Impact of attitudes, drought experience and alternative water sources on water conservation behaviour in urban India

Water demand exceeds supply in India. While the government invests to increase supply, water savings are the result of individual conservation behaviour. Drawing on this concept, the purpose of this research is to evaluate and determine the dynamics of water conservation behaviour (WCB) among 1247 households in the Udupi District for effective water management and promote conservation behaviour in the region. To do so, the research follows a cross-sectional study by adopting a quantitative research design. The findings reveal that attitudinal factors had a significant positive effect. Households with a strong sense of identity with experience of droughts had taken proactive steps to conserve water. The presence of alternate water sources significantly reduced conservation behaviour, increasing water use by about 35 lpcd for each additional source. The model accounts for 76.5% of explained variance with the potential reduction of 52.85 lpcd of water. Finally, the study concludes by suggesting specific policy recommendations.