Eleventh Five Year Plan

5Drinking Water, Sanitation, andClean Living ConditionsINTRODUCTION5.1 Provision of clean drinking water, sanitation,and a clean environment are vital to improve the healthof our people and to reduce incidence of diseases anddeaths. Women and girls spend hours fetching waterand that drudgery should be unnecessary. Drudgeryis undesirable in itself and it also takes away other opportunitiesfor self-development. Drinking water is lessthan 1% of the total water demand and should havethe first priority among all uses of water.5.2 Lack of covered toilets nearby imposes a severehardship on women and girls. Also provision of cleandrinking water without at the same time of provisionfor sanitation and clean environment would be lesseffective in improving health. The two should betreated together as complementary needs.5.3 The status of provision of water and sanitation hasimproved slowly. According to Census 1991, 55.54% ofthe rural population had access to an improved watersource. As on 1 April 2007, the Department of DrinkingWater Supply’s figures show that out of a total of1507349 rural habitations in the country, 74.39%(1121366 habitations) are fully covered and 14.64%(220165 habitations) are partially covered. Further,present estimates shows that out of the 2.17 lakh waterquality affected habitation as on 1.4.05, about 70000habitations have since been addressed for providing safedrinking water. Also, from the reported coverage, thereare slippages in the prescribed supply level, reducingthe per capita availability due to a variety of reasons.5.4 Water supply in urban areas is also far fromsatisfactory. As on 31 March 2004, about 91% ofthe urban population has got access to water supplyfacilities. However, this access does not ensure adequacyand equitable distribution, and the per capitaavailability is not as per norms in many areas. Averageaccess to drinking water is highest in class I towns(73%), followed by class II towns (63%), class III towns(61%), and other towns (58%). Poor people in slumsand squatter settlements are generally deprived ofthese basic amenities. The population coverage in thepast decades and as of March 2004 is as shown inTable 5.1 below:5.5 The quantity of urban water supply is also poor.Water is supplied only for few hours of the day thatTABLE 5.1Percentage of Population Covered withWater Supply FacilitiesYear Urban Population Percentage of Population(million) Covered with Water Supply1981 152 781991 217 842001 285 892004 308 (projected) 91