Intermittent vs. Continuous Water Supply: What Benefits do Households Actually Receive? Evidence from Two Cities in India

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Onda, Kyle
- Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering

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Almost all urban water systems in South Asia provide intermittent water supply. Intermittent supply can impair water quality and cause users waste water and to adopt costly coping mechanisms such as storage, treatment, pumping, and collection of water from alternate sources. This study implemented a mixed-methods approach that used a billing panel dataset as well as household interviews in two Indian cities undergoing continuous water supply interventions. Continuous water supply did not generally lead to more efficient water consumption among higher income groups, although the poorest households did increase their consumption from very low levels. Moreover, consumers generally continued to incur coping costs under the improved service. There was some evidence for wasteful water use under continuous water supply without volumetric tariffs, especially in slum households. Evaluation of continuous water supply interventions should consider the probability and timing with which household coping behaviors might change. Where continuous water supply is implemented, water demand management strategies should be developed that reconcile conservation goals with affordability goals for the poorest.

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