By IANS,
New Delhi : Only 43.5 percent households in India use tap water while 87 percent still depend on tubewell, handpump and covered well as the main source of drinking water, according to the Houselisting and Housing Census 2011.
According to data released by Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh on Tuesday, only 47 percent of households have source of water within the premises while 36 percent of households have to fetch water from a source located within 500 m in rural areas and 100 m in urban areas.
As many as 17 percent still fetch drinking water from a source located more than 500 m away in rural areas, or 100 m in urban area.
The data showed while 67 percent households use electricity, an increase of 11 percent over 2001, 58 percent households have bathing facility within the premises, an increase of 22 percent over 2001.
As many as 47 percent of the households have toilet facility within premises, with 36 percent households having water closet and nine percent households having pit latrine.
There is 11 percent decline in households having no toilets – from 64 percent to 53 percent in 2011.
The census showed an increase of 16 percent in television sets and a corresponding decline of about 15 percent in use of radios/transistors.
Less than one out of 10 households have a computer or laptop while only three percent have internet facility.
The households were visited across the length and breadth of the country.
Each Census in India, since the first one in 1872, has attempted to capture the socio-economic, demographic and cultural diversity of the country and present it through measurable indices, said an official statement.