The reasons cited for water insecurity situation in the study are:
Water supply systems
Poor water governance
Lack of urban planning
Poor tourism management during peak season
Climate related risks and challenges
Rapid urbanization
Consequent increase in water demand
Encroachment and degradation of natural water bodies
Growing disappearance of traditional water systems
A study by HI-AWARE research project found that the people are being pulled from rural areas to nearby urban centres due to urbanization.
According to a study, by 2050 more than 50% population will be living in cities which will further strain water resources.
The water demand-supply gap is 20 - 70% in 8 out of the 13 studied towns and the gap will be doubled by 2050.
Three fourth of the urban centres showed high dependency on springs (between 50 - 100%) .
Demand has grown and is still growing whereas supply has been hit due to change in rainfall patterns. The availability of spring water has also been reduced.
According to IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change) , the rainfall extremes will increase in coming years causing floods in some areas and making some areas drier.
Erratic monsoons have already caused harm to crops, increase in number of such events will raise the number of hungry people in India.
There is a need to:
Find sustainable ways of using water resources.
Participation by all stakeholders.
Urban involvement of women in water management and decision making.
Planning.
Understanding the seasonality and mapping of springs.