Urban Water Supply System of Prayagraj: Sources, Storage Capacity and Zonal Disparities in Well Distribution

Abstract

The reliability of an urban water supply depends not only on how much water a city produces but also on where it is sourced, how much of it can be stored, and how evenly supporting infrastructure is distributed within the city. This paper examines the water supply system of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, with emphasis on supply sources, storage capacity and zone-wise disparities in public wells. The analysis draws on records of the Jal Kal Vibhag (Prayagraj), the City Development Plan and the Census of India, supported by GIS mapping of the geo-tagged well inventory. Prayagraj is supplied with 308 million litres per day (MLD), of which 77% (238 MLD) comes from tube wells and 23% (70 MLD) from the Yamuna River. The reported per capita supply of 253 litres per day exceeds the urban norm of 135–150 lpcd, yet total storage is only 22.5 MLD, about 7% of daily supply (roughly 1.75 hours), and the Khushrobagh treatment plant runs at about half of its 135 MLD capacity. Of 184 public wells inventoried across eight zones, only 70 (38%) are operational. Functionality ranges from 87.5% in Zone 2 to nil in Zone 4, and Zones 1, 3 and 4 together hold about 66% of all closed wells (χ² = 67.2, df = 7, p < 0.001). Projected demand of 347 MLD in 2031 and 418 MLD in 2041 would exceed present supply by 39 and 110 MLD respectively, while network losses reported at about 40% erode effective availability. The findings suggest that Prayagraj’s water problem is one of storage, distribution and maintenance rather than raw availability, and the paper outlines priorities for well rehabilitation, storage augmentation, loss reduction and more equitable service.