The co-production of a constant water supply in Mumbai's middle-class apartments

摘要

The lush gardens and gleaming cars that surround Mumbai's middle-class apartment buildings hint at plentiful water supplies. However, piped mains water is only supplied for a few hours per day. This research explores the pragmatic choreography of water sources to co-produce a constant supply. Middle-class households respond to the limited municipal water supply through the use of mains water storage tanks, wells, water tracks, packaged water and rainwater harvesting. This portfolio of water supplies involves various actors and is an important instance of domestic service co-production. This article suggests that introducing rainwater harvesting creates opportunities for more water use in these households and allows a reconsideration of water provision and governance citywide.