NIRDPR study: Many Gram Panchayats use RO as fashionable infrastructure

A study conducted by National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) on the subject of setting up of Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plants in Rural India revealed that many village bodies had installed such plants without any need and only because of it was in fashion.

The study focused on discovering if RO plants are set up only in those villages where the quality of water is unfit for drinking. The study covered 21 Gram Panchayats (GPs) in seven States where the highest number of RO Plants had been set up, as per the data provided by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India.

The study surveyed Gram Panchayats with RO plants in Southern States, Western India and North India.

Reflecting on the findings of the study, Prof. P. Sivaram, Head, Centre for Rural Infrastructure, NIRDPR, said, "Our hunch was that possibly, a Gram Panchayat President feels elated to say that he provides RO treated water to his voters, (when in reality the quality of the water is potable). Empirical verification revealed that we were right in every third case. In other words, out of 21 cases studied, about 8 units have come up where it was not required; where there is no quality-related problem in water. This has several cost implications not only to the State but also to the GPs in terms of maintenance."

Chemical contamination in water is known to cause physical ailments and diseases. From the 21 Gram Panchayats studied, it was found that while 13 of them had set up RO plants to address issues related to quality of water, the rest had set them up despite the water quality being well within permissible limits (as per BIS norms).

The study also found that in 16 of the 21 Gram Panchayats, the RO plants are operated by the Gram Panchayats whereas in the others, they were found to be operated by private players for profit or by NGOs as part of their rural development programmes.

The study further revealed that in terms of the cost, people were paying for the water in all the Gram Panchayats, with the costs varying between Rs. 50 to Rs. 150 per month depending on usage.

The study concluded that while drinking water is a basic service that Gram panchayats must provide, in areas where there are no quality-related problems or there are issues of negligible nature, setting up of RO systems adds a cost burden on GPs for their maintenance.

Additionally, since the RO Plant tends to extract the essential minerals depriving the consumers of the same, efforts must be made to ensure the RO Plants are set up only where there is a water quality issue, and not because it is a fashionable infrastructure for a Gram Panchayat to have.