Indian Government Fixes 55 Liters per Capita Per Day under NRDWP

New Delhi (ABC Live):Minister Of Drinking Water And Sanitation Shri Bharatsinh Solanki informed the Lok Sabha members in reply to a question in New Delhi today that in the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) the norm for providing drinking water supply in rural areas has been fixed at 55 liters per capita per day (lpcd) for humans that is required to meet the needs of drinking, cooking, bathing, washing utensils and ablution, based on basic minimum need during the 12^th five Year Plan.  Habitations where drinking water supply systems provide at least 55 lpcd or more to the entire population are considered fully covered, habitations where the water supply systems provide less than 55 lpcd to the population are treated as partially covered, while habitations where at least one drinking water source is affected with chemical/biological contamination are considered quality affected. As per the data entered by the States on the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry, as on 1.4.2013, out of the 16,92,251 rural habitations in the country, 6,57,693 habitations are fully covered, 9,51,764 habitations are partially covered and 82,794 habitations are quality affected.

Drinking water supply is a State subject. However, under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP), the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation provides financial and technical assistance to States to supplement their efforts to provide adequate safe drinking water through schemes like piped water supply schemes and hand pumps to the rural population. State Governments have also been given the flexibility to fix their own higher norm based on water availability, demand and capital cost involved. Under the NRDWP, supply of the minimum required quantity of safe drinking water is monitored in terms of coverage of rural habitations.

The achievements made in coverage of rural habitations for the last three year and this year is as follows.

*As on 1.2.2014

The State/UT-wise details are at Annexure.