7.5. Water Supply to Chennai: Is it Available to All?

While there is no doubt that public facilities should be made available to all, in reality we see that there is a great shortage of such facilities. In the rest of this chapter, we will read about the provision of water, which as we have seen, is a public facility of great importance. Water supply in Chennai, as we saw at the beginning of the chapter, is marked by shortages. Municipal supply meets only about half the needs of the people of the city, on an average.

In this chunk, we learn that public facilities, including water supply, should be accessible to everyone. However, the reality in Chennai is that there are significant shortages. The municipal water supply only satisfies about half of the city’s water needs on average, indicating that many residents struggle to access sufficient water.

Imagine a big party where the host only prepares enough food for half the guests. Those who are able to bring their own meals will be fine, but others will go hungry. This situation reflects the water supply in Chennai, where many people are left without enough water.

There are areas which get water more regularly than others. Those areas that are close to the storage points get more water whereas colonies further away receive less water.

This chunk discusses how water supply varies significantly based on geographic location within the city. Areas that are located closer to the water storage facilities receive more water regularly, while those farther away endure shortages.

Think of a large pizza where only a few slices are close to the waiter. The people sitting nearby can easily get their slices, but those seated at the back have to wait longer or might miss out. This reflects how some neighborhoods in Chennai have better access to water while others struggle.

The burden of shortfalls in water supply falls mostly on the poor. The middle class, when faced with water shortages, are able to cope through a variety of private means such as digging borewells, buying water from tankers and using bottled water for drinking.

Here, we understand that the water supply issues disproportionately affect the poor, who often lack the resources to seek alternative solutions. In contrast, the middle class can afford to dig borewells or purchase water from private sources, which highlights the inequality in access to this vital resource.

Imagine two students preparing for an exam. One has access to a tutor (the middle class) while the other relies on self-study with limited resources (the poor). The one with the tutor is more likely to succeed. This illustrates how access to water and resources can significantly impact people's lives.

In rural areas, water is needed both for human use and for use by the cattle. The sources of water are wells, handpumps, ponds and sometimes overhead tanks. Much of these are privately owned. Compared to the urban areas, there is an even greater shortage of public water supply in rural areas.

This chunk addresses the situation in rural areas, where water serves multiple purposes, including for livestock. In these regions, water sources such as wells and ponds are often privately owned, further complicating the issue of public access. The shortage in these areas is even more severe than in urban settings.

Think of a small town where everyone relies on a few wells owned by a couple of families. If those families decide to limit access, many in the town will struggle to find water. In this way, rural communities face extreme challenges in accessing sufficient water.

Apart from the availability of water, access to ‘safe’ drinking water is also available to some and this depends on what one can afford. Once again, the wealthy have more choices, thanks to the booming market in bottled water and water purifiers. People who can afford it have safe drinking water, whereas the poor are again left out.

This part highlights the difference between merely having access to water and having access to safe drinking water. Wealthier individuals can afford bottled water and purifiers, while those with lower incomes frequently rely on unsafe sources, leading to health risks.

Consider two families during a health crisis – one family drinks filtered water and the other relies on tap water, which may be contaminated. The family with safe drinking water is healthier and can function better, demonstrating the critical importance of safe water access.

Taking water from farmers. The shortage of water has opened up opportunities for private companies in a big way. Many private companies are providing water to cities by buying it from places around the city. In Chennai, water is taken from nearby towns like Mamandur, Palur, Karungizhi and from villages to the north of the city using a fleet of over 13,000 water tankers.

In this section, we see how water shortages have led to private businesses taking advantage of the situation. Companies purchase water from rural areas and transport it to urban centers, such as Chennai, significantly impacting local communities and their water supplies.

Imagine a busy restaurant that runs out of ingredients. Instead of finding sustainable suppliers, they start buying all the fresh produce from a local farmer, leaving that community with little food for themselves. This mirrors how private companies exploit rural water sources for profit.

Every month the water dealers pay farmers an advance for the rights to exploit water sources on their land. This is water taken away not just from agriculture but also from the drinking water supplies of the villagers. Groundwater levels have dropped drastically in all these towns and villages as a result.

This final chunk addresses the dire consequences of commercial Water extraction. Water dealers pay farmers for the right to access their water sources, which decreases local water availability not only for farm use but also for drinking. This has led to significantly lower groundwater levels in those areas.

Imagine a farmer selling all the apples from their orchard to a nearby town without saving any for their own family. Eventually, the family will go hungry because they no longer have apples to eat. This is similar to how the exploitation of water sources can threaten the survival and well-being of rural communities.

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