In the bustling city of Hyderabad, a hidden crisis is brewing, one that threatens the very essence of life itself: access to safe drinking water. While the municipal water network supplies treated water to nearly 90% of the city, a critical gap in urban water management leaves a significant portion of residents vulnerable to waterborne diseases. This is the story of how, in the last few meters of its journey, safe drinking water is lost, and the intricate dance of intermittent supply, household storage, and human behavior that makes it so.
The study, titled 'Source to Glass: Water Quality Risks in Hyderabad’s Low-Income Settlements', reveals a startling truth: while municipal tap water largely meets drinking water quality standards, it is often contaminated during household storage. This contamination occurs due to unsafe handling, prolonged storage, and poor hygiene practices, exposing families to faecal coliform bacteria and opportunistic pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.
What makes this particularly fascinating is the interplay between the municipal water network and household storage. Nearly 90% of Hyderabad is covered by the municipal water network, but only about 70% of residents receive piped water. In peripheral areas, network coverage drops to around 65%, serving only 40% of the population. Water is typically supplied for only a few hours on alternate days, making household storage unavoidable.
From my perspective, this raises a deeper question: how can we ensure that safe water reaches every household, especially in areas where network coverage is limited? The study recommends an uninterrupted water supply and the WHO’s Water Safety Plans to reduce contamination risks from source to tap. However, as climate change worsens, water scarcity and extreme weather will only exacerbate the problem, making safe water supply and storage even more critical.
One thing that immediately stands out is the role of human behavior in this crisis. Around 67% of households judged water quality solely by its appearance, taste, smell, or color and skipped treatment if it appeared clean. Many switched to bottled water only after experiencing a waterborne illness or when infants were present at home. This highlights the need for improved awareness and education on water safety, especially in low-income settlements.
In my opinion, the findings of this study have significant implications for urban water management. It is not enough to simply supply treated water; we must also address the risks associated with household storage and ensure that water safety is a priority at every stage of the journey from source to glass. As we move forward, we must consider the broader context of climate change and its impact on water scarcity and extreme weather, and work towards sustainable solutions that ensure access to safe drinking water for all.
