People’s lives and livelihoods depend on water. Demand for clean water
increases continually in line with world population growth. People in many areas of
the world lack fresh, drinkable water essential to their survival. Unchecked population
growth and the changing demographic profiles are affecting management of water
resources in the towns and cities since the beginning of the twentieth century. At the
turn of twentieth century only one percent of the population lived in the cities in most
regions of the world. But as the urban population of the world has increased
phenomenally during the century, so has the proportion that lived in the urban areas.
Access to water is a fundamental need and constitutes one of the most
important human rights. But most cities in the developing world and in hilly and
mountainous regions suffer from acute shortage of water both in quantity and quality.
Water supply and sanitation are two most important factors for development of any
urban centre especially in the context of hill area development and in the context of
rapid growth of urban population. Shillong is one of the most important urban centres
in the hilly regions of North-Eastern India. Geographically, it is located in the
Meghalaya plateau which at least surfacially is an extension of North-Eastern
Himalayan range and only 55 km away from Mawsynram, the highest rainfall station
in the world. Shillong is a small (25.4 square km) capital town of Meghalaya,
supporting 26, 7662 people (Census, 2001) and with a density of 10538 persons per
square kilometre. However, the city has witnessed unprecedented population growth
in recent years largely due to a high fertility rate coupled with a heightened migration
from the neighbouring states of India as well as across the border. The city has been
attracting migrants since colonial times mainly for its congenial climate, better school
infrastructure, jobs and tourist spots.