Which state in India has the cleanest drinking water?
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.
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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