Developing a model for residential water demand in the Indian Himalayan Region of Ravangla, South Sikkim, India

Climate change and increased demand for human needs have led to drinking water scarcity in the cities and towns located in the Indian Himalayan region. This paper aims to address the challenge of drinking water security by proposing a model of water demand among households in Ravangla town of South...

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Published inGroundwater for sustainable development Vol. 21; p. 100923
Main Authors Thakur, Barun Kumar, Bal, Debi Prasad, Nurujjaman, Md, Debnath, Kanish
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier B.V 01.05.2023
Subjects
Decision-support system
Geographical information system
Sikkim
Water demand
Water scarcity
Geographical information system
Decision-support system
Water demand
Sikkim
Water scarcity
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Summary:Climate change and increased demand for human needs have led to drinking water scarcity in the cities and towns located in the Indian Himalayan region. This paper aims to address the challenge of drinking water security by proposing a model of water demand among households in Ravangla town of South Sikkim, India. Our field survey results indicate that the water demand increases significantly due to the number of household members between the age of 18 and 60. Further, we find that the number of taps in the household is positively and significantly correlated with water demand. Number of water taps, storage capacity and the water consumption are positively related. However, we did not find any such strong association with the number of toilets in the household. The GIS maps of South Sikkim shows the areas with households that will soon face acute water stress and drinking water insecurity. In order to address the scarcity of water in these regions, policymakers may develop plans like rainwater harvesting to ameliorate the situation through a GIS based decision support system. [Display omitted] •Decision Support System is used to study the water security problem.•Residential water demand were constructed for Ravangla, South Sikkim.•Water demand increases significantly with the adult member of household.•Water taps, storage capacity and water consumption are positively related.•The water stress households is shown through GIS maps.
ISSN:2352-801X
2352-801X
DOI:10.1016/j.gsd.2023.100923