Only 2% Indians Get Tap Water Fit For Drinking: Survey

New Delhi: Getting clean drinking water in taps is still a dream for many Indians.

At a time when India Water Week is being observed from November 1-5, a recent survey has found that only 2% Indian households get drinkable quality water from their local body and 65% are using some kind of modern filtration mechanism, reported India Today.

The survey, conducted by community social media platform LocalCircles, asked people how they rate quality of piped water that is supplied to their homes by local municipal/water department or panchayat.

Of the responders, 5% said it was “very poor”, 15% felt it was “poor” while 5% said they don’t get piped water at home.

As for the method of purifying water at home for drinking, cooking and other purposes, 34% said they use a water purifier, 31% had RO system, 1% use chlorination, alum and other minerals, 14% boil the water and 5% use clay vessels.

The survey also revealed that 7% of households don’t purify water at home and buy bottled water.

“The government must consider forming mandatory standards for potable water supply to be followed by all local bodies and give them a few years to comply. Once the majority has complied, the standards must be published for public reference, checks and balances,” said LocalCircles founder Sachin Taparia.

According to Water.org, a global civil society organization, 6% of India’s population don’t have access to safe water.

A Unicef report, based on 2017 government data, stated that 50% of the population in India has access to safe drinking water free from chemical contamination, or presence of dangerous levels of toxins.