Why in the News?
It’s shocking that 2 billion people around the world still don’t have access to safe drinking water, even though 95% of the global population uses what are called “improved water sources”. This reveals a hidden but serious public health problem.
What defines ‘safe drinking water’?
Safe drinking water refers to water that is free from harmful contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, and chemicals. It must be located on the premises, readily available when needed, and safe to consume without causing health issues. |
How does access vary across populations?
- Majority Have Access, but Not Always at Home: While nearly 6 billion people have access to drinking water, around 2 billion still lack safe water at home. Just 156 million people (around 1.4% of the global population) still collect water from unsafe sources like rivers or lakes.
- Disparities Exist Across Income and Geography: People in low-income or rural areas are more likely to lack access to safe, on-premises water. In most parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, people still get their water from open sources such as rivers and lakes.
How does a lack of safe water impact public health in poor countries?
- Spread of Waterborne Diseases: Unsafe water is a major source of diarrhoeal diseases like cholera, dysentery, polio, and hepatitis A. Over 800,000 deaths annually are attributed to waterborne illnesses, especially in low-income nations with inadequate sanitation.
- Child Mortality and Malnutrition: Contaminated water contributes to malnutrition, as diarrhoeal diseases hinder nutrient absorption in children. In India, nearly 21% of children under five suffer from wasting (NFHS-5), with poor water and sanitation as key contributors.
- Healthcare Burden and Economic Loss: Frequent illness from unsafe water overwhelms fragile public health systems and reduces workforce productivity. In India, poor access to safe water and sanitation leads to an annual GDP loss of over 4% due to health and productivity issues (Ministry of Jal Shakti, 2021).
SDG Goal 6 (Clean Water): Progress and challenges since its adoption
- Progress in Access to Improved Water Sources: As of recent estimates, 95% of the global population uses an improved water source like piped water, borewells, and springs, even in many low-income countries.
- Challenge of Household-Level Accessibility: Despite improvements, safe water is often not available at home, requiring people—mostly women—to travel long distances. Around 1.5 billion people still lack on-premise access, which limits reliability and increases the risk of contamination during transport.
- Polluted water at the point of use: Water may be clean at the source, but it becomes contaminated during collection, storage, or transport.
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What are the alternative technologies which can solve this crisis?
- Desalination Technology: Converts seawater into freshwater by removing salts and impurities using methods like reverse osmosis. Israel’s Sorek Desalination Plant provides 20% of the country’s water supply.
- Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS): Uses UV rays from sunlight to kill bacteria and viruses in water stored in transparent bottles. It is widely used in rural Africa and India by households.
- Atmospheric Water Generators (AWG): Extracts moisture from humid air and condenses it into clean drinking water. It was deployed in Rajasthan and UAE for areas with limited water but high humidity.
What are the steps taken by the Government?
- Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM): Aims to provide functional household tap connections (FHTCs) with safe and adequate drinking water to all rural households by 2024. Eg: As of 2024, over 13 crore rural households have been provided with tap water connections under JJM.
- Swachh Bharat Mission and Water Quality Monitoring: Focuses on reducing open defecation and water contamination by improving sanitation infrastructure and promoting hygiene.
- Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT): Ensures universal water supply coverage in urban areas, with a focus on poor and underserved households. Under AMRUT, cities like Surat and Nagpur have significantly improved their 24×7 piped water supply networks.
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Way forward
- Strengthen Last-Mile Delivery through Infrastructure Expansion: Focus on household-level water connections, especially in rural and remote regions, by upgrading existing water supply networks and ensuring regular quality checks.
- Promote Community-Based Water Management and Awareness: Encourage local governance (Panchayats, SHGs) and water user groups to manage water resources and promote safe water handling practices.
Mains PYQ:
[UPSC 2024] The world is facing an acute shortage of clean and safe freshwater. What are the alternative technologies which can solve this crisis? Briefly discuss any three such technologies, citing their key merits and demerits.
Linkage: The artice talks about the emphasizes that for water to be considered “safe drinking water,” it must be “free from contamination, located at home, and available whenever needed. This question directly addresses the global issue of an “acute shortage of clean and safe freshwater”. This directly aligns with the core problem presented in the article , which states that “two billion people” still do not have safe drinking water in their homes.
