The rapid growth of population combined with rising levels of consumption and pollution has increased water insecurity in urban India. The depleting water sources on the one hand, higher financial and technological costs to refine and transport water from far off sources on the other, leave limited possibilities to augment the water supply in the near future. Climate change may further adversely impact the available sources of fresh water supply. Intra-urban and inter-class water supplies are also issues in Indian towns and cities. A large section of population in urban India collects water from public and private sources located far away from their residence and bears direct and indirect enormous opportunity cost. The present paper discusses these aspects of water security and sustainability in urban India and highlights monitory and social costs of collection of water located away from premises.
PurposeThe lives of the poor in the urban spaces of India are filled with hardships. They live amidst poverty and struggle to survive within other problems such as insecure jobs, lack of proper housing, unsanitary conditions and low levels of health immunity. This vulnerable section of the population has been rendered furthermore vulnerable by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in ways that were never imagined before. Taking this into consideration, the purpose of this article is to examine the vulnerability of the poor in the urban settings of India with special reference to Mumbai in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology adopted in the study is based on the analysis of secondary data and content analysis of the existing literature. In addition to this, the study also makes use of certain narratives of the urban poor in Mumbai that have been captured by various articles, reports and blogs.FindingsThe findings of the study reveal how the urban poor of India, with special reference to Mumbai, the financial capital of India, has emerged as the worst sufferers of the socioeconomic crisis caused by the social distancing and lockdown measures imposed for combating the pandemic.Originality/valueThe study tries to explore the reality of the urban poor's right to the city in the wake of the pandemic.
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