By IANS
New Delhi : India might boast of a near 9 percent annual economic growth but nearly 30,000 habitations in the country are yet to have proper drinking water facilities, the Economic Survey for 2007-08 revealed Thursday.
Of the total uncovered habitations, 11,828 were in Maharashtra, 5,018 in Kerala, 2,604 in Karnataka, 2,456 in Assam, 2,268 in Himachal Pradesh and 1,512 in Rajasthan.
The survey further said that besides the uncovered areas, there are 174,782 habitations across India where drinking water supply is inadequate. Similarly, there are 159,348 areas all over the country where the quality of potable water needs attention.
“These habitations are proposed to be covered during the Bharat Nirman period,” the survey said.
Drinking water supply is one of the six components of Bharat Nirman, which has been conceived as a plan to be implemented in four years (2005-06 to 2008-09) for building rural infrastructure.
However, with an investment of over Rs.760 billion, considerable success has been achieved in meeting drinking water needs of the rural population.
“The problem of water quality on account of contamination due to arsenic, salinity, fluoride, iron, nitrate etc. in a large amount of habitations needs to be addressed on a priority basis,” the survey added.
Elaborating on the sanitation scenario of the country, the survey said that toilet facilities was available in only one percent of country’s households in 1981 but currently 50 percent of Indians have access to toilet facilities.
The total sanitation campaign (TCS) is currently operation in 578 districts of the country with an outlay of Rs.134.26 billion.
The thrust areas of TCS are construction of individual household latrines, coverage of rural schools, solid waste management, provision of revolving fund for School sanitation and Hygiene Education among others.