ABSTRACT
This chapter opens with a general introduction to, and overview of, Delhi, with
an emphasis on the city’s water resources and urban water delivery mechanisms,
before using the city as a test case for the water reform project. The information
about the region’s current water scenario, and proposed reforms to meet the city
needs, provide the necessary background for competing policy discourses on
the water sector reform process under the Government of Delhi. The chapter is
divided into fi ve main sections: the fi rst discusses the rise of Delhi as a global
city; the second describes the geography, topography and population of the
region; the third highlights the availability of water resources, treatment and
distribution in the city; the fourth examines the current water scenario in Delhi;
and the fi fth describes the Government’s proposed solutions to meet Delhi’s
water needs, which were contested by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
and the people of Delhi.
