DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
PROJECT
RESEARCH PROPOSAL ON-
A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR WASTE WATER
MANAGEMENT IN VIEW OF WATER SCARCITY
BY:-
NAMNEET KAUR
(17/ECO/025)
NATALIA PATNAIK
(17/ECO/026)
A conceptual framework for waste water management in view of
water scarcity
INTRODUCTION
Today’s developmental problems include high economic poverty, hunger, high mortality
rates, weakening global economic growth, unabated global warming and climate change,
unsafe water supplies, corrupt government, etc. India’s high population density, extreme
climate and economic dependence on its natural resources make environmental sustainability
critical in maintaining its development path. Water is at the core of sustainable development
and is also at the heart of adaptation to climate change, serving as the crucial link between
society and the environment. Water is an essential requirement for the sustenance of living
being, significant for economic development and for the healthy functioning of ecosystems.
The agricultural activity is the largest consumer of freshwater resources, accounting for about
90% water withdrawals in the developing world. Exponential growth of population, rapid
industrialization, urbanization, higher cultivation intensities and poor water management
practices over the past century has made freshwater availability a limiting factor. It is
observed that water now used for agriculture will be diverted to meet the growing needs of
urban and industrial sectors leading to limited freshwater availability for domestic use.
In many developing countries, wastewater is a highly productive resource for small farmers.
It has high potential for reuse in agriculture, an opportunity for increasing food security,
avoiding direct pollution of rivers, etc. The reason for this include: farmers preference to use
untreated wastewater, increasing water shortage, lack of funds for treatment.
However, wastewater gives rise to a number of health and environmental risks for the users
due to the contamination of groundwater and creation of disease vectors. The key problems
associated with the treatment, use, application and impact of waste water fit with livelihood,
health and environment and policy concerns. It is important to develop a sustainable
management of water which is key for global progress, the planet’s health and the survival of
future generation. In India, inter-state water disputes is the most dominant discussion. What
gets less attention is the treatment of sewage and waste water. Waste water can be treated and
reused for crop cultivation, powering thermal power plants or even for drinking. However,
the yuck factor is a major roadblock. This refers to the stigma and apprehensions associated
with waste water treatment and disgust with respect to recycled water despite knowing that it
is safe for reuse.
Climate change projections show that India’s water crisis problem is likely to worsen. Hence,
there is an urgent need for taking action for the current situation of water crisis due to
contamination of water.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Water quality has been severely compromised due to increasing contamination of ground
water and other water resources due to lack of proper sewage treatment options, fertilizers,
pesticides, etc. One of the major reasons for limited availability of water resources for use is
risk from the contamination by the pollutants which results in shrinking of fresh water
availability. According to WHO, an estimated 1000 children under age of five die every day
in India due to polluted water. Water crisis has led to increasing number of conflicts across
the country. Lack of water inflame regional conflicts and cause population migration to
where water is readily accessible. Numerous economic reasons exist for the predicament of
water scarcity. As population grows water demand increases. While the human population
has more than doubled in the last 50 years, there has been a corresponding growth in
economic development which increases water usage. Economic performance and
environmental performance must go hand in hand. Widespread water scarcity will affect
millions of life thus impacting their employment, income and expenditures. The water quality
impacts economic activity and wellbeing as a result of which maintaining the condition of
water as well as availability of adequate water resources is a key factor in sustaining growth
for the longer term. The importance of developing a waste water management system has
been duly recognised. In summary, there is a need to plan strategies giving equal weightage
to augmentation of water supplied in development of waste water treatment facilities. More
specifically, the following research question need to be addressed:
1. What are the typical waste water management methods been currently used?
2. What are the economic impacts of decreasing quantity and deteriorating quality of
water resources due to over population and migration?
3. What current water harvesting and other local solutions are being used for a
sustainable water supply?
4. How to unify the waste water management method and various local efforts into
framework of a proper water management system?
AIM
The long term goal of the research is to develop a formalised waste water management
system. Waste water management involves analysis of elements, their attributes, behaviour
and parameters estimation, real time optimization and safety. The objective of the current
study is to provide a conceptual framework of waste water management in relation with water
scarcity and outlining the economic impacts of deteriorating quality of water and the
improper use of wastewater. Particularly, the study has the following sub-objectives:-
To assess the water resources in the study area to understand water availability and
scarcity problems.
To examine the pattern of domestic water use in the study area and to factor
responsible for existing situation.
To evaluate the dwindling quantity and deteriorating quality of water resource in the
study area.
To suggest appropriate measures for rational utilisation of available water as well as
the reuse of waste water.
To study the developmental issue of environmental degradation happening due to
excessive use of water resources.
To examine the waste water management policy currently being followed in the city
and address the loopholes in the system.
The result of the study will be valuable to the city and environmental planners as it will
provide information to minimise certain environmental problems that might be faced in the
process of economic development.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Water shortage has an impact on the global scale and is the key danger faced by the world
today. It can be seen as a global threat for many reasons.
McKie (2015) states in the article, ‘why freshwater shortages will cause the next great global
crisis’ that all over the world reservoirs an aquifers are drying up. McKie further explains
how Middle East has been hit hardest by water scarcity an there is careless use of water in
South Asia where groundwater ‘has been pumped recklessly over the past decade’. This
explains some of the causes of water shortage around the world.
Khan (2015) lists water scarcity as one of the four biggest threats to the world stating that
‘water is the new oil’. According to Khan, water crisis has made the biggest impact on the
world population and therefore may result in war over fresh water supplies. This can result in
death as it will affect the population.
Conversely it is argued that water shortage is not a global threat.
Radford (2008) explains in ‘the water shortage myth that at least 97% of the earth is made of
saltwater which can be desalinated into freshwater. This means that there is enough water but
it needs to be purified.
Koerth-Baer (2009) supports Radford’s idea and claims that there is plenty of water but the
main problem is ‘actually getting the water to the people’. This suggests that water shortage
will not be a problem if we distribute it equally to all the countries.
Zetland (2008) in ‘The water shortage myth’ discusses the water pricing system in which he
explains that low prices lead to water shortage. This suggests that water scarcity can be
managed if we charge higher pricing for water.
Campbell, Greenberg, Mankikar & Ross (2016) conducted a study in which they examined
The Flint water crisis through an environmental injustice perspective. These researchers
contend that the failure by the city to properly treat its municipal water system following a
change in the main water source contributed to an environmental injustice. In this case, the
environmental injustice is attributable to the fact that the environmental disaster mostly
affected the poor communities living in Flint. The study concluded that facts in the Flint
water crisis demonstrates that it was incident that was fuelled by environmental injustice.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
To fulfil the objectives and test the hypothesis of the study the data has been collected from
primary and secondary sources. The primary data was collected through sample survey
covering households in Delhi for achieving the objectives. The secondary data has been
collected from official sources, published documents, government and other agency reports.
The primary data comprises of household information pertaining to water use and other
related socio-economic parameters collected using structured questionnaire specially
prepared for this purpose based on random sampling technique in Delhi.
The secondary data has been collected from the following sources:-
Central Ground Water Board (bore well data, aquifers characteristic data and
hydrological data)
Indian Meteorological Department (climatic data)
Urban water supply and sewerage Board (water distribution and allocation data)
Delhi Jal Board
Census of India
Government records, published reports, research papers, and monographs from
various organisations
REFERENCES
1) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_scarcity_in_India
2) Sushmi Dey.(2015).80% of India’s surface water may be polluted, report by
international body, vol.1, from:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/pollution/80-of-Indias-
surface-water-may-be-polluted-report-by-international-body-
says/articleshow/47848532.cms
3) Jeevan Nair.(2009).Impending global water crisis, from:
https://books.google.com/books/about/Impending_Global_Water_Crisis.html?
id=RsVIqktDjfQC
4) Arthur Guarino.(2017).The economic implications of global water scarcity,
from:https://globalriskinsights.com/2016/12/economic-cost-global-water-
scarcity/amp/
5) Avishek Banerjee.(2018).Every sector of India’s economy to be impacted my
water scarcity, from: http://businessworld.in/amp/article/Every-Sector-Of-India-
s-Economy-To-Be-Impacted-By-Water-Scarcity/07-08-2018-156978
6) Shannyn Snyder.(2018).Water crisis in India, from:
https://thewaterproject.org/water-crisis/water-in-crisis-india
7) Hannah et.al.(2018).Water use and stress, vol.2, from:
https://ourworldindata.org/water-use-stress
8) (2017).Health, Water and Sanitation, from: https://in.one.un.org/health-water-
and-sanitation/
9) Senthil Kumar.(2013).Indian Waters: Past and Present, vol.1, from:
https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/indian-waters-past-and-present-
2157-7587-S10-001.php?aid=58185
10)Kasha Patel.(2019).Water shortages in India, from:
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/145242/water-shortages-in-india
11)Bloomberg.(2019).India’s water crisis is man-made, from:
https://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/indias-water-crisis-is-
man-made/amp_articleshow/69953715.cms
12)Paras shah.(2017).What is Environmental Degradation, from:
https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-and-effects-of-
environmental-degradation.php
13)Mayuri Ghosh.(2019).The three biggest challenges for India’s future, from:
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/India-biggest-future-three-
challenges-consumption/
14)(2018).Development Issues of Indian Economy, from:
https://www.toppr.com/guides/business-economics-cs/overview-of-indian-
economy/development-issues-of-indian-economy/
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16)(2018).Human development report, govt. of India, from:
https://www.hdr.undp.org/development-statistics/
17)(2011).Census of India: provisional population total paper-1, from:
https://www.censusindia.gov.in/census-of-india-2011/
18)https://djb.gov.in/
QUESTIONNAIRE
NAME: GENDER:
AGE: AGE GROUPS AT HOME:
REGION: EMPLOYMENT STATUS:
1) Do you turn off the water while you brush your teeth?
O3
O2
O1
2) Do you take showers instead of bucket baths?
O Yes
O No
3) Do you have a low-flow shower head installed?
O Yes
O No
4) Do you take a short (5 min.) bath/shower?
O Yes
O No
5) Do you repair all your leaks?
O Yes
O No
6) Do you let the water run continuously while washing fruits and vegetables?
O Yes
O No
7) Do you water the plants with water that has been used to wash fruits and
vegetables?
O Yes
O No
8) Do you let the water run continuously while hand washing dishes?
O Yes
O No
9) Do you always turn off all taps tightly so they don’t trip?
O Yes
O No
10) How do you wash up?
O Under running water by hand
O By hand but without letting the water run
O Using a dish washer
11) What kind of toilet do you use?
O Economical WC
O I-System WC
O DC (dry closet)
12) How much water do you use per month?
O Less than 10m3
O 10-25m3
O More than 25m3
13) What’s your monthly water bill?
O We don’t pay anything
O Under Rs. 1500
O Above Rs. 1500
14) Do you experience water shortages?
O No, Never
O Rarely
O Constantly
15) Do you track water consumption based on your billing?
O Yes
O No
16) What water system do you have?
O Central water
O Local well/ Groundwater
O Driven well (shared by several families)
17) What kind of sewage system do you have?
O Local
O Central
O Polluted water is driven into the nature (ground etc.)
18) How would you evaluate the quality of your drinking water?
O Very good
O Satisfactory
O We use a water filter
19) How many times in a year do you face drinking water scarcity?
O Once
O Very often
O No scarcity
20) What’s your family attitude towards saving water?
O We often talk about it
O Mostly parents mention it from time to time
O We don’t think about it
21) What is your opinion on re-usage of waste water?
