Authors

• Lakpa Doma Sherpa, Assistant Professor and Komol Singha, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Sikkim University, Gangtok, Sikkim

The urbanisation process in the eastern Himalayan state of Sikkim has been very rapid in the recent past. As a result of this, the demand for safe drinking water in the urban centres has also increased rapidly. However, despite this rapid urbanisation, residents have so far been getting sufficient and safe drinking water. But the Government of Sikkim (GoS) is now increasingly finding it difficult to supply uninterrupted safe drinking water, especially in the East Sikkim district, with the nominal revenue generated from the present non-volumetric water supply system. The GoS has therefore proposed a new water policy, a volumetric/meter system though the residents are quite reluctant to switch over to the new policy in which they are required to pay a slightly higher tariff than what they have been paying so far. However, under the new policy, the system seems to be better positioned in terms of making the water users accountable and the service provider economically sustainable.