Situation of Water Supply Schemes in India
Review of Situation of Water Supply Schemes in India
“Water is the driver of nature” - Leonardo da Vinci
In India, the access to drinking water in rural areas increased from about 65 % of the population to about 90% in 2001. Approximately one billion dollar is being spent each year by the Government of India to provide drinking water to rural areas. Looking at the pace of achievement according to quantitative figures and with the government’s ongoing emphasis on flagship programs such as Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM), it might appear that the problem of access to safe drinking water in India shall soon be solved.
But all that glitters is not gold.
Though there has been an increase in the coverage over the past years which is definitely a positive point, but what is alarming is that there has been continuous slippage from earlier fully covered habitations to partially or not covered habitations. Also, a significant portion of water supply infrastructure created functions much below its design level. The problems of breakdown, insufficient water supply are very common in rural areas.
The inefficiency of these schemes forces people to incur huge coping costs. The people in rural areas, especially women, have to travel considerable distances and stand in long queues. They incur cost on repair and maintenance of public water sources. Maintenance of household equipments for private water supply arrangements, purification and storage of water also bears cost on rural households. All this involves opportunity costs in terms of lesser economic productivity and lesser development in these areas.
Such a vulnerable situation makes one to wonder the reality that exists beyond the mathematical figures of percentage of achievement. What still remain questionable are the impact of these schemes in terms of quality of services provided and the impact on the lives of the beneficiaries.
A careful review of the water supply schemes would
“Water is the driver of nature” - Leonardo da Vinci
In India, the access to drinking water in rural areas increased from about 65 % of the population to about 90% in 2001. Approximately one billion dollar is being spent each year by the Government of India to provide drinking water to rural areas. Looking at the pace of achievement according to quantitative figures and with the government’s ongoing emphasis on flagship programs such as Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM), it might appear that the problem of access to safe drinking water in India shall soon be solved.
But all that glitters is not gold.
Though there has been an increase in the coverage over the past years which is definitely a positive point, but what is alarming is that there has been continuous slippage from earlier fully covered habitations to partially or not covered habitations. Also, a significant portion of water supply infrastructure created functions much below its design level. The problems of breakdown, insufficient water supply are very common in rural areas.
The inefficiency of these schemes forces people to incur huge coping costs. The people in rural areas, especially women, have to travel considerable distances and stand in long queues. They incur cost on repair and maintenance of public water sources. Maintenance of household equipments for private water supply arrangements, purification and storage of water also bears cost on rural households. All this involves opportunity costs in terms of lesser economic productivity and lesser development in these areas.
Such a vulnerable situation makes one to wonder the reality that exists beyond the mathematical figures of percentage of achievement. What still remain questionable are the impact of these schemes in terms of quality of services provided and the impact on the lives of the beneficiaries.
A careful review of the water supply schemes would
References: 1. “Review of Effectiveness of Rural Water Supply Schemes in India” : The World Bank, June 2008 ; Report prepared by Smita Misra. Available at : http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/rws-india.pdf 2. “Movement towards Ensuring People’s Drinking Water Security in Rural India” : Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission – National Rural Drinking Water Programme ; Department of Drinking Water Supply, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India ; April 2010. Available at : http://ddws.gov.in/popups/RuralDrinkingWater_2ndApril.pdf 3. “India – Water Supply and Sanitation : Bridging the Gap between Infrastructure and Service” : India Country Team, Energy and Infrastructure Department, South Asia Region, World Bank ; Report prepared by Midori Makino. Available at : http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INDIAEXTN/Resources/Reports-Publications/366387-1140691677823/WorldBank_BG_Urban_20Feb06.pdf 4. Department of Drinking Water Supply : http://ddws.nic.in/ 5. Quote from http://www.ozh2o.com/h2quotes.html Information about author: Sankalp Chhabra I wrote this article for the YOJANA magazine and it was published in the July 2010 issue. I have completed Civil Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering and currently I 've completed MBA from Indian institute of Foreign Trade. I pursued an internship in the Planning Commission under the Programme Evaluation Organisation department. I want to build my career in the social development sector. I 'm reachable on anantsankalp@gmail.com / 09868931444 / 09818001744 .