Improving water governance in India's peri-urban areas: Challenges and a five-point action plan
India's peri-urban areas, the transitional zones between rural and urban, face significant water and sanitation challenges due to rapid growth and institutional limbo. These areas often lack reliable water supply, suffer from inadequate sanitation infrastructure, and experience environmental contamination from waste. The article highlights the need to address this 'missing middle' with a comprehensive plan. It proposes five key actions: resolving governance vacuum by constituting Nagar Panchayats, securing drinking water sources, implementing a Swachh Bharat Mission 3.0 focused on peri-urban sanitation, scaling up decentralised wastewater treatment, and financing peri-urban water as strategic infrastructure.
Key Points
- Peri-urban areas in India, experiencing rapid growth, suffer from a 'missing middle' in governance, leading to severe water and sanitation issues.
- Challenges include unreliable water supply, inadequate wastewater treatment, illegal dumping, and groundwater contamination.
- A key action is to resolve the governance vacuum by constituting Nagar Panchayats as envisioned by the 74th Constitutional Amendment.
- Securing drinking water sources at their origin and implementing a peri-urban focused Swachh Bharat Mission 3.0 are crucial.
- Scaling up decentralised wastewater treatment technologies and financing peri-urban water as strategic infrastructure are vital for sustainable development.
Exam Facts
- The number of Census towns jumped from 1,362 to 3,784 (178% increase) in two decades.
- The 74th Constitutional Amendment envisions Nagar Panchayats for Census towns.
- The Jal Jeevan Mission has expanded tap connections to nearly 8 out of 10 rural households.
- Swachh Bharat Mission 3.0 is proposed for peri-urban sanitation.
- The Uttarakhand model of blended finance is cited as a template.
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