(a) whether per capita availability of renewable fresh water has fallen
drastically over the last 20 years;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) the details of constraints of access to safe drinking water in rural areas
of the country; and
(d) the measures taken/to be taken by the Government to enhance the access to
safe drinking water in the country?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT(MS. AGATHA SANGMA)
(a)&(b): Yes, Sir. The increase in population results in decline in per capita water
availability. The Ministry of Water Resources has assessed that the per capita water
availability as per the 1951 Census was 5177 cubic meter and that as per 2001 Census
has been worked out as 1820 cubic meter.
(c)&(d): The constraints to access to safe drinking water in rural areas are,inter
alia, sources going dry, lowering of the ground water table, systems outliving their
lives,increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability, ground water
becomes chemically contaminated, etc. The entire strategy and focus of the Department
and its current programme in the field is towards ensuring sustainability in all
drinking water schemes, so that access to drinking water is improved. The steps
taken to expedite access to drinking water in rural areas are, inter-alia:
# Increased budgetary support during the Bharat Nirman period. The central
allocation increased from Rs. 2900 crore in 2004-05 to Rs. 4050 crore in 2005-06,
Rs. 5200 crore in 2006-07, Rs. 6500 crore in 2007-08, Rs. 7300 crore in 2008-09
and Rs. 8000 crore in 2009-10.
# Promoting conjunctive use of surface water, groundwater and rainwater.
# Encouraging sustainability of drinking water sources by providing enhanced
Central assistance.
# Encouraging convergence with existing government programmes like NREGS and
other Soil and Water Conservation Programmes to augment availability of water.
# For economically weaker states of North-East and Jammu & Kashmir, the fund
sharing pattern has been liberalized from the previous 50:50 (Centre: State) to 90:10
(Centre: State) to ensure that they have sufficient funds to implement drinking water
schemes.