water quality standards

WATER QUALITY STANDARDS

Dr. Vikas GuptaJunior Resident

Deptt. Of Community MedicinePGIMS, Rohtak

Next to air, water is a necessity of life. We cannot live without it for more than a few day, just as without air we cannot live for more than a few minutes. Therefore, as in case of air nature has provided us with ample amount of water. Drinking water must be pure…..

MAHATMA GANDHI.

Next to air, water is a necessity of life. We cannot live without it for more than a few day, just as without air we cannot live for more than a few minutes. Therefore, as in case of air nature has provided us with ample amount of water. Drinking water must be pure…..

MAHATMA GANDHI.

CONTENTS

• INTRODUCTION• PROBLEM STATEMENT: WORLD AND INDIA • FRAMEWORK FOR SAFE DRINKING WATER• GUIDELINE VALUES• PROGRAMMES FOR SAFE WATER

INTRODUCTION

• In 1981, 34th WHA in a resolution emphasized that safe drinking water is a basic element of “primary health” care which is a key to the attainment of “health for all”.

• A report prepared by the World Health Organization in cooperation with the World Bank showed that in 1975, some 1230 million people were without safe water supplies. These appalling facts were central to the United Nations decision to declare an International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation decade, beginning in 1981.

• Further, the VI Five-Year Plan of India(1980-85) had made a special provision for availability of safe Drinking water for the masses. Therefore, the standard was prepared with the objective of assessing the quality of water resources, and to check the effectiveness of water treatment and supply by the concerned authorities.

• Routine surveillance of drinking water supplies must be carried out by the relevant authorities to understand the risk of specific pathogens and to define proper control procedures.

• Precautions/care should be taken to prevent contamination of drinking water from chlorine resistant parasites such as cryptosporidium species and giardia.

INTRODUCTION

SAFE WATER

• Free from pathogenic agents and harmful chemical substances and excessive amount of minerals which could produce undesirable physiological effects,

• Pleasant to the taste i.e. free from colour and odour and

• Usable for domestic purposes.

POTABLE/WHOLESOME WATER

Further, the VI Five-Year Plan of India(1980-85) had made a special provision for availability of safe Drinking water for the masses. Therefore, the standard was prepared with the objective of assessing the quality of water resources, and to check the effectiveness of water treatment and supply by the concerned authorities.

Safe water pleasant to taste, odour, colourless, and does not stain clothes and utensils.

A per capita availability of less than 1700 cubic metres (m3) per year is termed as a water-stressed condition while per capita availability below 1000 (m3) per year is termed as a water scarcity condition.

WATER REQUIREMENT (a) physiological (b) domestic

Rural≥40Lpcd,

source should be - 1.6 Km and <100 m

elevation difference in

hilly area

1 hand pump/250

persons+ 30L additional water in

DDP(desert developmant programme)

for cattle

Urban piped supply

without sewerage – 70

Lpcd

piped supply with sewerage

– 135Lpcd

metropolitan – 150 Lpcd

public stand post- 40Lpcd

WATER REQUIREMENT(40Lpcd)

3L• Drinking

5L• Cooking

7L• Washing utensils/ house

15L• Bathing

10L• Ablution/ toilets

Distribution of Global Water

Domestic use 8%

Industrial use 22%

Agricultural use 70%

Domestic use 8%

Industrial use 10%


Domestic use 11%


Industrial use59%

Water use Worldwide

WORLD AND INDIA PROBLEM STATEMENT

Disease burden from water pollution

Water-associated infectious diseases claim up to 32 lac lives each year, approximately 6% of all deaths globally and the loss of greater than 750 lac healthy life years.

The lack of adequate sanitation and safe water has significant negative health impacts including diarrhoea, referred to by travellers as the "Delhi Belly" and experienced by about 1 crore visitors annually.

ESTIMATED BURDEN OF DIARRHOEA IN DALY’s

AFRICA

THE AMERICAS

EASTERN M

EDITERANEAN

EUROPE

SOUTH EAST

ASIAN REGIO

N

WEST PACIFI

C REGION

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

35000 DALYs (000s) by diarhoeal disease in WHO Regions, estimates for 2004

Diarrhoeal diseases in India: Estimated DALYs lost DALY: Disability-Adjusted Life-Year

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHOLERA AND ENTERIC DISEASES, KOLKATA

Millennium development goal

• •

• GOAL 7 : Ensure

environment stability.

TARGET 7.C : Halve the proportion of people without sustainable

access to safe drinking water and basic

sanitation by 2015 .

INDICATOR 7.8 : Proportion of

population with sustainable access to an improved water source in urban and

rural.

• Over the past 21 years, > 210 crore people gained access to improved drinking water sources since 1990, exceeding the MDG target.

• The proportion of the global population using improved sources reached 89% in 2010, up from 76% in 1990.

• Drinking water coverage has increased in all regions except the Caucasus and Central Asia. There, coverage rates dropped from 89% in 1990 to 86%in 2011.

• Despite unprecedented progress, 76.8 crore people still drew water from an unimproved source in 2011.


• 83% of the population without access to an improved drinking water source (63.6 crore) live in rural areas.

• 38% of the 620 crore people globally using an improved drinking water source do not enjoy the convenience and associated health and economic benefits of piped drinking water at home.

• It is encouraging to note that the share of people relying on untreated surface water as their main drinking water source dropped from 6% in 1990 to 3% in 2011.

• Still, over 18 crore people rely on rivers, streams, ponds or lakes to meet their daily drinking water needs.


Current water situation of World

Current Situation: >10% of the world's population do not have access to safe drinking water.

40% do not have sufficient water for adequate living and hygiene.

By 2050, water scarcity will affect 200 to 700 crore people out of total 930 crore.

Disease burden from water pollution

India with 16% of the world's population has only 4% of the fresh water resources.

Per capita availability of fresh water in India has dropped from 1816 cubic meters 2001 census,was to 1545 cubic meters as per the 2011 census and is estimated that it will be 833 in 2025 and 899 in 2050

Current water situation in India

Household’s source of waterSource Percentage of population

Piped drinking water 39-42% Rural 28% Urban 71%

Handpumps 39-42% Rural 47.3% Urban 20.8%

Wells 19%

Surface water 3%


In many rural areas, women still have to walk a distance of about 2.5 kms to reach the source of water.

On an average, a rural woman walks more than 14000 km a year just to fetch water. Water source being open dug well, the quality of water is poor; dirty, saline and has turbidity.


FRAMEWORK FOR SAFE DRINKING WATER

Framework for Safe Drinking Water: Requirements

Health-based targets

System assessment

Operational monitoring

Management plan and

monitoring plans - describing

actions to be taken in normal operation and

incident conditions

A system of independent surveillance

Types of health-based targets

• Measures reduction in detected disease incidence or prevalence.

• Microbial or chemical hazards with high measurable disease burden largely water associated. For eg. Flouride.

Health outcome targets

• Established for individual drinking-water constituents that represent a health risk from long-term exposure and where fluctuations in concentration are small or occur over long periods.

• Expressed as guideline values (concentrations) of the substances or chemicals of concern.

Water quality targets (WQTs)

Types of health-based targets

Performance targets

Specified technology

targets

What is Water safety plans?

It comprises of the three essential actions that are the responsibility of the drinking-water supplier in order to ensure that drinking-water is safe.

System assessment.

Effective operational monitoring; and

Management

Water safety plans The primary objectives of a WSP in ensuring good drinking-water supply practice are :

Minimization of contamination of

source waters.

Reduction or removal of

contamination through treatment

processes.

Prevention of contamination during storage, distribution and

handling of drinking-water.

Guided by health-based targets and overseen through drinking-water supply surveillance.

System assessment and design

1.• Multidisciplinary team of experts with a thorough understanding of the drinking

water system.

2.• For eg. engineers, catchment & water managers, water quality specialists,

environmental or public health or hygienist professionals, operational staff and representatives of consumers.

3.

• Provides an overview description of the drinking-water system, including characterization of the source, identification of potential pollution sources in the catchment, measures for resource and source protection, treatment processes, storage and distribution infrastructure.

Operational monitoring

Objectives of operational monitoring are : 1. For the drinking-water supplier to monitor each control measure in a timely manner to enable effective system management and 2. To ensure that health-based targets are achieved.

Parameters used in operational monitoring

• Turbidity• UV absorbency• Algal growth• Flow and retention time• Colour, conductivity and local meteorological events

For source waters

• Disinfectant concentration and contact time• UV intensity• pH• Light absorbency• Membrane integrity• Turbidity and Colour

For treatment

• Chlorine residual monitoring -- A sudden disappearance of an otherwise stable residual can indicate ingress of contamination.

• Faecal indicator bacteria • Pressure measurement and turbidity are also useful in operational

monitoring.

In piped distribution

systems

Management procedures

• Effective management implies definition of actions to be taken in response to variations that occur during normal operational conditions; of actions to be taken in specific incident situations where a loss of control of the system may occur; and of procedures to be followed in unforeseen and emergency situations.

• Management procedures should be documented alongside system assessment, monitoring plans, supporting program and communication required to ensure safe operation of the system.

Water quality Surveillance

• “The continuous and vigilant public health assessment and review of the safety and acceptability of drinking-water supplies”

(WHO, 1976).

• Done by independent agency (state public health department).

• Investigates the activity and identifies the corrective or preventive measures and gives feedback to water supplying agency.

• This surveillance contributes to the protection of public health by promoting improvement of the quality, quantity, accessibility, coverage, affordability and continuity of water supplies (known as service indicators).

• Complementary to the quality control function.

Effective surveillance includes:

Regular testing of residual chlorine at

consumer level.

Regular collection of water samples

and testing of water samples for

E. coli or thermotolerant

bacteria and coliform count.

Regular interaction with supplying

agency.

Monitor water borne diseases for

early warning.

Contd.

Monitor outbreaks of water borne

diseases

Sanitary inspection.

Education of safe water to

people

Training of community members

and PRI for home and

well chlorination.

Intersectoral coordination

.

Effective surveillance contd.

• On-site inspection and evaluation by qualified individuals of all conditions, devices, and practices in the water supply system that pose an actual danger to the health and well being of the consumers.

Sanitary inspection

• Minimum level of analysis should include:• Testing for indicators for faecal pollution.• Turbidity• Chlorine (residual)• pH

Water sampling

and analysis


• For establishing a baseline status in the country,

1. It is suggested that all district and sub-district level water quality testing laboratories conduct drinking water quality

analysis once each in pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons in a year for chemical parameters and bacteriological

2. And then subsequently monitor only those parameters which are found to be present or the concentrations nearing

the desirable limits.


Location of sampling points

• Representative of the different sources from which water is obtained by the public or enters the system.

• Representative of the conditions at the most unfavourable sourcesThere

are about 50 lakh reported public drinking water sources in the country.

• Considering many unreported and/or private sources, the total number of drinking water exceed 60 lakh.

• If these are to be tested twice in a year (for bacteriological analysis) and once a year (Pre-monsoon) for chemical analysis, 120 lakh water samples have to be tested in the country in a year.

• As reported by States, about 1,869 district and sub-district water testing laboratories (including labs other than PHED labs) exist in the country, though many of them are still not fully functional.

• If all such laboratories are made fully functional and considering a capacity of 3,000 samples to be tested in a year per laboratory, the number of sources that could be tested in a year would be 3,000x 1869 = 56 lakh samples i.e. about 50%.

• Under National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP), provision for setting up new sub-district level laboratories has been made to bridge the gap.

• Further, the decentralized Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance Programme started in the year 2005-06 envisages indicative testing of all drinking water sources (both public and private) using simple field test kits and only positively tested samples to be referred to District and Sub-district water testing laboratories for confirmation.


Sampling frequency in piped water system

POPULATION SERVED No. OF MONTHLY SAMPLES

<5000 1

5000-100,000 1/5000 population

>100,000- 500,000 1/10,000 population +10 additional samples

>500,000 1/10,000 population +50 additional samples

Analytic Test Method of sample collection

For General Analysis • 2 litre (non-acidified).• Collected in clean glass stoppered bottles–

WINCHESTER QUART BOTTLES.• Rinse three times with water before filling.• Stored at low temperature(40C)

For Bacteriological Analysis • 250 ml in sterilized bottles.• Add sodium thiosulphate, if sample

contains chlorine.• Should not be opened before filling.• Collect sample.• Examine or keep in ice until analyzed.• Iced sample should be analysed within 48

hrs after collection.

For Metals Analysis 1000 ml acidified sample for metal analysis.

WINCHESTER QUART BOTTLES

• The State level laboratory shall concentrate on analysis of specific parameters of local importance like :

1. pesticides, toxic substances,

2. bacteriological and virological parameters, Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH), Poly Chlorinated Biphenyls (PCB),

3. Disinfection bi-products like Tri Chloro Methanes (TCM), etc.


Water quality control

• To ensure that water services meet agreed national standards & institutional targets.

• To provide valuable information:1. Quality of source of water.2. Efficiency of treatment and water quality

variables.3. Natural and seasonal variations.4. Identifies need for taking remedial action.

GUIDELINE VALUES

Water quality – criteria and standards

1.• Acceptability aspects includes: PHYSICAL PARAMETERS AND

INORGANIC CONSTITUENTS

2.

• Microbiological aspects includes:• A. Bacteriological indicators (1) Coliform organisms (2) Faecal streptococci

(3) Cl. Perfringes• B. Virological aspects• C. Biological aspects

3. • Chemical aspects

4. • Radiological aspects

WATER QUALITY STANDARDIndian Standard

Drinking Water - SpecificationIS 10500 : 2012(Second Rivision)

Colour, Hazen UnitsIS 10500-2012 Desirable : 5 Hz. , Permissible : 15 Hz.

Risks or effects Visible tint, acceptance decreases

Sources Tannins, Iron, Copper, ManganeseNatural deposits

Treatment Filtration, Distillation, Reverse osmosis, Ozonisation

OdourIS 10500-2012 Unobjectionable

Risks or effects Rotten egg, Musty, Chemical

Sources Chlorine, Hydrogen sulphide, Organic matter, Septic contamination, Methane gas

Treatment Activated carbon, Air stripping, oxidation, Filtration

TurbidityIS 10500-2012 Desirable: 1NTU, Permissible : 5NTU

Risks or effects Interfere with Disinfection

Sources Due to particulate matter

Treatment Activated carbon, Air stripping, oxidation, Filtration

pH

IS 10500- 2012

Desirable :6.5 – 8.5, Permissible :6.5 – 8.5

Risks or effects

Low pH - corrosion, metallic tasteHigh pH – bitter/soda taste, deposits

Sources Natural

TreatmentIncrease pH by soda ashDecrease pH with white vinegar / citric acid

Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)IS 10500-2012 Desirable : 500 mg/l , Permissible : 2000 mg/l

Risks or effects Hardness, scaly deposits, sediment, cloudy colored water, staining, salty or bitter taste, corrosion of pipes and fittings

Sources

Livestock waste, septic system Landfills, nature of soil Hazardous waste landfills Dissolved minerals, iron and manganese

Treatment Reverse Osmosis, Distillation, deionization by ion exchange

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HardnessIS 10500-2012 Desirable :200 mg/l , Permissible : 600 mg/l

Risks or effects Scale in utensils and hot water system, soap scums

Sources Dissolved calcium and magnesium from soil and aquifer minerals containing limestone or dolomite

Treatment Water Softener Ion Exchanger , Reverse Osmosis

Top Five Salinity Affected States

Alkalinity IS 10500-2012 Desirable : 200 mg/l , Permissible : 600 mg/lit

Risks or effects

Low Alkalinity (i.e. high acidity) causes deterioration of plumbing and increases the chance for many heavy metals in water are present in pipes, solder or plumbing fixtures.

Sources Pipes, landfills Hazardous waste landfills

Treatment Neutralizing agent

IronIS 10500-2012 Desirable : 0.3 mg/l , Permissible : 0.3 mg/l

Risks or effects Brackish color, rusty sediment, bitter or metallic taste, brown-green stains, iron bacteria, discolored beverages

Sources Leaching of cast iron pipes in water distribution systems Natural

Treatment Oxidizing Filter , Green-sand Mechanical Filter

Top five Iron Affected States

ManganeseIS 10500-2012 Desirable : 0.1 mg/l , Permissible : 0.3 mg/l

Risks or effectsBrownish color, black stains on laundry and fixtures at .2 mg/l, bitter taste, altered taste of water-mixed beverages

Sources Landfills Deposits in rock and soil

Treatment Ion Exchange , Chlorination, Oxidizing Filter , Green-sand Mechanical Filter

SulphateIS 10500-2012 Desirable : 200 mg/l, Permissible : 400 mg/l

Risks or effectsBitter, medicinal taste, scaly deposits, corrosion, laxative effects, "rotten-egg" odour from hydrogen sulphide gas formation

Sources Animal sewage, septic system, sewage By-product of coal mining, industrial waste Natural deposits or salt

Sulphate Treatment Ion Exchange , Distillation , Reverse Osmosis

NitrateIS 10500-2012 Desirable : 45 mg/l, Permissible : 45 mg/litRisks or effects Methemoglobinemia or blue baby disease in infants

Sources

Livestock facilities, septic systems, manure lagoons, Household waste water, Fertilizers,Natural Deposits,

Treatment Ion Exchange, Distillation, Reverse Osmosis

Top Five Nitrate affected States

ChlorideIS 10500-2012 Desirable : 250 mg/l , Permissible : 1000 mg/l

Risks or effects High blood pressure, salty taste, corroded pipes, fixtures and appliances, blackening and pitting of stainless steel

SourcesFertilizersIndustrial wastes Minerals, seawater

Treatment Reverse Osmosis , Distillation, Activated Carbon

Cl

Fluoride

IS 10500-2012 Desirable : 1.0 mg/l, Permissible : 1.5 mg/l

Risks or effects Brownish discoloration of teeth, bone damage

Sources Industrial waste Geological

Treatment Activated Alumina, Distillation, Reverse Osmosis, Ion Exchange

Fluorosis

Top Five Fluoride affected states

ArsenicIS:10500-2012 Desirable: 0.01 mg/l Permissible: 0.05mg/l

Risks or effects Weight loss; Depression; Lack of energy; Skin and nervous system toxicity

Sources

Previously used in pesticides (orchards)Improper waste disposal or product storage of glass or electronics, Mining Rocks

Treatment Activated Alumina Filtration, Reverse Osmosis, Distillation, Chemical Precipitation, Ion exchange, lime softening

Top five Arsenic affected States

ChromiumIS 10500-2012 Desirable : 0.05 mg/l, Permissible : 0.05 mg/l

Risks or effects

Skin irritation, skin and nasal ulcers, lung tumors, gastrointestinal effects, damage to the nervous system and circulatory system, accumulates in the spleen, bones, kidney and liver

SourcesSeptic systems Industrial discharge, mining sites Geological

Treatment Ion Exchange, Reverse Osmosis, Distillation

Copper

IS 10500-2012 Desirable : 0.05 mg/l, Permissible : 1.5 mg/l

Risks or effectsAnemia, digestive disturbances, liver and kidney damage, gastrointestinal irritations, bitter or metallic taste; Blue-green stains on plumbing fixtures

Sources

Leaching from copper water pipes and tubing, algae treatment Industrial and mining waste, wood preservatives Natural deposits

Treatment Ion Exchange, Reverse Osmosis, Distillation

CyanideIS 10500-2012 Desirable : 0.05 mg/l, Permissible : 0.05 mg/l

Risks or effects Thyroid, nervous system damage

Sources Fertilizer Electronics, steel, plastics mining

Treatment Ion Exchange, Reverse Osmosis, Chlorination

LeadIS 10500-2012 Desirable : 0.01 mg/l, Permissible : 0.01 mg/l

Risks or effectsReduces mental capacity (mental retardation), interference with kidney and neurological functions, hearing loss, blood disorders, hypertension, death at high levels

SourcesPaint, diesel fuel combustionPipes and solder, discarded batteries, paint, leaded gasolineNatural deposits

Treatment Ion Exchange, Activated Carbon , Reverse Osmosis, Distillation

Brain Nerve Damage

Hearing Problems

Digestive Issues

Stunted Growth

MercuryIS 10500-2012 Desirable : 0.001 mg/l, Permissible : 0.001 mg/l

Risks or effects Loss of vision and hearing, intellectual deterioration, kidney and nervous system disorders, death at high levels

Sources

Fungicides Batteries, fungicides Mining, electrical equipment, plant, paper and vinyl chloride Natural deposits

Treatment Reverse Osmosis, Distillation

ZincIS 10500-2012 Desirable :5 mg/l, Permissible : 15 mg/l

Risks or effects Metallic taste

Sources Leaching of galvanized pipes and fittings, paints, dyes Natural deposits

Treatment Ion Exchange Water Softeners, Reverse Osmosis, Distillation

Total Coliform BacteriaIS 10500-2012 Nil in 100ml sample

Risks or effects Gastrointestinal illness

SourcesLivestock facilities, septic systems, manure lagoons Household waste waterNaturally occurring

Treatment Chlorination , Ultraviolet, Distillation, Iodination

E.coliform BacteriaIS 10500-2012 Nil / 100ml




Total Coliform Bacteria andE.coliform Bacteria

IS 10500-2012

E.Coliform or Thermotolerant BacteriaNil / 100ml(Drinking Water, Water entering distribution System, Distribution System)Total coliform bacteriaNil / 100ml(Drinking Water, Water entering distribution System, Distribution SystemIn case of large supplies, where sufficient samples are examined, must not be present in 95% of any samples taken throughout 12mths period.)




Radioactive Susbstance(α and β activity)IS 10500-2012 0.5Bq/l and 1.0Bq/l respectively

Risks or effects Mutations, Cancers

Top five polluted water bodies and BOD

Constituents ORGANIC CONSTITUENTS

Max limit (μg/L)

Carbon tetrachloride 2

Dichloromethane 20

Vinyl chloride 55

1.1-dichloroethane 30

1.2-dichloroethane 50

Benzene 10

Toluene 700

Xylenes 500

Ethyl benzene 300

Styrene 20

Benzolalpyrene 0.7

AROMATIC HYDROCARBON

Aldrin 0.03

Chlordane 0.2

DDT 2

2,4-D 30

Heptachlor 0.03

Hexachlorbenzene 1

Lindane 2

Methoxychlor 20

Pentachlorophenol 9

Top five water Quality affected states

PROGRAMMES FOR SAFE WATER

Drinking Water Supply Programs & Policies at a Glance

• 1949 The Environment Hygiene Committee (1949) recommends the provision of safe water supply to cover 90 per cent of India’s population in a timeframe of 40 years.

• 1950 The Constitution of India confers ownership of all water resources to the government, specifying it as a state subject, giving citizens the right to potable water.

• 1969 National Rural Drinking Water Supply program launched with technical support from UNICEF and Rs.254.90 crore is spent during this phase, with 1.2 million bore wells being dug and 17,000 piped water supply schemes being provided.

• 1972-73 Introduction of the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Program (ARWSP) by the Government of India to assist states and union territories to accelerate the pace of coverage of drinking water supply.


• 1981 India as a party to the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (1981-1990) declaration sets up a national level Apex Committee to define policies to achieve the goal of providing safe water to all villages.

• 1986 The National Drinking Water Mission (NDWM) is formed.

• 1987 Drafting of the first National Water Policy by the Ministry of Water Resources.

• 1991 NDWM is renamed the Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission(RGNDWM).

• 1994 The 73rd Constitutional Amendment assigns Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) the responsibility of providing drinking water.


Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM)

• The focus of the Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM) was to adopt a community-based demand-driven approach instead of the hitherto government forced supply driven approach.

• In doing so, the projects under RGNDWM are basically community participation oriented in nature – with a part (minimum of 10% of the proposal) of the capital cost required to be borne by the community themselves.

• The balance amount is contributed by the Government of India.


• The Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM) had set a target of extending access to safe drinking water for 100 percent of the rural population by 2007.

• Although this target has not been fully achieved, the expansion of coverage attained during the 1990s, as reflected in the Census data, shows the objective of 100 percent safe water access should not be difficult to achieve in the next five years or so.

• Indeed, the Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-08 to 2011- 12) foresees the provision of safe drinking water to all rural habitations.

Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM)


• 1999 For ensuring sustainability of the systems, steps are initiated to institutionalize community participation in the implementation of rural drinking water supply schemes through sector reform.

• Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) as a part of reform principles initiated in 1999 to ensure sanitation facilities in rural areas with broader goal to eradicate the practice of open defecation. As part of the program, a nominal subsidy in the form of incentive is given to rural poor households for construction of toilets.

• TSC gives strong emphasis on Information, Education and Communication, Capacity Building and Hygiene Education for effective behavior change with involvement of PRIs and NGOs.



• 2002 Nationwide scaling up of sector reform in the form of Swajaldhara. The National Water Policy is revised, according priority to serving villages that did not have adequate sources of safe water and to improve the level of service for villages classified as only partially covered.

• India commits to the Millennium Development Goals to halve by 2015, from 1990 levels, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

• 2004 All drinking water programs are brought under the umbrella of the RGNDWM.


• 2005 The Government of India launches the Bharat Nirman Program for overall development of rural areas by strengthening housing, roads, electricity, telephone, irrigation and drinking water infrastructure.

• The target is to provide drinking water to 55,069 uncovered habitations; those affected by poor water quality and slipped back habitations based on 2003 survey, within five years.



• 2007 Pattern of funding under the Swajaldhara Scheme changes from the previous 90:10 central-community share to 50:50 centre-state share. Community contribution is now optional.

• The approach paper for the 11th Five Year Plan calls for a comprehensive approach which encompasses individual health care, public health, sanitation, clean drinking water, access to food and knowledge about hygiene and feeding practice.


• The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (until 2011 the Department of Drinking Water Supply in the Ministry of Rural Development) is responsible for rural water supply and sanitation.

• The Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and the Ministry of Urban Development share the responsibility for urban water supply and sanitation.


• There are about a 100,000 rural water supply systems in India.

• At least in some states, responsibility for service provision is in the process of being partially transferred from State Water Boards and district governments to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) at the block or village level.

• Blocks are an intermediate level between districts and villages).


water quality standards

Health & Medicine