Inequalities in quality of water

Access to clean, safe water is at the core of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 of the Agenda 2030 but around 70 per cent of the surface water in India is polluted, as per Asian Development Research Institute. It seems as if in the race to provide access to water, the concept of ‘clean’ water has gone hazy. Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) is leading the mission of ‘access to water’ and is gradually striving towards mission of ‘Har Ghar Jal’. However, the data looks grim on the question of quality of this water.

It is said that ‘cities are the engines of growth’ in any country, which means they lead the way in terms of development, service delivery and the quality of service delivery. However, when it comes to cleanliness of water, the performance of cities in India is far from satisfactory. Tap water quality rankings released by Bureau of Indian Standards in 2019 showed that all the drinking water samples sent for testing from nine cities, among a total of 15 major cities, have failed in water quality test (refer to graph 1). Since then, cities like Delhi, Chennai, and Jaipur have come out with reforms to improve the quality of water in cities. If cities are facing this at such scale, one can imagine the condition of rural areas where people do not always use filtered water for the daily household needs.

What is the present situation?

With its mission to bridge the gap of 2.68 crore in urban household tap water connections and providing access to water for all rural households by 2024, JJM has been instrumental in the progress of India towards SDG-6. However, a report by World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 2019 suggested that 9.1 crore Indians live without access to basic water supply. On the other side, the lot which is fortunate enough to get this basic necessity has different types of challenges. As per the JJM dashboard, it has provided tap water connections in almost 47 per cent (8,99,71,134) of the total districts. However, almost 13.5 per cent of the samples have failed to comply with the parameters of cleanliness set by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India. Kerala (1,39,668) and West Bengal (1,71,926) are the two states with largest number of contaminated samples. As per the data, West Bengal has taken action for all the areas where contamination is found; but on the other hand, Kerala has resolved just 4.5 per cent of such cases. Shockingly, on an average, remedial action is taken for just 50 per cent of the total contaminated samples. (refer to graph 2)

What is the present situation?

Questionable water quality and its consequences
As per National Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (NFSSM), almost 90 per cent of all deaths due to Diarrhoea in India are because of the contaminated water. Low drinking water quality poses various health issues for people who use the supply water directly for the daily household needs. Children are the worst affected in this, which is evident from the UNICEF data suggesting that globally, every year “more children die due to effects of contaminated drinking water than by bullets.” It is an alarming situation.

Way Forward

India was ranked 120th among 122 countries on the parameters of water quality, as per the Global Water Quality Index. This has to improve if the country wants to stand out in its SDG targets. The Government of India has to take initiatives, and promote innovations that encourage improvement in the quality of drinking water to all. On the other hand, the community also has to participate in making the cities, a clean place and maintaining the quality of water in surface sources. Through JJM, the state governments and the central government have to work in coordination with the local bodies to ensure that the basic supply of water to households is usable and hygienic. Leading the way towards localisation, the efforts have to be put at the grass root level so that it reaches to the masses and a truly sustainable ecosystem can be built. The inefficiency of municipal water supply has to be addressed with utmost emergency in order to achieve this feat.As per a report, 30 Indian cities will face ‘grave water risk’ by 2050, which means that municipal supply of water has to be improved so that people of the country can access safe and clean drinking water.

Innovate to save
Taking the task of cleaning the contaminated underground drinking water in his own hands, Anjan Mukherjee, an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) dropout, invented and developed the Taraltec Disinfectant Reactor. The device converts the kinetic energy of the water into millions of targeted micro-bubbles, which act as tiny localised reactors. When they collapse, they generate intense heat, pressure and turbulence, converting it into a shockwave which kills microbes. The water comes out 99 per cent cleaner and safer than before.
This device can be easily fit into a water hand pump in less than 30 minutes without any scientific expertise making it easier to use. It has won various awards and prizes, along with India Innovation Growth Program 2.0 challenge