ABSTRACT
Urbanisation is taking place at a rapid pace in India, with an increasing spread of informal settlements in the urban landscape. Delhi city is one such growing urban sprawl with a large proportion (75%) of informal settlements. These informal settlements are characterised by uncertain or illegal land tenure and ownership, minimal or no services (water supply, sanitation, electricity, roads), poor waste management, informal employment and low income. In most societies, women hold the primary responsibility of procuring, storing and usage of water and, hence, bear the highest brunt of lack of access to water and sanitation.
Environmental sustainability can promote women’s empowerment through the provision of water supply and sanitation and has direct and indirect impacts. Ecofeminism elucidates the gendered, cultural constructions of water, which impacts power relations perpetuating environmental sexism, racism and classism and creating a water–power infrastructure. Drawing on ecofeminism, the study aims to examine household access to water supply and its impact on women’s lives. The study revealed that women living in settlements with no access to flowing water inside the household were largely unemployed, while women in households with better access to water and sanitation were involved in paid work and actively involved in self-help groups.
