The face of inadequate centralised municipal water systems, Indian cities have increasingly turned to small-scale water vendors using tankers to address the critical water demand-supply gap. This phenomenon, highlighted by recent images of Delhi’s urban poor chasing water tankers, underscores a growing crisis exacerbated by extreme heat and climate change.
Over the last two centuries, cities have developed centralised piped networks aiming to deliver continuous water supply. While cities in the Global North have largely succeeded, those in the Global South, particularly regarding the urban poor, continue to struggle. A substantial segment of the population remains disconnected from essential water services, creating a significant demand for alternative solutions. In India, the shortcomings of large, centralised municipal water systems have given rise to small-scale water vendors who often rely on tanker services. However, these vendors frequently source water from peri-urban and rural areas, exploiting groundwater aquifers. This extraction depletes resources that local farmers and communities depend on for irrigation and domestic use. Groundwater depletion in areas surrounding New Delhi and Bengaluru, for example, has led to water shortages within the cities themselves.
Contributing factors include changing climate patterns, erratic monsoon rainfall, and expanding urban infrastructure, which hinder groundwater recharge. Urbanisation, including concretisation and tree felling, further exacerbates these challenges. Water vendors often operate outside the legal framework, violating groundwater protection laws. A 2019 study revealed collusion between water sellers and local politicians in Hyderabad to circumvent regulations under the Andhra Pradesh Water, Land and Trees Act (WALTA) of 2002. Local governing bodies, responsible for enforcing these regulations, are frequently implicated in the tanker water market themselves.
In major cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, water vendors have become an integral part of the formal supply network, supported by local politicians. While this arrangement addresses the immediate needs of the urban poor, it also enables profiteering from a shared resource. Concerns persist about the quality and quantity of water provided by these tankers. Despite their drawbacks, water tankers have become indispensable due to the persistent failure of formal piped networks. The discourse on water supply in metropolitan areas still prioritises expanding piped infrastructure. However, the reality is that both piped and non-piped technologies are essential for a functional state-owned water delivery system, particularly for the urban poor. City administrators often lack a comprehensive understanding of how demand-supply management and climate change impact water sources.
It is time to acknowledge the informal water tanker system and establish clear regulations for water sourcing and protection. Indian cities must move beyond replicating the infrastructure models of the Global North and recognise their unique contexts. The focus should shift towards local water sourcing and conservation rather than reliance on distant reservoirs and large-scale infrastructure. Embracing “modest” approaches is crucial for developing water conservation alternatives within cities and addressing current and future challenges, especially those posed by climate change.
