In most (urban) Indian homes, water is not supplied for more than a few hours each day. The pipelines leak, and there is
not enough money available to replace the broken ones. It is estimated that only two-thirds of the water that goes into the
pipelines reaches the end consumer. To deal with these water losses, water utilities reduce the pressure in pipelines and limit the hours of supply. And to ensure that water is available as and when needed, Indian households have started using overhead tanks. Other measures adopted (to offset the water shortage) include public taps and water tankers. Those desperate enough - such as the homeless, and migrant labour - have no other option but to (illegally) tap into the mains
water supply.
To deal with situation, the idea of 24/7 water supply has been mooted. But, what exactly is it, and what would it involve? The basic argument being advanced is that 24/7 water supply is an essential right - at par with other basic rights such as universal healthcare and basic education. The counter argument being that the usage of water should be curtailed, so that there is enough water available.
The real reason why 24/7 water supply has not been posible so far has nothing to do with technology; but with the availability of adequate funding. Since water is a subsidized commodity in India, the subsidy involved would be enormous. It is also feared that the poor - who are the intended beneficiaries - have not really benefited at all. What is the point in supplying water 24/7, if the tap water quality is not good enough to drink, and the tap water has to be boiled so that the contaminants are removed? Are we, in fact, subsidizing the wasteful expenditure of the affluent sections of society? There is no satisfactory answer as yet. One way out would be to augment water resources by using rainwater harvesting.
The lack of adequate funding also means that enough money is not available for operations and maintainance, which are also essential activities. Perhaps, the solution is to replace, over the long term, the standard PVC pipes with HDPE pipes. High Density PolyEthylene pipes are both light and flexible (reducing the need to install joints), and do not rupture easily either.
The basic problem is that the existing water supply model is neither sustainable nor viable without large infusion of (outside) funds. Over the years, various inefficienciencies have also entered into their working. The participation of the private sector in water supply has been proposed as one possible option before the authorities. The opposition to such proposals does not stem from any ideological considerations (that public utilities such as water, roads and electricity must remain in public hands), but from practical ones.