Making every drop count - Micro-level water demand accounting challenges and way forward

In peri-urban areas, lack of piped water supply and sewerage system has led to excessive groundwater abstraction, resulting in the proliferation of private water tanker business and unmanaged wastewater flows. To have efficient water supply and wastewater management in these data-constrained groundwater dependent communities, which do not have either metered connections or formal water supply, the paper addresses the question on how to quantify water demand for consumptive and non-consumptive uses through a typical qualitative/ observational primary survey method. Such surveys are scarce in literatures. The present study was conducted in Bellandur, a 26.4-sq km peri-urban ward of Bangalore city. With 11% growth in population in the last decade, it uses nearly 38% of its water demand for non-consumptive purposes. At present, 60% of the demand of the sampled size is being met through borewells and 35% through tankers. The remaining 5% get their water through a metered piped system. The findings of this study will aid water utility boards like Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) to put in place resilient planning and maximize the benefits out of water supply schemes by efficient allocation of water.