Action plan for water supply to all villages

By T.V. Sivanandan

GULBARGA, JUNE 8. The Centre has prepared a Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP) at an estimated cost of Rs. 11,950 crores with an equal contribution from the State Governments and Union Territories for achieving the goal of providing drinking water facilities to all villages in five years.

Official sources told The Hindu here on Friday that the Centre had prepared the plan based on individual action plans prepared by State Governments and Union Territories indicating the requirements of funds to cover all villages under the drinking water supply network.

The sources said the Government estimated that it would require about Rs. 44,000 crores, inclusive of both Central and State Governments' share, for providing drinking water supply to all villages.

At present, of 14,22,664 habitations in the country, 23,282 habitations are not covered by any drinking water schemes while 1,87,139 habitations have been partially covered. Only 12,12,243 habitations have been fully covered by the drinking water supply schemes in the country.

The plan proposes to bring all uncovered and partially-covered habitations under the drinking water network.

Sources said only in 10 States and Union Territories all habitations had been covered partially or fully under the drinking water supply schemes. The States and Union Territories where all habitations have been covered under the drinking water supply schemes included Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Chandigarh, Mizoram, Sikkim, Daman and Diu, and Lakshadweep. The highest number of 7,442 habitations which had remained uncovered in the drinking water supply schemes was in Rajasthan followed by 2,445 in Maharashtra, 2,348 in Jammu and Kashmir. In Karnataka, there were 39 habitations which had not been covered by water schemes.

The Centre had adopted a three-pronged strategy to achieve the objective of providing drinking water facilities to all rural habitations in the next five years. This included the acceleration of coverage of remaining not covered and partially- covered habitations with safe drinking water system, tackle the problem of water quality in affected habitations and institutionalise water quality monitoring and surveillance systems, and to promote sustainability both of systems and sources to ensure safe drinking water.

Another area of concern for the Government was the depletion of groundwater and falling quality of drinking water in many areas. About 2,17,000 rural habitations did not have good quality drinking water till April 1999. This figure was based on the updated statistics based on just 1 per cent stratified random sample survey conducted in the past. The State Governments are carrying out 5 to 10 per cent stratified random sample survey.

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