Socio-ecological metabolism of urban water planning with Delhi as case study
Student name: Mr Priyank Jain
Guide: Dr Arun Kansal
Year of completion: 2015
Host Organisation: TERI University
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Arun Kansal
Abstract: Water sustainable city should be a water independent city first. Centralization of
supply source makes a city vulnerable to uncertainties and increases its water
insecurity. Through metabolic water balance of the city it is possible to discover the
water resources within the city limits. Also, while analyzing the past management
regimes, barriers and possibilities of technological and institutional arrangements
can be stated. Delhi’s metabolic water balance strengthens the case for metabolic
water balance analysis. Against the 90% of supply centralization, it brings out the
opportunity of around 80%, 70% and 15% of its replaceability by precipitation,
wastewater and stormwater respectively. The analysis of hydro-social contract of
past regimes in Delhi highlights the role of normative, cognitive and regulative
aspects of institutions. It shows that how these three pillars reinforce each other.
And, it is not necessary that a city transitions towards sustainable city; Delhi which
was highly water independent till Mughal Period became extensively dependent on
imported water when the past decentralized water management regime was
dismantled for the newer centralized public supply system.
The physical water balance when superimposed with social, environmental,
economic, technological and institutional variables, the conflicts and priorities
emerge clearly. An approach which disintegrates a city into its different spatial
constituents and then rebuilds it with categorization on the basis of each
superimposed variable benchmarked against the sustainability requirements,
emphasizes the need for considering the variations within city. Thus, the logical
second step after water independence is to look into the inequities of access and
ability of people to get clean and safe water in a city. Delhi’s case of difference
between supplies to the New Delhi Municipal Corporation and other parts directs to
move into the direction of socially equitable water supply. This whole exercise
requires many changes in design and thinking as cognitive abilities already exist.
Keywords: Urban Metabolism; Hydro-Social Contract; Water Balance; New
Institutional Theory; Water Sensitive City
