Supply-led water deprivation prevails in major cities in India. The per capita water availability in these cities is nowhere near the standards laid down by the World Health Organisation or the Bureau of Indian Standards (1993), and it is also far lower than that in other large cities in the world. The availability of water in Indian cities varies with socio-economic groups and areas. Households with incomes below Rs 3,000 a month suffer a lot - about 72 per cent of such households in these cities lack sufficient water.