Integrated governance for equitable water access in informal settlements in Indian cities

Integrated governance for equitable water access in informal settlements in Indian cities | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Integrated governance for equitable water access in informal settlements in Indian cities Anil Palakodeti, Jurian Edelenbos This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7935074/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 13 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Informal settlements across the Global South face acute challenges in accessing safe and adequate drinking water, undermining both public health and urban equity. This study investigates the governance dimensions of water service provision in Hyderabad, India, focusing on disparities in access among slum communities. Through a mixed-methods approach involving household surveys, stakeholder interviews, and water quality assessments across 34 slum areas, the research identifies critical gaps in existing decision-making frameworks. Findings reveal that while technical aspects are routinely considered, socio-health, institutional, and economic dimensions are often neglected, leading to uneven service delivery. The study proposes a S.I.T.E. (Social, Institutional, Technical, Economic) valuation framework to guide integrated and participatory water governance. By emphasizing bottom-up engagement and context-specific planning, this framework aligns with the goals of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 6 and 11, offering a pathway to enhance habitability and resilience in informal urban settlements. The findings offer transferable insights for policymakers and urban planners seeking to enhance water equity and resilience in other rapidly urbanizing contexts. This study builds upon the author’s earlier theoretical contribution to water governance in informal settlements, specifically the development of the S.I.T.E. (Societal-Institutional-Technical-Economic) valuation framework (Palakodeti, 2020). While the previous work focused on conceptual foundations, the current research extends the framework through empirical fieldwork and application across slum areas in Hyderabad, India. informal settlements water governance urban habitability SDG 6 SDG 11 Indian cities participatory planning infrastructure disparities Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 24 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 22 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 20 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 14 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 12 Jan, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 07 Dec, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 25 Nov, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 13 Nov, 2025 First submitted to journal 13 Nov, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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