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UTILITY WEEK | 18TH - 24TH DECEMBER 2015 | 23 Markets & Trading Delhi's water mafia accounts for lion's share of supply According to estimates from the Delhi government, the population of 17 million in the district requires 1.025 billion gallons of water a day but, because of limitations in water pipes and supply, there is a water shortage of approximately 207 million gallons a day. About 20 per cent of Delhi's population has no access to piped water. The shortages have led to a black market, where private tankers bring in water from neigh- bouring areas and wells. It costs about $10 (£6) to buy 200 litres of water from the "water mafia" whereas water provided by the city government is free, when it's available. Reports in the New York Times suggest the Delhi government is only able to account for 37 per cent of the water supply and does not know where the remaining 63 per cent ends up. Financial officers estimate that black market water-sellers in India could be making millions of dollars every year. "The Indian water industry continues to grow in leaps and bounds," according to Canada International Trade Services, which says that, as the population and the economy continue to rise at a rapid rate, the demand for water for both domestic and industrial use also grows. The total Indian water market is estimated to be worth about $12 billion (£8 billion), with the government sector accounting for about 50 per cent and the private industrial and domestic sec- tors accounting for the rest. The overall market continues to grow at 18 per cent every year. Supply crisis Non-profit organisation The Water Project says India's water crisis is oen attributed to lack of government planning, increased corporate privatisation, industrial and human waste and government corruption. India's huge and growing population of 1.2 billion people is putting "severe strain" on the country's resources, and most water sources are contaminated with sewage and agricultural run-off. Although access to drinking water has improved in recent years, one in ten people still lack access to safe water. The World Bank estimates that 21 per cent of communicable diseases in India are related to unsafe water, with diarrhoea alone causing more than 1,600 deaths every day. A concern shared by many charities working in India is that the country may lack long-term availability of replenishable water resources. While the country's aquifers are currently tasked with replenishing sources, it is also a major grain producer and needs a great deal of water to irrigate farms. As with all countries with large agricultural output, excess water consumption for food production depletes the total water supply. Innovative tech Water shortages in India are ongoing, with no solution likely in the foreseeable future. Accord- ing to the New Delhi local media, the nation has 17.5 per cent of the world's population but only 4 per cent of the world's fresh water, and that is declining gradually. Because of this deficit in water supply and sanitation, many innovative technologies have been debuted in India. For example, in January Israeli tech firm Water-Gen entered the Indian market with air-to-water technology. There are opportunities for UK companies to reap the benefits of this potential in the Indian water market. Last year, Welsh water technology firm Hydro Industries partnered with power firm Intelligent Energy to support the commercialisa- tion of its water purification technology in India. The technology uses electricity to treat water and reduces the need for bulk liquid chemicals or large volumes of biomass. This followed Intel- ligent Energy's foray into India to offer power management systems for telecom towers (see box, p24). India itself has been looking at ways of solv- ing the perennial problem of poor sanitation. Researchers recently came up with an innova- tive solution to the issue, in the form of a water purification system using nanotechnology which removes microbes, bacteria and other matter from water. To do this, the technology uses composite nanoparticles to emit silver ions that destroy contaminants. Policy shift Water resources are governed by India's 29 state governments, meaning that sharing these resources is not always straightforward. In order to get to the root cause of the prob- lem, prime minister Modi last year launched an initiative to start implementing a three-decade- old plan to connect 30 rivers, in what US publica- tion Bloomberg calls the "priciest step yet" to begin solving some of the water, sewage, health and pollution issues in the country. The initiative will link 14 rivers from the Himalayas and 16 across the Indian peninsula, which will help to transport water from areas with ample supply to those with not enough. The scheme has faced criticism, with co-ordi- nator at South Asian Network on Dams, Rivers and People Himanshu Thakkar saying it has none of the statutory clearances. Director general of the National Water Development Agency Masood Husain expects the projects to move faster. "Our water needs are becoming bigger. India can't afford to lose more time," he said. NOT ENOUGH WATER TO GO ROUND 54% of India faces High to Extremely High levels of water stress Baseline water stress (withdrawals/available supply) Low (<10%) Low to medium (10-20%) Medium to high (20-40%) High (40-80%) Extremely High (>80%) Arid and low water use Source: World Resources Institute