Similarly, in Chennai, the average supply is 68 litres a day, but areas relying on tankers use as little as 8 litres.
The HDR also talks about the `water lords' of Gujarat, land owners who have constructed deep wells depriving neighbouring villages of water, only to sell it back at a high price to those whose wells they have emptied.
NOT ENOUGH LIFELINE
In India, spending on military is 3% of GDP and on water and sanitation it is less than 0.5%
Diarrhoea kills 450,000 in India annually, more than in any other country Research in India by Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) has shown that reducing water collection to one hour a day would enable women to earn upto an additional $100 (Rs 4,500 roughly) a year.
In Delhi, Karachi and Kathmandu, fewer than 10% of households with piped water receive service 24 hours a day. Two or three hours of delivery is the norm
If the entire population of South Asia had access to basic low-cost water and sanitation technology, it would save the region $34 billion.
(Source-Times Of India,10/11/06)
