The standing committee report on the Ministry of Jal Shakti – Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has unearthed the harsh realities about the availability of clean water in rural India. According to the standing committee report, about 19,000 villages in the country is still using water contaminated with arsenic, fluoride, iron, nitrate and salinity etc., for drinking and cooking purposes, which may eventually cause serious health hazards. It pointed out that the efforts to provide clean water to the citizens have not achieved much success due to the paucity of funds, unnecessary delay in implementation of projects etc. The committee also found out that the effort to provide temporary relief to the affected villages have been proved ineffective. Assam leads among the states in terms of water sources being contaminated with iron and salinity, with as many as 6,749 villages facing problems regarding access to clean water source. Another north-eastern state, Tripura, has also featured in the list with 326 villages having no access to potable water. According to the report, nearly 8,840 villages in Rajasthan are affected by the presence of nitrate and salinity in water. While mentioning that relief measures like establishment of community water treatment plants are providing 10 liters of potable water per day to nearly 1000 villages for drinking and cooking purposes, the committee lauded the effort of the government in providing arsenic-free water to the people and urged it to take similar steps to deal with other metals contaminating the water. The committee also stressed the need to take immediate measures to ensure clean water supply to all through various means, including installation of water treatment plants and temporary relief via tankers.
There is no denying the fact that public health has been neglected in rural areas, while much emphasis has been given to improving facilities like drinking water, sanitation and other related matters in urban areas. This is why people in urban areas are having a smooth life, while those in villages are deprived of even basic facilities required for a healthy life. The situation has not changed much even after setting up of local bodies through decentralization to look into these matters. In order to realise the mission to provide clean drinking water and other basic facilities to the people of the country, adequate funds should be made available. In the meantime, local bodies should be held accountable if projects are not implemented on time. After all, the primary responsibility of a welfare state is to provide basic facilities to all citizens.
