10 visits every day to various locations within the city and carries close to 6,000 liters of water. The municipal corporation is making great efforts to ensure regular water supply throughout the city but many colonies and slums are still suffering due to late and insufficient water supply.

For the residents of Durga Dham slum in Ashoka Garden, waiting endlessly for the water tankers is becoming unbearable.

"There is no specific time for the tanker to come, we have to wait for hours, often throughout the night hoping that the tanker will arrive,” says Razia Khan a resident of Durga Dham.

Time of uncertainty

Every time a tanker comes to a colony, a riot breaks out. Many old people remain deprived of water as it becomes very difficult for them to collect water from the overcrowded tankers.

The situation has come to such a point that the state government has said it will provide police protection to each tanker to maintain discipline and equitable distribution. However, this author who visited five colonies in the city didn't find any tanker with police protection.

Those who get a tanker visiting their colony, even if irregularly, are lucky. There are many colonies that don't have this access. In Balbeer Nagar area, without tap water connections and tanker provision, women trek two kilometers carrying heavy containers to get water.

They start early morning and make three to five rounds every day to meet the water requirements of the family. They have pipelines in the area but these have not been operational for many years. Many times children and male members of the family have to take time off school and work because they are involved in arranging water for household needs.

Water supply scheme in Arjun Nagar.

Credit: WaterAid / Binu Nair

There is hope

But, there are a few oases. There are a few colonies that have been sailing through the crisis thanks to their efforts to gain access to drinking water at local level. One such area is Arjun Nagar, a colony of 300 families.

Availability of water has always been one of the area's major challenges. Last year around 100 families of the area came together and formed a water and sanitation committee.

This committee has implemented a community based water supply scheme through the support of WaterAid and AARAMBH. The committee has constructed a bore well that caters to the needs of the 100 families. Each family gets six jars of water every day at a fixed time. The management of the water supply is looked after by the committee and they collect applicable charges from the users.

"This scheme has changed our lives. Before we had to walk one kilometer and cross the Subhas Nagar railway line to fetch water for our domestic needs," says Shaheen Anjum, the president of the water and sanitation committee.

The experience of Arjun Nagar shows that there are some opportunities for the city to tackle the water crisis. As the saying goes, every crisis is an opportunity.

Binu Nair