Currently, only 18% of rural households get piped water, and State performances range widely from 99% in Sikkim to less than 5% in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha. Integrated approach“We need to work together with an integrated approach to the problem,” said Mr. Shekhawat, urging States to work on the issue out of conviction. The previous National Rural Drinking Water Programme fell far short of its goals to provide access to safe drinking water to all by 2017, despite the expenditure of more than ₹81,000 crore over a five year period. Laying out the broad contours of the scheme, Drinking Water and Sanitation Secretary Parameswaran Iyer said in areas where groundwater is used as the source for piped water, the system would be managed by the local community. Where surface water is used as the source, the State would have to work out a management system clubbing villages together, he said.

Source: The Hindu June 12, 2019 05:55 UTC