Access to potable water in India has increased strongly over the past decade but a 2007 study from the Asian Development Bank reported that no major Indian city distributes clean water for more than a few hours a day. In rural areas the contamination of rivers and wells is an increasing problem caused in part by the rapid depletion of the ground water table.

Following are some articles that elaborate on the water situation in the country.

Water treatment

During the last election cycle, now Prime Minister Narendra Modi ran  a campaign to clean drinking water and invest funds into sanitising the famous Ganges river. A plan has been proposed to have funding over a five and ten year period.According to an article published in Bloomberg, India plans to invest 1,3 billion$ into a system of sewage treatment plant along the Ganges river with the aim to clean the water for 118 towns along the banks. A new law is also planned which should allow the government to prosecute people and corporations who spill toxins in the river.Water drainage during storms or the monsoons remain an issue since many cities find themselves flooded due to poor drainage systems. This also is a major public health issue since it provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes which are vectors of malaria and dengue fever. Tests of a new drainage system is being conducted in Coimbatore, but despite funds allocated to build the new infrastructure, final work was never done due to political disagreement and corruption.

Strategic Plan 2011 – 2022:  Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India 

The government of India has released its strategic plan to ensure drinking water in rural areas. To read the plan please click here.

Drinking water beyond rural India’s reach: NSSO

The article in the Business Standard published earlier this month stated that over half the households in the country have no access to drinking water. Reporting on the results of the survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), it stated that in urban areas, 23 per cent of households had no access to potable water at homes in 2012. To read more please click here.

Household access to safe drinking water 

A survey conducted by the government of India is available on its website here.

 India’s water woes

In an article published by the New York Times stated that half of the water supply in rural areas in India, is routinely contaminated with toxic bacteria. Employment in manufacturing in India has declined in recent years, and a prime reason may be the difficulty companies face getting water. To read more please click here.

 

Rs.15,260 crore for drinking water ministry

Rs.15,260 crore ($2.77 billion) has been allocated to  the ministry of drinking water and sanitation to expand and improve drinking water supply in the country. To read more please click here.

Background paper by WaterAid on drinking water quality in India

The paper released by WaterAid is a comprehensive overview of the situation in India. It states that eighty per cent of our drinking water needs are met by groundwater, which is depleting at an alarming rate, compounded with large scale contamination. To read the report please click here.

 

Report of the Working Group on Rural Domestic Water and Sanitation 

 The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation(MDWS), administers the National Rural Drinking Water programme (NRDWP)  was established in 2009. The working report for the twelfth five year plan can be found here.  The plan is aimed at  strengthening  systems which will enable rural households to have access    to  safe water supply

 

MDG target number 7 has been met, reports WHO and UNCIEF

According to a report  issued in 2012, the world has met the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water, well in advance of the MDG 2015 deadline. Between 1990 and 2010, over two billion people gained access to improved drinking water sources, such as piped supplies and protected wells. To read the report please click here.

 

Drinking water quality in India

If we look at the present scenario, we are leading towards crisis. About 85 % of rural population in India is solely depended on ground water, which is depleting at a fast rate. In the urban areas though about 60% of the population is depended on surface water sources, the availability and quality are questionable. For more information please click here

 
Drinking water quality in rural India: Issues and Approaches
The health burden of poor water quality is enormous. It is estimated that around 37.7 million Indians are affected by waterborne diseases annually, 1.5 million children are estimated to die of diarrhoea alone and 73 million working days are lost due to waterborne disease each year. The resulting economic burden is estimated at $600 million a year. For more information please click here.
 
India and China lag in safe drinking water
According to the report issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Unicef, India is home to 97 million people without an access to improved water supplies. Over all, there are still 780 million people without access to an improved drinking water source. For more information please click here.
 
Rs 14000 crore to be spent on rural drinking water schemes
With an aim to provide piped drinking water in all rural areas during the 12th Five Year Plan, government is all set to invest Rs 14,000 crore for the schemes being run by it in the next financial year. Click here for more information.
 
Supply of  safe drinking water a crore issue: Govt
The Government of India has said that supplying the country with safe drinking water would require an investment of crores. Click here for more information.
 
Water as a human right
Currently, there are no specific international legal instruments which treat water as a human right but this right can be derived from several conventions like International Covenant Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966), Convention on Elimination on all forms of discrimination against women (1977), and Convention on Rights of the Child (1989). The UN General Assembly in July 2010 adopted a resolution acknowledging that clean drinking water and sanitation are integral to the realization of all human rights and also called upon all states and international organizations to provide financial resources, to help build capacity and transfer technology specially to the developing countries to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation to all. India voted for this resolution for more please click here.
 
A study on “Disease burden due to inadequate water and sanitation facilities in India”
The study focusses on the links between ill health in India and the lack of safe drinking water. More can be read here.
 
Water for Indian cities: Government practices and policy concerns
This paper highlights the need for the government to build up existing infrastructures for water to meet the demands of growing cities. More can be read here.