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5.5.1 In line with the National Agenda for 5.5.4 The following priorities will be set for
Governance, safe drinking water is to be provided achieving the objective of providing safe drinking
in accordance with the stipulated norms on a water supply to all rural habitations:
sustainable basis to all habitations by March 2004.
This is also one of the monitorable targets in the i. Highest priority to be given to ensuring that
Approach Paper for the Tenth Plan. the not covered habitations are provided
with sustainable and stipulated supply of
5.5.2 The 54 th round of National Sample drinking water.
Survey (July 1999) on drinking water, sanitation
and hygiene in India provides data relating to ii. It will be equally important to ensure that
source, quality etc. of drinking water, and all the partially covered habitations having
conditions of sanitation and hygiene of a supply level of less than 10 litres per
households. This data was collected in the first capita per day (lpcd) and those habitations
half of 1998. Around 50 per cent of rural facing a severe water quality problem are
households were served by a tubewell/hand fully covered with safe drinking water
pump, 26 per cent by a well, and 19 per cent by facilities on a sustainable basis.
tap. Only about 31 per cent of rural households
reported having their source of water within their
iii. Thereafter, other partially covered and
premises, the rest had to go out to fetch their
quality affected habitations are to be
drinking water. About 60 per cent did not have to
covered.
go beyond 0.2 km for this. Seasonal disruption
of supply was common, especially in the summer
months. Households still depended on iv. Once drinking water supply facility is
supplementary sources, especially where provided to all rural habitations as per the
tubewell or handpump was the main source. existing data by 2004, the remaining period
Practices of filtering or boiling water before of the Tenth Plan would be utilised for
drinking were almost non-existent. consolidation. This will involve covering
newly emerged habitations and those
5.5.3 States have reported that more than 95 which have slipped back to partially
per cent coverage has been achieved. However, covered or not covered status due to a
reliable data on the ground reality of rural water variety of reasons.
supply is lacking. A re-assessment survey of rural
habitations has become necessary and the data v. Simultaneous action is needed to identify
should be updated periodically through a Return and tackle habitations where water quality
Filing system whereby each panchayati raj problems have emerged recently.
institution (PRI) will report on the status of these
services in its area. Random sampling will need vi. It should be ensured that scheduled caste/
to be done to validate this. In view of the scheduled tribe (SC/ST) population and
importance of basic data, however, Central other poor and weaker sections are
assistance for PRIs and urban local bodies covered fully on a priority basis. A
(ULBs) could be made conditional on a Return systematic survey of all such identified
Filing system being established. habitations will be undertaken.
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5.5.5 The stipulated norms of supply would be supply programmes at the ground level. However,
40 lpcd of safe drinking water within a walking the financial and administrative authority has not
distance of 1.6 km or elevation difference of 100 been devolved to PRIs to the extent needed.
metres in hilly areas, to be relaxed as per field
conditions applicable to arid, semi-arid and hilly 5.5.10 Emphasis must be laid on the participation
areas. At least one handpump/spot-source for every of stakeholders at all levels, from planning, design
250 persons is to be provided. Additional water is and location to implementation and management.
to be provided in the Desert Development Presently, water supply projects are designed and
Programme (DDP) areas for cattle , based on the executed by the implementing departments and
cattle population. The water requirements for cattle passed on to the end-users. Experience has shown
need not necessarily be met through piped water that panchayats are unwilling to shoulder the
supply and could be made through rain-water responsibility for operating and maintaining these
harvesting structures/spot sources. projects. On the other hand, the State Governments
do not have an effective machinery at the village
5.5.6 In the states where 40 lpcd has been level to maintain the assets.
achieved in all habitations, the next step is to raise
the level of availability to 55 lpcd. Population/ 5.5.11 This calls for a radical change in the
distance/elevation norms for coverage may also be management system. Rather than being supply-
liberalised during the Tenth Plan for states which driven, the decisions relating to installation of water
have achieved full coverage as per the existing supply schemes, should be based on the level of
norms, subject to cost sharing by the beneficiaries. local demand and capabilities to meet the
responsibility for operation and maintenance. These
DECENTRALISATION OF RURAL WATER decisions should take into account user preferences
SUPPLY such as preference for shared hand-pumps or stand
posts versus household connections, and other
5.5.7 Though planning for rural water supply is related issues which will emerge when people are
made at the Central and State levels, responsibility taken into confidence and consulted. People should
for proper implementation has to be borne at the be aware of the technologies, and O & M costs
local level, by the PRIs, with the help of involved in every available option, and given the
organisations of the users. facility to make their own choice, while a
simultaneous exercise in capacity-building is carried
5.5.8 Under Article 243G of the Constitution, the out. Peoples participation at all stages of the project
State legislatures may, by law, endow the implementation is likely to help tackle the problem
panchayats with the powers and authority necessary of sub-standard materials, poor workmanship and
to enable them to function as institutions of self- inadequate maintenance.
government. Further, such law may contain
provisions for the devolution of powers and 5.5.12 Besides, PRIs should meet part of the
responsibilities with respect to: expenditure on the project. Being institutions of local
self-governance, PRIs should be strengthened and
(a) The preparation of plans for economic entrusted with all activities relating to water supply,
development and social justice. sanitation, hygiene and nutrition. Various
(b) The implementation of schemes for development functions may be handled by the single
economic development and social justice institution of the gram panchayat, as this will
as may be entrusted to them, including increase the possibility of convergent planning and
those relating to matters in the Eleventh delivery of services.
Schedule, which include drinking water and
maintenance of community assets. 5.5.13 The participatory approach, which is a part
of the sector reform programme, must be seriously
5.5.9 As such, PRIs should be the key addressed in the Tenth Plan. However, while part
institutions for the convergence of drinking water of the project costs should progressively be borne
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RURAL WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION
by the beneficiary community, the major source of 5.5.16 As part of the integrated water
funding for rural water supply schemes has to be management approach, traditional sources of water
the budgets of the Central and State Governments. shall be identified, strengthened and developed with
The provision of adequate support under Plan community involvement. Rehabilitating the existing
provisions has to continue till all rural habitations village tanks, creating detention basins by storing
are provided with a satisfactory and sustainable rain water in local depressions, abandoned mines/
water supply arrangement. quarries etc. for water harvesting needs to be
encouraged for the development of water resources.
INTEGRATED WATER MANAGEMENT IN RURAL In view of the higher efficiency of micro-watershed
AREAS areas for water conservation, small dams should
be built, wherever a suitable site is available. To
5.5.14 The three major and widely prevalent avoid evaporation losses from such small storages,
problems in sustainable supply of drinking water underground siphon systems which conserve water
scarcity, brackishness and excess fluoride content and recharge the aquifer should be used. As a
are manifested mainly in the low rainfall and high general principle, open storage should be avoided
potential evaporation areas. An integrated water and closed contour trenches should be developed
management approach is, therefore, necessary to as water harvesting structures in order to reduce
solve these problems. Water harvesting and evaporation losses which , at times, are as high as
conservation measures in a watershed as a natural 30 per cent of the total storage.
physiographic unit, with emphasis on direct or
indirect artificial recharge of aquifers by utilising 5.5.17 The cropping pattern in drought-prone
surplus run off water, can lead to a simultaneous areas should be sensitive to local constraints with
mitigation of all three problems. regard to availability of water. In areas where there
is shortage of water, farmers should be discouraged
5.5.15 Integrated water supply and sanitation from water-intensive cash crops. Agriculture bore-
programmes, with emphasis on conservation of wells should not be allowed to be deeper than
water, will be increasingly implemented during the drinking water bore-wells. Recycling of waste water
Tenth Plan. The implementing machinery in the and use of such water for crop cultivation, should
Centre and the states will require organisational be encouraged as a part of enhancing the
restructuring in order to work in a mission mode, productive use of water.
guided by the Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking
Water Mission Authority and its empowered INSTITUTIONAL FINANCE
committees. Micro watershed-based master
plans should be prepared to ensure the 5.5.18 Currently, rural water supply schemes are
sustainability of water sources by taking care of conceived as grant schemes. However, it is
demand and supply. The inputs of professional necessary to get institutional funding for this sector
institutions, non-government organisations in order to mobilise additional resources for
(NGOs) and community-based organisations implementation of projects. The role of financial
should be utilised in planning, development and institutions like the Housing and Urban Development
management. All possible measures must be Corporation (HUDCO), Life Insurance Corporation
taken for rain-water harvesting and ground water (LIC), Infrastructure Development Finance
recharging. Continuous monitoring of the sources Corporation (IDFC), ICICI etc. would be vital in this
is necessary, so that the habitations that are task and their potential should be tapped. However,
presently covered do not relapse into the category efforts should be made to meet a part of the project
of uncovered. Inter-departmental coordination at cost through recovery of user charges.
the block level needs be activated for this. Links
of water supply schemes with watershed OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
development programme should be made
stronger for greater sustainability of drinking 5.5.19 More than 3.5 million hand pumps and over
water sources. 100,000 piped water supply schemes have been
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TENTH FIVE YEAR PLAN 2002-07
installed in the country under the Rural Water Supply more appropriately by the Health Department which
Programme. The total estimated cost for operation should be provided with adequate funds for the task.
and maintenance (O&M) of this, at the present Routine analysis of water samples for their physico-
value, would be around Rs. 2,000 crore per year chemical and microbial quality should be undertaken
(10-15 per cent of the capital cost). A majority of and monitored at the state level by the Public Health
the schemes remain non-functional and many Department. Central assistance under the ARWSP
others become permanently defunct due to lack of shall be utilised for setting up stationary as well as
proper maintenance and repairs for want of funds. mobile water testing laboratories in all district
It is, therefore, necessary to give highest priority to headquarters.
O&M. Most states face resource problems and,
therefore, tend to neglect maintenance. Funds 5.5.22 The community has to be made conscious
under the Minimum Need Programme (MNP) and about water quality through health education and
the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme awareness campaigns and water testing kits shall
(ARWSP) are already available to meet some of be made available to a range of institutions,
the O&M costs. including schools and colleges and qualified NGOs
in the area.
5.5.20 Suitable institutional and funding
arrangements through community participation 5.5.23 All possible measures should be taken to
need to be evolved to get the installations working. remove the disparity in access to potable water
The problem of poor maintenance can best be across regions and socio-economic groups. A
tackled by decentralising O&M by making the system of random checks should be developed to
beneficiaries and panchayats stakeholders in the detect the poor quality of construction.
system. The responsibility of O&M should rest with
the panchayats, as already conceived in the sector 5.5.24 The choice of technology in case of
reform programme. Village Water Committees schemes related to water quality (detection of
should be actively involved in the maintenance of fluoride, iron, arsenic), shall be district/block specific.
drinking water supply schemes and a system of Further research is required to improve available
beneficiary participation introduced. Participation of technologies for treatment of chemically
village women and NGOs/voluntary organisations contaminated water, in terms of their simplification
should also be encouraged. The mechanism and and increased cost effectiveness.
the funds available under the Training of Rural Youth
for Self Employment (TRYSEM) programme should Water Supply and Rural Development
be used to impart training, so that trained manpower
can be mobilised locally for the maintenance of the 5.5.25 Rural water supply and sanitation
assets. Major repairs and replacement/rehabilitation facilities are vital elements in the overall
projects may be allowed as Plan schemes. programme for rural development. Other related
elements include infrastructural issues like land
WATER QUALITY MONITORING AND and watershed management, soil conservation,
SURVEILLANCE afforestation etc. and social issues like primary
health care, eradication of illiteracy, womens
5.5.21 In view of the increasing problem of water welfare, child nutrition, immunisation etc. It is
quality and the resultant health hazards, it is desirable that the thrust and implementation of
necessary to institutionalise water quality monitoring as many of these programmes as possible are
and surveillance systems. Water quality surveillance converged in order to provide for integrated rural
should be done by an independent organisation, development.
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Arsenic-contaminated habitations have been l In areas like remote islands, deserts and
identified in eight districts of West Bengal (North other inaccessible areas, where
24-Parganas, South 24-Parganas, Murshidabad, conventional energy sources are not
Malda, Nadia, Howrah, Hugli and Bardhaman), available or would be a costly proposition,
65 blocks, 757 muzas, 15 non-municipal outer one of the options to remove chemical
growth areas, and nine municipalities in an area contaminants from drinking water could
of approximately 40,000 sq. kms. About 200,000 be solar distillation through solar stills
people are actually affected and a population of at the household or community level.
5.3 million is estimated to be at risk. There are
22,000 public tubewells and 1,30,000 private l The solar still is a simple device to distill
tubewells in the affected areas. The range of water of its impurities. Larger solar stills
arsenic content varies from 0.055 to 3.20 are generally made of glass over a
milligram/litre (mg/l). formed sheet metal. But the base can be
made of any material that will hold up
Some of the options for providing arsenic-free outdoors. The most important elements
water to the affected rural population are: of the design are the sealing of the base
with black, high-temperature silicone
l Tapping a deeper third layer beyond 100-150 rubber. As sunlight warms the black
metres below ground level, which is found to silicone bottom and heat is transferred
be arsenic-free. to the water, the top layer of water
l Adopting arsenic removal technique through evaporates and covers inside of the glass
domestic filters, attached hand pumps and cover, which is tilted towards the
arsenic removal plants in piped water supply freshwater drain. Approximately, one sq.
schemes: meter of glass cover will distill around 4.5
litres of water per day with five hours of
i. Oxidation followed by coagulation and full sunlight. The capital cost of a solar
filtration a widely popular option; still with a one sq. mtr glass cover area
ii. Absorption, also widely adopted; would be around Rs. 4,000. With bulk
production, the costs may come down.
iii. Ion exchange; and
iv. Osmosis, which is yet to gain popularity. l Though the technology is appropriate for
the remote, inaccessible areas, the
l Utilizing surface water from rivers, lakes, device may become dysfunctional, if
ponds, which is normally free from arsenic sludge removal and cleaning is not done
contamination; regularly. Community awareness,
l Sanitary protected ring-wells tapping the motivation and participation would,
shallow aquifers. therefore, be a key to the success of the
technology. This technology could also
The Government of India introduced an Arsenic be used to meet the drinking water needs
Sub-mission in 1994 under the Rajiv Gandhi in schools.
National Drinking Water Mission to tackle the
arsenic problem in West Bengal on a 75:25 cost l More work is needed to develop cost-
sharing basis between the Centre and the State. effective models and propagate them.
A large number of projects with a total outlay of Leading scientific and technological
Rs. 372.70 crore have been sanctioned under institutions should be assigned the task
this Sub-mission. of developing solar still models.
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BOX : 5.5.3
WATER SUPPLY, SANITATION, AND HEALTH
Water, which is essential for life, growth and health, can also be a source of spread of disease and
cause of ill-health, if contaminated or improperly handled and stored. Safe drinking water and improved
sanitation play a major role in the overall well-being of the people, with a significant bearing on the infant
mortality rate, death rate, longevity and productivity.
The poor, both in rural and urban areas, bear a disproportionate burden of non-availability of water, as
well as of poor quality. They often supplement public sources of water with supplies obtained at high
prices from other sources. Women bear the physical burden of fetching water. Women and children are
particularly vulnerable to the effects of water contamination.
Water-Borne Diseases: 70-80 per cent of illnesses are related to water contamination and poor sanitation.
The national objectives of reducing morbidity and mortality largely depend on the reduction of diarrhoea
and jaundice. In fact, no water supply and sanitation programme can be successful if water-related
illnesses are not reduced. It is a matter of concern that despite the progress made with water supply, the
level of water-related sickness continues to be high.
Causes of contamination of water are indiscriminate use of chemical fertilisers and chemicals, poor
hygienic environment of the water sources, improper disposal of sewage and solid waste, pollution from
untreated industrial effluents, over-exploitation leading to quality degradation. Thus, the supply of
additional quantity of water by itself does not ensure good health; proper handling of water and prevention
of contamination are also equally important.
Among the most important elements of the rural sanitation package are:
Recent studies have shown the importance of washing ones hands with soap as it reduces diarrhoeal
disease by 43 per cent. Respiratory problems such as sniffles and coughs were also brought down by
45 per cent when hands were washed five times a day.
Safe sanitation practices should be made a compulsory part of school curricula, and of all programmes
where women are trained in community, economic and health issues affecting the household.
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