Asia-Pacific Water Forum

WATER FOR MEGACITY: SCARCITY AMONGST PLENTY

Case Study from Kolkata Metropolitan Area

Asia is becoming a continent of megacities. Repid growth of such cities is putting pressure on water and sanitation. World Health Organisation in 1966 prepared the first Asian master plan for watersupply, sewerage and drainage with a phased programme. The metropolitan area was divided into five service destricts and suggested construction of treatment plants, primary and secondary grids, booster station etc. Kolkata Metropoliton Development Authority took up implementation. Measures were taken to prevent pollution of the river. Water supply was through ground and surface water and different municipalities lacked coordination.

A vision for water 2025 was prepared with new standard for per capita water supply. With augmentation, prevention of pollution, control of water wastage, use of surface water etc. The metropoliton area is an agglomeration of several municipalities and water governance is a problem when responsibility was transferred to municipalities. The Master plan and water infrastructure implementation was slow and in some cases partial. Abundance of water does not gurantee access to water resource and adequate sanitation. There are pockets of scarcity due to population boom, sporadic urbanisation, receding aquifer level, water wastage and a lack of synergies between water, landuse and environmental planning. An integrated holistic plan is required for sustainable development which is to include also (a) Recycling of wastewater (b) conservation of water bodies (c) Aquifer recharge, (d) rain water harvesting (e) pollution control (f) water management in the context of environment. Besides urban planning regulation, zoning for protection of water bodies and building regulations are to incorporate rainwater harvesting, recycling of water and other devices.

Centre for Built Environment, made presentation on water for Kolkata megacity in 3rd & 4th World Water Forum in Japan ’03 and Mexico, ’06. Some members of CBF were involved with planning execution. For further information : Centre for Built Environment (sghoshcbe@rediffmail.com).

(Poster: Prof. Santosh Ghosh)