Which state in India has the cleanest drinking water?

The availability of clean drinking water is a major concern for the people of India, especially in rural areas. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 21% of India's communicable diseases are waterborne. The country ranks 120th among 122 countries in terms of the quality of drinking water; nearly 70% of the water is contaminated.

However, the government of India has taken steps to ensure access to safe and clean drinking water for its citizens. In 2009, the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) was launched with the aim of providing safe and clean drinking water to all rural areas of the country. In 2019, the Modi government restructured the above program under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to Hal Ghar Jal. Nearly 75% of homes have functional household taps (FHTs), as per government data.

Groundreport has done a series of stories on the mismatch of data and the most marginalized not receiving adequate water supply in the summers. Furthermore, the availability of water through taps doesn't ensure the quality of the water. While the quality of drinking water varies across states, some states have made significant progress in providing clean drinking water to their citizens. In addition, the proposed amendments to the Water Act have received their fair share of frowns, and criticism.

Which city in India has the cleanest water?

Based on NITI Aayog's SDG Report, 2020–21, below are the states that have great score in SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) 6 i.e. clean Water and Sanitation. According to the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Goa and Telegana became one of the few states in India to achieved 100% tap water connection to households under the Jal Jeevan Mission. In Goa alone, the scheme has connected 2.63 lakh rural households of Goa to PWS. 

Below mentioned are the table to present ten states, and the assessment parameters.  

Goa

States/UTs	Pipe Water Supply (PWS)	Improved source of drinking water	Individual household toilets constructed	Percentage of districts verified to be ODF	Schools with separate toilet facility for girls	Percentage of industries complying with waste water treatment	Ground water withdrawal against availability	Blocks, mandals, or taluka over-exploited	SDG Index Score
Goa	100	100	100	100	100	99.21	31.25	0	100

Chandigarh

States/UTs	Pipe Water Supply (PWS)	Improved source of drinking water	Individual household toilets constructed	Percentage of districts verified to be ODF	Schools with separate toilet facility for girls	Percentage of industries complying with waste water treatment	Ground water withdrawal against availability	Blocks, mandals, or taluka over-exploited	SDG Index Score
Chandigarh	Null	Null	100	100	100	98.45	75	0	99

Telangana

States/UTs	Pipe Water Supply (PWS)	Improved source of drinking water	Individual household toilets constructed	Percentage of districts verified to be ODF	Schools with separate toilet facility for girls	Percentage of industries complying with waste water treatment	Ground water withdrawal against availability	Blocks, mandals, or taluka over-exploited	SDG Index Score
Telangana	100	100	100	100	96.23	98.22	65.40	11.99	96

Gujarat

States/UTs	Pipe Water Supply (PWS)	Improved source of drinking water	Individual household toilets constructed	Percentage of districts verified to be ODF	Schools with separate toilet facility for girls	Percentage of industries complying with waste water treatment	Ground water withdrawal against availability	Blocks, mandals, or taluka over-exploited	SDG Index Score
Gujarat	97.57	100	100	100	99.87	80.60	63.91	10.08	93

Andhra Pradesh

States/UTs	Pipe Water Supply (PWS)	Improved source of drinking water	Individual household toilets constructed	Percentage of districts verified to be ODF	Schools with separate toilet facility for girls	Percentage of industries complying with waste water treatment	Ground water withdrawal against availability	Blocks, mandals, or taluka over-exploited	SDG Index Score
Andhra Pradesh	68.52	99.81	100	100	97.28	96.82	44.17	6.72	92

Bihar

States/UTs	Pipe Water Supply (PWS)	Improved source of drinking water	Individual household toilets constructed	Percentage of districts verified to be ODF	Schools with separate toilet facility for girls	Percentage of industries complying with waste water treatment	Ground water withdrawal against availability	Blocks, mandals, or taluka over-exploited	SDG Index Score
Bihar	65.19	96.29	100	100	97.92	96.84	45.74	2.25	91

Maharashtra 

States/UTs	Pipe Water Supply (PWS)	Improved source of drinking water	Individual household toilets constructed	Percentage of districts verified to be ODF	Schools with separate toilet facility for girls	Percentage of industries complying with waste water treatment	Ground water withdrawal against availability	Blocks, mandals, or taluka over-exploited	SDG Index Score
Maharashtra	64.39	99.70	100	100	96.80	92.36	54.62	3.12	90

Chhattisgarh 

States/UTs	Pipe Water Supply (PWS)	Improved source of drinking water	Individual household toilets constructed	Percentage of districts verified to be ODF	Schools with separate toilet facility for girls	Percentage of industries complying with waste water treatment	Ground water withdrawal against availability	Blocks, mandals, or taluka over-exploited	SDG Index Score
Chhattisgarh	52.17	99.60	100	100	99.15	90.05	44.47	0	89

Kerala

States/UTs	Pipe Water Supply (PWS)	Improved source of drinking water	Individual household toilets constructed	Percentage of districts verified to be ODF	Schools with separate toilet facility for girls	Percentage of industries complying with waste water treatment	Ground water withdrawal against availability	Blocks, mandals, or taluka over-exploited	SDG Index Score
Kerala	35.29	99.35	100	100	99.28	99.22	51.25	0.66	89

Sikkim

States/UTs	Pipe Water Supply (PWS)	Improved source of drinking water	Individual household toilets constructed	Percentage of districts verified to be ODF	Schools with separate toilet facility for girls	Percentage of industries complying with waste water treatment	Ground water withdrawal against availability	Blocks, mandals, or taluka over-exploited	SDG Index Score
Sikkim	37.42	100	100	100	99.34	96.77	0.06	0	89

Conclusion

It is important to mention that JJM is a central government programme. Hence, the responsibility of planning, approval, implementation, operation, and maintenance of drinking water supply schemes falls on the state government, as water is a state issue.

While these are the government's data from 2020–21, the status of these numbers would have changed, particularly for PWS. However, most of the listings would remain the same. 

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