REPORT CHAPTER I INTRODUCTORY Water is the most essential requirement of human life. Water is crucial for agriculture, which is the primary source of livelihood for billions of people across the continents. Besides, water is intimately related to the issues of livelihood needs, food security, employment and poverty among the rural masses. Increasing demand for water is exerting severe pressure on the global environment, with many rivers, lakes and other water bodies getting polluted and high levels of discharge of industrial wastes and chemicals resulting in increased groundwater contamination and depletion. Clean and adequate supply of water is crucial to environmental stability, maintenance of ecosystems as well as to public health. 1.2 Besides, water is also necessary for the production of non polluting and sustainable energy, necessary for economic growth and development of a nation. However, water for basic needs such as drinking and sanitation purposes is the most fundamental need for the survival of human beings. Providing access to clean water and sanitation is also fundamental for alleviating poverty, hunger and malnutrition, reducing child mortality, increasing gender equality, providing opportunities for education as well as to promote environmental sustainability. Keeping in view the potential threats from lack of adequate quantity and quality of water, the United Nations has prioritised access to clean and safe water as one of its developmental goals. The specific target in this regard is to reduce to half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. In this regard, the UN launched the International Decade for Action ‘Water for Life’ from 2005-2015 to promote efforts to fulfill international commitments made on water related issues. 1.3 India is also among the 191 countries, who have given their commitment to Millennium Development Goals (MDG). To achieve this end, the Government of India is supplementing the efforts of the State Governments. The major initiatives taken by the Government to improve the quality of drinking water in rural areas are broadly as under: A. Efforts undertaken by the Department to improve drinking water Scenario in rural areas 1.4 Rural drinking water supply is one of the important subjects entrusted to the States as per the Indian Constitution. Therefore, the drinking water supply schemes are implemented by the respective State Governments. Besides, after the 73rd Constitutional (Amendment) Act, which provides constitutional status to the Panchayat Bodies, drinking water management in rural areas is to be handled by the PRIs as per the devolution principle. The Government of India provides support to the States in their efforts by providing financial assistance under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme viz. ARWSP with various components. B. Evolution of Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM) 1.5 A national water supply and sanitation programme was introduced in the social sector in the year 1954. Taking into account the magnitude of the problem and to accelerate the pace of coverage of problem villages, the Government of India introduced the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP) in 1972-73 to assist the States and the Union Territories with 100 per cent grants-in-aid to implement the schemes in such villages. The entire programme was given a Mission approach when the Technology Mission on Drinking Water Management, called the National Drinking Water Mission (NDWM) was introduced as one of the five Societal Missions in 1986. NDWM was renamed as Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM) in 1991. Presently, Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM) is functioning in the Ministry of Rural Development, Department of Drinking Water Supply. C. Other specific interventions made by the Department in the field of drinking water for rural areas (i) ARWSP a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for supplementing the efforts made by the States by providing financial and technical assistance in providing access to safe drinking water to all rural habitations in the country. Under ARWSP (Normal), the funding pattern is 50:50 between the Centre and the States. Under ARWSP (DDP areas), 100 percent grants in aid is provided to the concerned States. (ii) Bharat Nirman inter alia, which includes a component of drinking water supply, launched in 2005-06 to be implemented in four years, 2 from 2005–06 to 2008–09 for building rural infrastructure. During the Bharat Nirman period, under drinking water component, 55,067 uncovered habitations, about 3.31 lakh slipped-back habitations were to be covered and 2.17 lakh quality-affected habitations were to be addressed. (iii) Sector Reforms/Swajaladhara - under this programme up to 20 per cent of the total allocation under ARWSP was set aside to promote decentralised demand driven community managed rural water supply programme to bring in sustainability in the sector. However, as per revised principles in 2007-08, implementation of new rural water supply schemes under ARWSP on Swajaldhara principles is to be decided by the States and quantum of funds to be allocated for this purpose out of ARWSP funds as well as quantum of community contribution is left to the discretion of the States. (iv) Sub-missions for water quality:— Exclusive sub-missions had been constituted by Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM) for initiating both preventive and remedial measures for tackling water quality problems w.e.f. 1.4.1998. Powers were delegated to the States to plan, sanction and implement sub-mission projects. However, a policy change was introduced in February, 2006 wherein upto 20 per cent of ARWSP funds are retained at the Centre to provide focused funding to the quality affected States. (v) National Rural Drinking Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance Programme (NRDWQM&SP) — A community-based National Rural Drinking Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance Programme (NRDWQM&SP) has been launched in 2006 which aims at testing of all drinking water sources by the grass-root level workers in each Village Panchayat by simple-to-use field test kits and joint sanitary surveys. Under the programme, one field test kit would be provided to each Gram Panchayat in the country for this purpose. The positively tested samples would then be tested at the District/ State level laboratories for confirmation. The basic features of this programme is institutionalization of community participation and involvement of PRIs for monitoring and surveillance of all drinking water sources in the country, decentralization of water quality monitoring and surveillance, generation of awareness among the rural masses about the water quality issues and the problems related to water borne diseases, and building capacity of Panchayats to own the field test kit and take up full O&M responsibility for water quality monitoring of all drinking water sources in their 3 respective PRI area. For this programme, the Government of India provides 100 per cent financial assistance. As highlighted above, the Government of India has undertaken a number of initiatives to improve the scenario of drinking water in rural areas in the country. However, the ground position with regard to coverage of habitations in rural areas leave much to be desired, despite the sincere efforts made by the Department. To provide the safe drinking water to the masses in rural areas is one of the biggest challenges before the country. The detailed analysis of the various initiatives taken by the Government, the details of which have been given above has been done in the Report and various suggestions/ recommendations have accordingly been made for the effective implementation of ARWSP and other initiatives being taken in this regard. 4 CHAPTER II COVERAGE OF HABITATIONS A. Actual data regarding status of coverage of habitations with drinking water facilities As per the information provided by the Department, a habitation is identified as Not Covered (NC)/Partially Covered (PC)/Fully Covered (FC) on the basis of habitations which have a safe drinking water source point (either private, but accessible to all, or public) within 1.6 km in plains and 100 meter in hill areas. Systems, whose capacity range between 10 lpcd (litre per capita per day) to 40 lpcd, are categorized as Partially Covered (PC) and those having less than 10 lpcd are categorized as Not Covered (NC). Any habitation getting more than 40 lpcd is Fully Covered (FC). 2.2 At the instance of RGNDWM, a survey of all habitations was conducted in 1991, the results of which were consolidated in 1994 and a CAP (Comprehensive Action Plan) prepared for the country in 1999. The updated data of CAP 99 with regard to latest position of coverage of habitations as reported by States on 01.04.2005 is indicated below:— (As on 1.4.2005) Type of coverage Number of habitations Not Covered 4,588 Partially Covered 50,479 Fully Covered 13,67,216 Uninhabited/urbanized 381 Total 14,22,664 2.3 As illustrated by the Department, the updated data of CAP 99 is based on reports received from States/Union Territories on monthly basis and collected during review meetings from State Secretaries in charge of drinking water. On the basis of these reports, the Government had been claiming more than 90 per cent coverage of habitations with drinking water facilities for last few years. 5 2.4 However, the Committee in their previous Reports on Demands for Grants had been expressing apprehension about the claim of the Department to have achieved about 95 per cent coverage. Further, they insisted upon the Department to undertake detailed exercise to know about the actual ground position in this regard. The Department on the insistence of the Committee had initiated a Habitation survey in 2003, the results of which were to be revalidated by Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA). The process of revalidation took a long time and the results of the Survey were finally made available to the Committee in the year 2007 during examination of Demands for Grants (2007-08).