Vizag: The discord between water policy and social policy

 My experience at Biome involved studying the case of Visakhapatnam – by keeping the water situation at the centre. To me this study has reflected reality. A reality that can change the perception we view cities as societies. Studying its past and associating it to the present gave me little optimism for the future – where expecting a light at the end of the tunnel is onerous. Yet, the solution begins only when we recognise this reality. The essay begins with some description of the city – its geography and prominence followed by the current water scenario – with the potential of alternate sustainable solutions and some reflections of the social dynamics of the city and the discord that exists between water policy and social policy.

The city of Vizag is surrounded by some pleasant mountains and many unpleasant social complications. Post bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, the city emerged as the largest in the state – with a population of around two million according to the 2011 census. Vizag is surrounded by rural hamlets with the presence of the Bay of Bengal at its south. The city is also the main hub for Uttarandhra – a region infamous for water scarcity. The river Godavari plays a prominent role in supplying the water needs to the city. The figure attached below provides an idea of the major water sources and their distance from the city. It is clear that surface water is playing a vital role in catering the city's water requirements. 

Surface water – As Past, Present, and Future 

The City’s administrative body Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) answers the questions of ensuring water access through looking at large surface water infrastructures. This has been the case ever since the city started expanding. Local reservoirs such as Mudsarlova and Meghadri Gedda, and their capabilities to produce and distribute water are diminishing. In order to meet the city's future water demands – both domestic and industrial, ideas like constructing mega dams like Polavaram are being advocated by the governments –both local and regional. Even the option of desalination is being considered by the current state government as a substitute for industrial demands of water. 

Surface water indeed helps in bridging the gaps of water access. It’s hard discounting the role they play in any city in serving water to its residents. What turns this into an issue is the way they are being prioritised over other sources of water, turning blind towards other ways of providing water. The authorities are looking for more surface water structures to cater the city's  predicted water needs in future. “The vanishing importance of local reservoirs is one of the reasons we keep depending on water which is far away” said Mr. E.A.S. Sarma, former bureaucrat, during one of our interactions.  “The ultimate way forward lies only when we revive these local assets,” he advocated.  

Looking and studying the other vital aspect of Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) – half of the city’s used water remains untreated. This water, if treated, can be reused for other purposes — signifying that the city has a prospect for wastewater treatment and its reuse. The city has recognised this potential, albeit, as a substitute for industrial demand – the current plan for establishing a new sewage network in the remaining half of the city brings in a new pattern of involving industries as stakeholders in these new treatment plants. So here, the treated water which traditionally entered the ocean – will now be used for industrial purposes. This policy clearly bypasses the idea of providing treated wastewater for agricultural purposes to those surrounding water-deficit villages in the district.   

Rain (& Rainwater) as an asset, yet as a dream

Before assessing the potential of rainwater harvesting, it is important to understand the pattern of rainfall in the city. The figure below shows the rainfall in the city over the past five years. The city averages more than 1000 mm of rainfall every year and the months which receive maximum amounts of rainfall are included below in the figure. Yet harvesting this resource is hugely inadequate. The stormwater management system of the city (only two out of fourteen proposed stormwater structures are in implementation). Most of the stormwater collected enters directly into the ocean – with few takers like Vizag Port, according to an official from GVMC. This approach clearly illustrates the limited focus awarded to this idea by the authorities – despite rainwater harvesting being a part of the city's building code. Converting rainwater into a strength requires a lot of will – both social and political. So far now, the idea is still a distant dream. 

The social scenario: A city which is yet to become a destiny

The crux of this article is to put the scenario of water at the centre of the social situation of the city. As mentioned at the beginning, the city is surrounded with some social complexities. No city is equal — whether looked through economic or social context. The city of Vizag is not immune to such inequality. The figure below displays the growth of the city — both in terms of population and area since independence. Increase in the population of the city also stipulates a growing number of people living inside informal areas. Current definition of the word “slum” places 45% of the households in the city as “households in slums.” Every surplus is a scarcity in such areas. The irregular expansion and settlements being established in regions where land use patterns are tough to regulate make things even dire especially when we try to ensure water access. 

There is a discord that exists between current water policy and the present social policy of the city. At one point the authorities are striving to ensure 24*7 water access and realise ideas such as completing Polavaram; and on the other side, there are regions where provision of tankers still persists where even storage of water is considered a privilege. All the solutions we find to “fix” the problem of water access — enhancing local resources, recharging depleting lakes, embracing sustainable alternatives like Rainwater — can only be realised when we recognise the real problem – acknowledging social realities. Providing the mandated basic amenities in areas where water availability is still a dream, and it would require much more effort to become a reality.  Collaboration and compassion is where the seeds of progress emerge, and it’s when answers could become solutions.