The centrally sponsored
schemes – Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme and Total Sanitation
Campaign – have just not done enough to ensure the right to drink safe
water and basic sanitation for the common man
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) recognises the
inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all human
beings. There are certain basic needs that are essential for a
dignified life. Water and sanitation are two of these essential human
needs and a clean environment is also increasingly recognised as a
fundamental human right. Besides, the International Covenant on
Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) which came into force in
1976 also calls upon states to take "legislative, administrative and
other action progressively" to ensure that "every human being within
its jurisdiction’ has access to adequate water", "to the maximum of its
available resources" (Article 2 of ICESCR).
|
Coverage of
Drinking Water and Basic Sanitation in South Asia against Millennium
Development Goals in the Year 2004
|
|
|
Use of
improved source of drinking water (%)
|
MDG Targets
in 2015*
|
Use of
improved Sanitation facilities (%)
|
MDG
Targets
in
2015*
|
|
Afghanistan
|
39
|
52
|
34
|
52
|
|
Bangladesh
|
74
|
86
|
39
|
60
|
|
Bhutan
|
62
|
79
|
70
|
83
|
|
India
|
86
|
85
|
33
|
57
|
|
Maldives
|
83
|
98
|
59
|
76
|
|
Nepal
|
90
|
85
|
35
|
56
|
|
Pakistan
|
91
|
92
|
59
|
69
|
|
Sri Lanka
|
79
|
84
|
91
|
85
|
|
South Asia
|
85
|
86
|
37
|
59
|
|
World
|
83
|
89
|
59
|
75
|
|
Sources: UNICEF,
Progress For Children, Number 6, December 2007.
*MDG
targets: Halve by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable
access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation
|
Besides, the Directive Principle of State Policy also enjoins the
‘state’ to take necessary positive action to mobilise material
resources for the common good (Art.39,Clause b) and also authorises the
Panchayati Raj system to implement programmes for ensuring drinking
water and sanitation in the 11th and 12th Schedule of the Constitution.
Notwithstanding all the necessary legal and constitutional mandates,
UNICEF data suggests that almost 17 percent of the world's population
lacks access to improved water services and about 40 percent lacks
adequate sanitation (Progress for Children, UNICEF, December 2007).
The South Asian region is considered to have the worst indicators, at
par with sub-Saharan Africa.
India’s endeavor to provide safe drinking water and basic sanitation to
every habitat in rural areas has been administered through two
Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) viz., Accelerated Rural Water Supply
Programme (ARWSP) and the Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC). Taking the
importance of the schemes into consideration, the central government
created a separate department—the Department of Drinking Water and
Sanitation (DDWS)—under the Ministry of Rural Development in 1999,
whose principal mandate is to implement and supervise these two schemes.
Safe water and ARWSP
Since 1972-73, the Government of India has been implementing the ARWSP
to assist the states and union territories with 100 percent
grants-in-aid to implement drinking water supply schemes in various
problem areas. The entire programme was given a mission approach when
the Technology Mission on Drinking Water Management called the National
Drinking Water Mission (NDWM) was introduced. NDWM was further renamed
the Rajeev Gandhi Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM) in 1991. Presently it
is a core component of the Bharat Nirman Programme which has set the
target of achieving 55,067 uncovered habitation and about 2.8 lakh
slipped-back habitation as well as to ensure the term ‘safe’ in the
2.17 lakh quality-affected habitations.
However, available statistics show that only 52 percent success has
been achieved against the Bharat Nirman targets, negating the central
government's claim of providing ‘universal’ access to ‘safe’ and
‘sustainable’ drinking water. According to information received from
the states/UTs till November 2007-08, only 4.548 un-covered and 31,411
slipped-backed habitations have been covered and 44,563
quality-affected habitations have been addressed so far. (Response to
Union Budget 2008-09, CBGA).
Where is the problem? The Comptroller and Auditor General's office in
its recent performance audit of the Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission
cites several examples of corruption, fraud and waste and also poor
monitoring and surveillance of the water quality. There is also blatant
violation of the norms and guidelines of the scheme. Above all, there
is massive under-utilisation of the allocated funds in the RGNDWM. The
CAG’s indictment, based on a performance audit of over 2000 projects in
153 districts in 26 states, says that “States (are) not paying adequate
attention to water quality, with no or inadequate infrastructure for
testing at the district level, and non-compliance with the periodic
testing requirements.”
With regard to specific cases, the CAG finds that in Uttarakhand, Rs
22.28 crore meant for quality control was diverted to other projects;
In Bankura district of West Bengal, there was no periodic testing of
water supply in 29 projects despite the region being fluoride-affected;
In Uttar Pradesh, the UP Jal Nigam ordered 25 lakh hydrogen-sulphide
vials to test for bacteria in water. As many as 19.30 lakh vials lie
unused. Besides, 98 projects with expenditure worth Rs 50.71 crore
meant to monitor water quality are incomplete for periods ranging from
two to 13 years. There are scores of problems cited by the CAG on the
overall performance of the ARWSP. However, the budgetary allocation of
the RGDWM for the last four years has shown an increase in budgetary
estimates.
