also urban households get sufficient drinking
water throughout the year. These figures are
much lower from the national averages (85.8%
rural and 89.6% in urban).
In terms of travel distance to reach the principal source of water, the rural households are at
a disadvantage compared to the urban households. The Census 2011 data on water access
point out that 35.0% rural households
(HHs) have access to a water source within the
premises as against 71.2% of urban HHs. Contrary to this, 20.7% urban and 42.9% rural HH
have water sources near their premises, and 8.1%
urban and 22.1% rural HH have to fetch water
from far away sources. With regard to source of
water, 70.6% of urban and 30.8% rural HHs use
tap water, 20.8% urban and 51.9% rural HH use
hand pumps, tube wells and bores, 6.2% urban
and 13.3% rural HH use wells, and the remaining
2.5% urban and 4.0% rural HH use other sources.
It is also pertinent to mention that nearly twothirds (62.0%) of urban and one-sixth (17.9%)
rural HHs get treated tap water. Water supply in
urban Madhya Pradesh is extremely dissatisfactory. In the urban areas, 182 towns receive daily
water supply, 115 towns on alternate days, 50
towns once in 2 days, and 24 towns once in
3 days.
9.17 Pollution of Water
Pollution of water of rivers, ponds and groundwater is reaching to a point of crisis particularly
near urban and industrial centers due to unplanned urbanization, rapid growth of industrialization and increasing use of fertilizers and other
chemicals in farming. The quality of river water
is deteriorating mainly due to human activities
such as discharge of industrial and municipal
sewage wastes and agricultural runoff, causing
ecological damage and posing serious health
hazards. Shraddha et al. (2011) concluded that
due to discharge of untreated sewage at Hoshangabad into the Narmada along with industrial
effluents from Security paper Mill, the water
quality of Narmada has been severely deteriorated and the potable nature of water is being
lost. The Kshipra, one of the sacred rivers of
Malwa holding Simhasth Kumha, carries
untreated wastes and effluents from Ujjain,
Dewas and Indore cities which have not only
affected the quality of the river water but also has
aggravated the water crisis in the region. Its
waters, which once quenched the city's thirst, are
not even fit for bathing any longer, and government has to bring Narmada water to keep is glory
during Singhstha. The River Betwa plays a significant role in the human life of the villages
located on its bank. It is being polluted at Mandideep due to industrial activities and the confluence of sewage, domestic wastes and
industrial effluents of many big and small enterprises with various types of organic compounds
and heavy metals. The water quality in the stretch
of the River Betwa extending from its origin near
Mandideep industrial area up to Bhojpur remains
poor because of the regular inflow of domestic
waste of the Bhopal city through the Kaliyasot
river and industrial/domestic waters from Mandideep. The untreated sewage of the human
habitations in Mandideep is directly flown into
the Kaliasot river which flows on the one side of
the town while untreated chemical waste directly
mixes into river Betwa which flows on the other
side of the town (Margade 2009; Vishwakarma
et al. 2013).
Most of the water bodies in and around
Bhopal are presently under great environmental
stress due to pollution from point and nonpoint
sources, eutrophication, fast growth of aquatic
macrophytes, enrichment of nutrients, and
human encroachments. Due to the joining of
untreated domestic sewage, washing activities,
and so forth, the water quality of these water
bodies has deteriorated to a great extent thereby
reducing the carrying capacity of the system. The
sewage disposal system in the state capital covers
only 40% of the city’s area. Everyday more than
lakh liters of waste water and sewage are being
discharged to the Upper Lake water and Patra,
Halali and Betwa rivers. Water of water-bodies
of the city is highly polluted. These domestic and
industrial waste waters have polluted not only the
surface and lake waters but groundwater also.
Irrigation reservoirs constructed near Bhopal city
122
S. K. Sharma
water throughout the year. These figures are
much lower from the national averages (85.8%
rural and 89.6% in urban).
In terms of travel distance to reach the principal source of water, the rural households are at
a disadvantage compared to the urban households. The Census 2011 data on water access
point out that 35.0% rural households
(HHs) have access to a water source within the
premises as against 71.2% of urban HHs. Contrary to this, 20.7% urban and 42.9% rural HH
have water sources near their premises, and 8.1%
urban and 22.1% rural HH have to fetch water
from far away sources. With regard to source of
water, 70.6% of urban and 30.8% rural HHs use
tap water, 20.8% urban and 51.9% rural HH use
hand pumps, tube wells and bores, 6.2% urban
and 13.3% rural HH use wells, and the remaining
2.5% urban and 4.0% rural HH use other sources.
It is also pertinent to mention that nearly twothirds (62.0%) of urban and one-sixth (17.9%)
rural HHs get treated tap water. Water supply in
urban Madhya Pradesh is extremely dissatisfactory. In the urban areas, 182 towns receive daily
water supply, 115 towns on alternate days, 50
towns once in 2 days, and 24 towns once in
3 days.
9.17 Pollution of Water
Pollution of water of rivers, ponds and groundwater is reaching to a point of crisis particularly
near urban and industrial centers due to unplanned urbanization, rapid growth of industrialization and increasing use of fertilizers and other
chemicals in farming. The quality of river water
is deteriorating mainly due to human activities
such as discharge of industrial and municipal
sewage wastes and agricultural runoff, causing
ecological damage and posing serious health
hazards. Shraddha et al. (2011) concluded that
due to discharge of untreated sewage at Hoshangabad into the Narmada along with industrial
effluents from Security paper Mill, the water
quality of Narmada has been severely deteriorated and the potable nature of water is being
lost. The Kshipra, one of the sacred rivers of
Malwa holding Simhasth Kumha, carries
untreated wastes and effluents from Ujjain,
Dewas and Indore cities which have not only
affected the quality of the river water but also has
aggravated the water crisis in the region. Its
waters, which once quenched the city's thirst, are
not even fit for bathing any longer, and government has to bring Narmada water to keep is glory
during Singhstha. The River Betwa plays a significant role in the human life of the villages
located on its bank. It is being polluted at Mandideep due to industrial activities and the confluence of sewage, domestic wastes and
industrial effluents of many big and small enterprises with various types of organic compounds
and heavy metals. The water quality in the stretch
of the River Betwa extending from its origin near
Mandideep industrial area up to Bhojpur remains
poor because of the regular inflow of domestic
waste of the Bhopal city through the Kaliyasot
river and industrial/domestic waters from Mandideep. The untreated sewage of the human
habitations in Mandideep is directly flown into
the Kaliasot river which flows on the one side of
the town while untreated chemical waste directly
mixes into river Betwa which flows on the other
side of the town (Margade 2009; Vishwakarma
et al. 2013).
Most of the water bodies in and around
Bhopal are presently under great environmental
stress due to pollution from point and nonpoint
sources, eutrophication, fast growth of aquatic
macrophytes, enrichment of nutrients, and
human encroachments. Due to the joining of
untreated domestic sewage, washing activities,
and so forth, the water quality of these water
bodies has deteriorated to a great extent thereby
reducing the carrying capacity of the system. The
sewage disposal system in the state capital covers
only 40% of the city’s area. Everyday more than
lakh liters of waste water and sewage are being
discharged to the Upper Lake water and Patra,
Halali and Betwa rivers. Water of water-bodies
of the city is highly polluted. These domestic and
industrial waste waters have polluted not only the
surface and lake waters but groundwater also.
Irrigation reservoirs constructed near Bhopal city
122
S. K. Sharma