Domestic Water Demands: Issues and Sustainability

Water is the most essential natural resources for life next to air and is likely to become a critical scarce resource in many regions of the world in coming decades. The total fresh and sea water content of earth is essentially fixed. Growing demand due to increase in population across competitive sectors, increasing droughts, declining water quality, and unabated flooding, inter-state river disputes, growing financial crunch, inadequate institutional reforms and enforcement are some of the crucial problems faced by the country's water sector. The provision of clean drinking water has been given priority in the Constitution of India, with Article 47 conferring the duty of providing clean drinking water and improving public health standards to the state. Water is basic to survival and well-being and, therefore, adequate quantity of water of potable quality must be provided to all. Domestic water demand and main issues related to domestic water requirement are discussed in the present study. Water demand management would be required for its sustainability. The study also demonstrates that conventional and non-conventional programmes are to be equipped for reducing water requirement. Water pricing, water efficiency, water reuse ad recycling of water, technological advancement, and increased water tariffs will also be helpful to fulfill the domestic water demand. When sustainability will come in water management scenario then water demand would be reduced definitely without compromising the quality of life.