Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

Objective: This study focuses on the preference of people of Hyderabad, Pakistan about drinking water for themselves. Also, it highlights the percentage of people using tap and bottled water for drinking purpose. Methods/Analysis: Overall 380 samples from the three administrative subdivisions are randomly chosen to discover the priority of the people for water service that policymakers should think upon to choose such water supply which is ultimately acceptable by the occupants of the district. People were asked about their preference through a semi-structured questionnaire, which was finalized after a pilot study of 25 questionnaires. Collected data was sorted and analyzed statistically. Data representation, data validation and correlation are done in MS Excel and SPSS. Findings: It is found in the study that more than 50% of individuals are spending a huge amount of money on expensive water sources such as mineral water. It is found in the study that inconsistency and irregularity in the current water supply system is the major problem faced by most of the people. Furthermore, it is found that supply distance plays a vital role in the quality maintenance and quality consistency. Increase in supply distance reduces the quality. More than 70% people on the far end of treatment plant prefer to have bottled and filtered water. More than 50% people in city subdivision which is the nearest subdivision, prefers to use tap water for drinking purpose. Novelty/Improvement: This study is carried out to find out the perceptions and preferences of people regarding drinking water. This will help to analyze current water supply scheme and infrastructure and trend of using water supplied through this scheme for drinking purpose.

Keyword: Drinking Water, Hyderabad, People’s Preference, Water Supply Source