June 5, 2024, New Delhi: Several parts of Delhi are facing acute water shortage, particularly drinking water, even as the national capital is reeling under a heatwave with the temperature touching nearly 50 degrees Celsius in some areas. While early arrival of monsoon in Kerala and many parts of the country is good news, lack of adequate and proper infrastructure to harness rainwater, has led to a situation where an estimated 63 million people do not have access to clean drinking water, a situation that warrants urgent action to prevent outbreaks of waterborne illness such as diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid. Several other small and big cities in the country like Bengaluru are facing water crisis leading to tankers being pressed into service to ensure supplies, which may not meet the desired drinking water standards. In fact, less than 10% of cities out of 485 surveyed provide the residents clean drinking water, according to the first national-level tap water survey conducted by the Central Government.

A World Health Organisation (WHO) report has highlighted that there is need​ for ensuring safely managed drinking water for all households in India as it could prevent nearly 400,000 deaths caused by diarrheal diseases. This achievement could also prevent approximately 14 million Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) related to these diseases, resulting in estimated cost savings of up to $101 billion.

Careful conservation and treatment of wastewater through recycling is a known fact but rarely achieved. Facts on the ground show that over the years while the number of tap water connections in households across the country have increased, the quality of water provided is often questionable. To combat the issue of poor water quality, the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Jal Shakti Ministry has introduced Water Quality Management Information System (WQMIS), a dedicated one-stop information portal which allows people to register, book and get their household water tested at the nearest government-affiliated laboratory by paying a nominal fee. The system has been trying to make water quality management not just for public health engineers but also to empower communities and women to monitor water quality at the community level using Field Test Kits (FTKs) in rural areas. Is this system working efficiently? If so, something similar should be focused on urban water supplies too.

Following up on consumers' complaints on the quality of tap water supplied in their homes, LocalCircles through a new survey has strived to find out whether there has been any improvement in the availability and quality of tap water being supplied in people’s homes over the last one year. The survey received over 22,000 responses from households located in over 322 districts of the country. 61% respondents were men while 39% respondents were women. 43% respondents were from tier 1, 30% from tier 2 and 27% respondents were from tier 3, 4 and rural districts.

Only 4% Indian households surveyed get drinkable quality water from their local body

Most homes in cities and town and some in villages too use different gadgets to purify water, boil water before drinking or buy bottled water for drinking and even cooking. The survey asked “How do you purify water at home for drinking, cooking, etc.?” The query received 10,998 responses with 27% indicating that they “use a water purifier”; 33% indicated that they “use a RO system”; and 20% indicated they are “boiling” the water. Among the remaining respondents 7% indicated that they “use chlorination, alum and other minerals”; 3% of respondents indicated they “use clay vessels”; 4% of respondents stated “we do not need to purify water as water supplied is pure”; 3% indicated they “don’t purify water and get bottled water supply instead for drinking/ cooking”; And 3% indicated that they “don’t purify water currently and consume as it comes”. Responses to this survey question shows that only 4% Indian households surveyed get drinkable quality water from their local body; 60% are using some kind of modern filtration mechanism.

As compared to the survey results over the previous two years, the new survey shows that the percentage of Indian households who said they get drinkable quality water from their local body, there is only marginal improvement as it has risen from 2% in 2022, 3% in 2023 to 4% in 2024.

Percentage of Indian households who said they get drinkable quality water from their local body rose from 3% to 4% in the last 12 months

41% Indian households surveyed rate the quality of piped water they get from the local body as good

The survey next asked “How do you rate the quality of piped water that comes to your home from the local municipal/ water department or panchayat?” The query received 11,295 responses with 19% respondents rating it “very good”; 22% indicated the piped water supplied to their home is “good”; and 25% described it as “average”. However, 14% of respondents indicated it is “poor”; 11% indicated it is “very poor”; while 6% of respondents stated they “do not get piped water at my home”. In addition, 3% of respondents failed to give a clear reply. To sum up, 41% Indian households surveyed rate the quality of piped water they get from the local body as good.

The new survey shows that the percentage of citizens who rated piped water quality as good has dipped from 44% in 2023 to 41% now. In 2022, the percentage of Indian households who rated the quality of piped water from the local body as good was only 34%.

Percentage of citizens who rated piped water quality as good dipped from 44% to 41% in the last 12 months

In summary, the survey brings to fore the fact that the government schemes are likely unable to deliver the desired results on piped potable water as only 4% Indian households surveyed are getting drinkable quality water from their local body and 60% are using some kind of modern filtration mechanism to make the water received drinkable or use for cooking. As compared to previous two years, the new survey shows that the percentage of Indian households who said they get drinkable quality water from their local body shows only marginal improvement as it has risen from 2% in 2022, 3% in 2023 to 4% in 2024. The new survey has also revealed that the percentage of citizens who rated piped water quality as good has dipped from 44% in 2023 to 41% now, which is a poor reflection of how the local administration works. The focus on supply of good quality piped water to homes is as piped water connection, which as the survey reveals is not reaching 6% of households surveyed. In keeping with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the government’s commitment, there can be no compromise on the drinking water supply to homes as it adds to the disease burden in the country and takes the toll of innumerable lives.

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