{"id":19679,"date":"2025-08-18T07:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T07:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/india\/?p=19679"},"modified":"2025-08-18T06:11:55","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T06:11:55","slug":"34-of-delhis-informal-households-spend-15-of-monthly-income-on-water-audit-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/india\/en\/press\/19679\/34-of-delhis-informal-households-spend-15-of-monthly-income-on-water-audit-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"34% of Delhi\u2019s Informal Households Spend 15% of Monthly Income on Water, Audit Finds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

70% of respondents said their monthly essentials budget was impacted by the rise in water prices, and 14% report reduced ability to access healthcare, while 8% noted an impact on their children\u2019s education.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

New Delhi, August 18, 2025: <\/strong>A rapid water audit conducted in Delhi has found that 34% of surveyed low-income households are spending up to 15% of their monthly earnings (\u20b96,000\u2013\u20b910,000) <\/strong>just to access basic drinking water, reflecting a deep-rooted inequality and unsustainable water distribution system in the city, especially during peak summer months. The data shows a clear mismatch between water demand and actual availability\u201437% of surveyed households require at least 20\u201325 litres per day, but only 28% of those households actually receive that amount<\/strong>, and that too only if they pay for it. <\/p>\n\n

The report, based on surveys from 500 households <\/strong>across 12 informal settlements like Sakurpur Basti, Savda Ghevra, Daya Basti, Chunna Bhatti, Khajan Basti, BIW Colony, Seemapuri, Sunder Nagri, Lohar Basti, Sangam Vihar (waste pickers basti), Raghubir Nagar JJ colony, and Kusumpur Pahari, found that a majority of residents are forced to depend on private water suppliers (34%), Delhi Jal Board tankers (29%), or Water ATMs (21%), while 14% use submersible connections and 2% borrow from neighbours.<\/p>\n\n

Despite the Delhi government\u2019s announcement in April 2025 to install 3,000 water ATMs, only 20 have been set up citywide <\/strong>till June and none in the surveyed informal settlements. Even where water ATMs exist (such as in Savda Ghevra, Sakurpur Basti, Khajan Basti, and Chunna Bhatti), 37% of users report malfunctioning systems and irregular service. Moreover, the promised 20 litres of free daily water is often unavailable or charged.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cWater is a basic right, but for these families, it\u2019s an everyday crisis. In the settlements without water ATMs, people are forced to buy water from private suppliers at \u20b915 to \u20b930 per gallon. This isn\u2019t just about missing infrastructure, it shows a clear gap between what policies promise and what people actually get. And summer and heatwaves only worsen the pain as people are forced to choose between water and food, water and school fees, water and medicine.\u201d said Vaishali Upadhyay, Campaigner in Greenpeace India.
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Key Highlights:<\/strong>
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