The National Conference on Urban Water Management in Bangalore ended on Tuesday with experts discussing several technical papers. Secretary of urban development ministry M Ramachandran said the number of towns and cities in India have increased from 4,615 in 1991 to 5,161 in 2001. According to him, at least 91% of urban population has access to water supply while 63% has access to sewerage and sanitation facilities. “But adequacy, equitable distribution and per capita provision of these basic services may not be as per prescribed norms.
There is no assurance on quantity, quality, timing and duration of supply,” Ramachandran said. According to a study done across 20 cities by the ministry, water (average per day) through pipes is supplied for 5 hours in Chennai, 12 hours in Chandigarh, eight hours in Kolkata, seven hours in Varanasi, two-and-a-half-hours in Surat, four-and-a-half-hours in Bangalore, four hours in Mumbai and one hour in Vishakapatnam.
