National Rural Drinking Water Programme

Intending to provide adequate, clean, and safe water for cooking, drinking, and other domestic needs to rural people on a viable basis, the government of India launched the National rural drinking water program, a centrally sponsored scheme in the year 2009. The NRDWP modified the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP) and subsumed the earlier sub-missions or schemes.

The government also restructured and continued the NRDWP to make it competitive, outcome-based, and better monitored by focusing on sustainability to ensure quality delivery of services to the rural people. Presently, the Department of drinking water and sanitation (DDWS) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti implements the NRDWP.

Let us understand a bit more about this mission in this article

Objectives of NRDWP

Some of the objectives of NRDWP include the following:-

1. Provide adequate, clean, and safe drinking water for cooking, drinking, and other domestic needs to rural people on a sustainable basis.

2. To make rural there permanent drinking water in rural India

3. Enable all households to access and use adequate and safe drinking water to all households within a reasonable distance

4. To make all communities keep surveillance and monitor drinking water sources

5. Ensuring reliability, portability, sustainability, equity, convenience, and consumer preference are the principles while planning for a community-based water supply system.

6. To ensure Gram Panchayats are provided with adequate drinking water facilities, especially piped water supply, that has achieved open defecation-free status on a primary basis

7. Ensure that all Anganwadis and government schools have access to safe drinking waters

8. Provide an enabling environment and support for local communities and Panchayat Raj Institutions to manage their village drinking water systems and sources.

9. Provide access to information online through a reporting mechanism and place the information in the public domain to bring informed decision-making and transparency.

Components of NRDWP

The several components of NRDWP are as follows:-

1. Coverage for providing adequate and safe drinking water supply to partially served, unserved, and slipped-back habitations.

2. Operation and Maintenance (O&M) for repair, running, and replacement costs of drinking water supply projects.

3. Sustainability encourages states to achieve the security of drinking water at the local level.

4. Provide portable drinking water to habitations affected by water quality.

5. Support to activities like District Water and Sanitation Mission (DWSM), Water and Sanitation Support Organizations (WSSO), Block Resource Centers (BRC), Human Resource Development (HRD), Information Education and Communication (IEC), Management Information System (MIS), Research and Development (R&D), etc.

6. Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance (WQMS) for monitoring water quality in field-level habitations and for upgrading and setting up laboratories at district, state, and sub-district levels.

It is envisaged that state governments allocate 47% of their funds to coverage, 15% to O&M, 20% to water quality, 10% to sustainability, 5% to support activities, and 3% to WQMS.

Funding pattern under NRDWP

The central government is responsible to provide funds to the state government based on the following criteria:-

1. Rural population

2. Rural SC and ST population

3. States under DPAP, DDP, HADP, special category, and hill states in rural areas.

4. The rural population managing the rural drinking water supply schemes is weighted by a Management Devolution Index (MDI).

Achievements of NRDWP

1. As on 1 April 2019, 81% of rural habitations had been completely covered at 40 lpcd, and 47% were fully covered as per 55 lpcd.

2. The Union Cabinet approved a sum of Rs.23, 050 crores for the program for the 2017-18 to 2019-20 period.

3. As on 1 April 2019, 33% of rural habitations accounting for 41% of India’s rural population were fully covered by the Public Water System (PWS).

4. In the Union Budget 2019, the government announced the Har Ghar Jal scheme under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to ensure PWS for every rural household by 2024.

5. In the Union budget 2019, the government promised the Piped Water Supply (PWS) to every rural household by 2024 under the JJM.

FAQS

1. Who funds the NRDWP?

The central government is responsible for funding the various state governments concerning the provisions of NRDWP

2. What is the main objective of NRDWP?

The main objective of NRDWP is to provide adequate, clean, and safe drinking water for cooking, drinking, and other domestic needs to rural people on a sustainable basis.

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