Water security in Guwahati City (India): examining present status and emerging challenges

Guwahati, the largest city in India's northeast, characterized by rapid increase in population and urban functions during the last few decades, is confronted with alarming challenges in water insecurity due to the widening gap between supply and demand and the slow development of associated infrastructures. An attempt is made in this paper to examine the changing status of the WS (water supply) system in Guwahati city and to explore the challenges faced by the city dwellers in ensuring water security based on both primary and secondary data. Despite having a massive water source in the form of Brahmaputra river near the city, more than 70 per cent of its population is still deprived of urban water supply. The water quality, which has been assessed through the water quality index, is found to vary among different schemes of WS systems in the city. On the other hand, the water accessibility index at the household level is indicative of a discouraging picture. Given the lack of adequate water security, city dwellers are compelled to adopt various strategies to overcome diverse challenges in accessing water, looking at quantity and quality.