Just under 10 percent of the municipalities covered in the first national-level tap water survey, Pey Jal Survekshan, provided their citizens with 100 percent clean water, according to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry.
Addressing a press conference here, Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Manoj Joshi said 46 cities or municipalities had 100 percent pass-rate of samples taken from households and water treatment plants. The survey, which started in December, 2022, covered a total of 485 cities under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 of the Ministry, he said. The results of the survey and awards for the best-performing cities and states would be released on March 5, at a ceremony to be attended by President Droupadi Murmu.
Around 25,000 samples were taken from households, water treatment plants, sewage treatment plants and water bodies, according to a source. The secretary declined to share details of how many of the samples passed and failed, saying that it would be released on March 5.
Joshi said a total of 5.21 lakh respondents also participated in the survey and 830 water treatment plants were covered. He said while water treatment plants have regular testing, this was the first time that households’ water supply had been tested across the country.
He said out of the 485 cities, which are cities with a population of over 1 lakh, 54 cities were found to have 95% to 100% coverage of tap water. He added the Ministry had set the target of at least one municipal ward in each city to have 24/7 water supply and so far, Puri, Navi Mumbai , Coimbatore, Pune , Nagpur and Surat , had some areas where water was being supplied 24/7.
“What has been in the experience of these cities is that when you provide water 24/7, the quantum of water does not increase. The total consumption has not increased,” he added.
Joshi said the Ministry was planning on making the ranking an annual exercise like the Swachh Survekshan under the Swachh Bharat Mission that ranks cities in terms of cleanliness.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/national-drinking-water-survey-cities-samples-9188767/
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