Context

• India has achieved remarkable progress in improving access to drinking water through the Jal Jeevan Mission, which has provided tap water connections to nearly 80% of rural households.
• Urban areas, despite facing periodic shortages, generally receive intermittent water supply.
• However, between the rural and urban landscape lies a neglected missing middle, the rapidly expanding peri-urban regions.
• These areas, where villages gradually transform into industrial and residential settlements, face severe challenges related to water supply, sanitation, and governance.
• The absence of proper administrative recognition has made peri-urban India one of the most vulnerable regions in the country’s development process.

Growth of Peri-Urban India

• Rapid Urbanisation and Census Towns
  • India’s rapid urbanisation is evident in the sharp rise of Census towns, which increased from 1,362 to 3,784 over the last two decades.
  • These settlements are no longer purely rural, yet they have not been fully recognised as urban centres.
  • As a result, they remain trapped between rural administration and urban governance systems.
• Governance Vacuum
  • The lack of institutional clarity has created a major governance crisis. Peri-urban residents often pay urban-level costs but receive inadequate services.
  • In Gurugram, for instance, peri-urban areas were brought under municipal administration after rural governance structures were abolished.
  • However, weak civic management has left residents with poor water and sanitation facilities.
  • Similarly, residents of Rawta village near Delhi receive water only on alternate days and during late-night hours.
  • Such irregular supply forces families to sacrifice sleep for collecting water and increases dependence on private water vendors.

Environmental and Social Consequences

• Groundwater Contamination
  • Poor waste management has severely damaged the environment in peri-urban areas.
  • In peri-urban Hyderabad, toxic leachate from dumping sites has contaminated groundwater, creating major health risks for local communities.
• Unequal Water Distribution
  • Urban expansion often diverts resources away from rural and peri-urban populations.
  • Water from the Bisalpur dam, originally intended for irrigation in Tonk and Sawai Madhopur, is increasingly redirected to meet Jaipur’s urban demands.
  • Consequently, downstream farmers suffer from reduced water access and declining agricultural productivity.
• Public Health Risks
  • The lack of proper sanitation systems has intensified public health concerns. Nearly 40 million urban households rely on septic tanks and other on-site sanitation systems.
  • However, irregular desludging and illegal dumping of untreated septage into rivers and fields contribute to pollution and disease, undermining the achievements of the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Future Challenges

• Expanding Urban Demand
  • India’s future urban growth will place enormous pressure on existing infrastructure.
  • By 2047, the country is expected to require 230 million new housing units and nearly 500 new cities. Today’s peri-urban regions will become tomorrow’s urban centres.
• Threat to Water Security
  • Without proper planning, India may face worsening water scarcity, environmental degradation, and rising inequality.
  • Peri-urban areas therefore hold the key to the country’s future water security and sustainable development.

Solutions and Policy Recommendations

• Strengthening Governance
  • The first step is to address the administrative vacuum through the establishment of Nagar Panchayats, as envisioned under the 74th Constitutional Amendment.
  • Legal recognition must be accompanied by stronger institutional capacity and accountability.
  • Successful local initiatives, such as the collaborative platform in Sultanpur village, demonstrate that cooperation between authorities, engineers, and residents can improve governance.
• Protecting Water Sources
  • Long-term sustainability requires protecting drinking water sources from encroachment, pollution, and waste dumping.
  • Community-based sanitary inspections, already successful in Maharashtra, can help strengthen local participation in water management.
• Swachh Bharat Mission 3.0
  • A specialised Swachh Bharat Mission 3.0 should focus on peri-urban sanitation.
  • The programme should prioritise faecal sludge management, treatment plants in underserved regions, GPS-monitored desludging trucks, and mini-cesspool vehicles for narrow settlements.
  • Integrating sanitation costs into monthly water bills through a small levy could also improve financial sustainability.
• Decentralised Wastewater Treatment
  • India must also promote decentralised wastewater treatment technologies.
  • Companies such as Indra Water and Tigreen have developed systems capable of recycling more than 95% of used water while requiring minimal land and energy.
  • These technologies need stronger policy support, financial incentives, and government procurement mechanisms to expand effectively.
• Strategic Financing
  • Peri-urban water infrastructure should be treated as strategic infrastructure.
  • Blended financing models, such as Uttarakhand’s partnership-based approach combining state support with concessional international loans, can help fund sustainable water and sanitation systems.

Conclusion

• Peri-urban India represents the missing middle in the country’s development story.
• Despite its growing demographic and economic importance, it continues to suffer from weak governance, inadequate infrastructure, and environmental degradation.
• Challenges such as irregular water supply, groundwater contamination, poor sanitation, and unequal resource distribution threaten both public health and long-term sustainability.
• However, with effective governance reforms, innovative technologies, sustainable financing, and community participation, peri-urban India can transform into a water-secure, inclusive, and sustainable urban future.