Indore’s water crisis deepens amid summer heat:Residents struggle with dry taps and low pressure across city

The water crisis has now gone beyond mere shortage and raised serious questions over water management across the city. Residents are struggling with low pressure, incomplete supply and dry taps. The situation has become so severe that people are reaching out directly to MLAs’ offices, while councillors are being forced to arrange tanker supplies in their wards. City receiving 540 MLD water from Narmada project The city receives 540 MLD (million litres per day) of water through the three phases of the Narmada River project. Water is also supplied from this quota to Rau, Mhow and nearby panchayat areas. Around 15 MLD is considered lost due to leakage and line losses. According to the Municipal Corporation, approximately 423 MLD of water reaches Bijalpur daily on average. Under the existing arrangement, water is supplied on alternate days. The Corporation estimates the city’s population has crossed 3.5 million. Of this, nearly 20% of areas are still not connected to the Narmada network. Assuming nearly five lakh residents remain outside the Narmada network, the Corporation effectively has to supply water to around 30 lakh people. Since supply is provided every alternate day, water released in a single day caters to around 16–17 lakh residents. The same tanks are then used to supply the remaining population the following day. In some cases, tanks are filled twice a day, but households still receive tap water only once every two days. Despite calculations, residents complain of low pressure By these calculations, each person should ideally receive around 250 litres of water daily. However, residents continue to complain about low water pressure and short supply duration. Around 20 MLD of water is currently being distributed through tankers. Authorities claim that many borewells in areas without Narmada connectivity have dried up, forcing the Corporation to supply Narmada water there through tankers as well. Case 1: Even filling two buckets is difficult Resident Swati Sahu said that for the past one-and-a-half months, water pressure has been so low that filling even two buckets has become difficult. She alleged that zone offices are not responding to complaints. Government tankers fail to arrive on time, while private tanker operators are charging between ₹1,200 and ₹1,300. Case 2: Valve closed for one year in Nyay Nagar Residents near Marthoma School in Nyay Nagar said they have been facing a water crisis for nearly a year. According to locals, the valve of the Narmada pipeline in the area has remained shut, disrupting regular supply. Residents alleged that municipal tankers provide water for barely a minute, while private tankers charge arbitrary rates. Despite repeated complaints, no permanent solution has been provided. Case 3: Pipeline installed, but no water in scheme-78 A resident of E-Sector in Scheme-78 said they paid ₹8,500 for a water connection a year ago. Although the pipeline was installed, water has still not reached the area. Three Major Reasons Behind the Crisis 1. Faulty distribution and management In older areas, population and water connections have increased rapidly, but storage tanks and supply systems have not been upgraded accordingly. In many areas, the number of connections has risen by nearly 30% over the past five years, while tank capacity, pipeline networks and pressure systems have remained unchanged. 2. One tank serving multiple wards Tanks that were originally designed to supply one or two wards are now being used to serve three to four wards. The rise of new townships, multi-storey buildings and bulk connections has sharply increased pressure on supply lines. As a result, even central parts of the city are witnessing complaints of low pressure. Water is failing to reach the tail-end areas, while higher-altitude localities are facing even worse conditions. 3. City expanded, but infrastructure did not The city has expanded rapidly, but the supply network continues to operate on the old framework. Authorities failed to prepare new tanks, fresh pipeline networks and separate distribution systems in time to match the rising load. Even today, around 20% of areas remain outside the Narmada supply network. Earlier, these areas depended on borewells and tube wells. However, this summer, a large number of borewells dried up. Municipal tanker caught selling water to private agency A municipal tanker contracted by the Corporation was allegedly caught selling water to a chilled-water agency near Agrasen Statue Square in Zone-18. The tractor tanker, registered as MP 67 AB 1494 and operated by Jai Maa Aradhana Enterprises, was seized by authorities. A fine of ₹25,000 was imposed on the agency concerned.