Chennai's water woes: 17% households still use hand pumps
A fresh 2025 survey across 14 Indian cities shows Chennai is among the hardest hit by water access issues—17% of households still use hand pumps, and 14% rely on other sources, such as tanker trucks, for daily water.
Basic service delivery
Chennai ranks near the bottom for basic service delivery, alongside Mumbai.
Cities like Kochi and Vadodara do much better, highlighting the gap in service quality between Chennai and better-performing cities.
Water availability and sanitation gaps
Nearly half of city households get running water for just two hours a day. Access depends heavily on housing type—basically, your class matters.
The study also found big sanitation gaps: compromised facilities affect about a third of Scheduled Castes and Tribes, compared to just 12% among Other Backward Classes.
Social divides and caste dynamics
Most cities see people sticking to their own caste groups socially, which reinforces divides in who gets what services.
Interestingly, Chennai (and Kochi) stand out for having more cross-caste friendships—a small but hopeful sign that things can change.