Clean Drinking Water

Is bottled water really safe? Karnataka tests raise serious concerns

Health Minister on Tuesday said that two-thirds of the bottled water samples collected for quality analysis from across the state are either totally unsafe or of poor quality

Delhi govt to install 5,000 water ATMs for affordable clean drinking water

The Delhi government is planning to set up 5,000 water dispensing units or ATMs across the city to ensure availability of clean drinking water at low prices, officials said on Sunday. These water kiosks are planned to be set up on a private-public partnership model, focussing on market areas and localities lacking pipelines thereby depending on supply through tankers, they said. Water ATMs are popular in NCR cities including Gurugram and Faridabad. In the national capital also, the New Delhi Municipal Council areas have these facilities. In 2023, the previous AAP government had announced installation of 500 water ATMs in the city, specially in slum clusters. The announcement, however, could not materialise. Some reverse osmosis plants for clean, filtered water were installed in Hari Nagar's Khajan Basti, Shakurbasti, Deshbandhu Apartments in Kalkaji, and Jharoda.

World Water Day 2025: Theme, significance, report of UN Water and more

World Water Day is observed on March 22 to raise awareness of the value of freshwater and the necessity of its sustainability management techniques. It inspires us to take action and make a difference

Lack of chlorine detected in water supplied to GBS patients' houses in Pune

A survey of water quality conducted in and around Nanded village, the epicentre of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) in Pune city, has found that there was lack chlorine in the drinking water supplied to the households of 26 patients of this nerve disorder, officials said. On Tuesday, three fresh cases of GBS were reported in the city, taking the overall tally to 166, they said. Officials of the Rapid Response Team (RRT), formed to probe the outbreak of the GBS cases in Nanded and adjoining localities on Sinhagad Road area, there are a total of 77 GBS patients in Nanded. Of them, the households of 62 patients were visited to take the samples of the drinking water. The findings of the house-to-house survey about lack of chlorine in drinking water was discussed in the meeting of the RRT. Experts have now urged the water supply department of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to take immediate action to maintain chlorine level of 0.2 PPM (parts per million) in the household water supply

Ice-sheets to fresh water: Greenland's icebergs can't quench Earth's thirst

Polar Research and Policy Initiative said that US might have a future as an exporter of fresh water, thanks to an ice sheet that contains about 8 per cent of the total global reserves

Local issues take centre stage ahead of Delhi polls, residents flag issues

Ahead of Delhi Assembly polls on February 5, residents across the national capital have raised concerns over a range of civic issues,including poor road conditions, water quality and rising pollution levels. Mohammad Sadiq, a resident of Seelampur in northeast Delhi, highlighted the ongoing issue of contaminated water. "We have electricity, but the water quality is very poor. We have to buy clean water for drinking and cooking, which costs between Rs 30 to Rs 50 per day. The condition of the roads in our area is another major concern. We expects the next government to resolve these issues," he said. Another resident from Hardevpuri, Durgapuri in northeast Delhi, Harsh Tyagi, pointed to multiple problems, including narrow lanes, lack of parking, and insufficient green cover. "The pollution level in our area is high due to the lack of trees. The narrow lanes leads to parking congestion congestion and there is no proper drainage system," Tyagi said. In northwest Delhi, Nisha Sharma,

FSSAI reclassifies packaged drinking water, mineral water as high-risk food

The FSSAI has reclassified packaged drinking water and mineral water as a high-risk food category, mandating stricter regulatory controls and annual facility inspections. The move, effective immediately following an order dated November 29, requires manufacturers to undergo mandatory third-party food safety audits and comply with enhanced quality standards. Central licence holders in this category must now submit to annual inspections aimed at mitigating potential health risks associated with packaged water production. The reclassification by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) follows recent amendments to the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, which previously removed mandatory BIS certification requirements for certain food products. The reclassification is designed to strengthen consumer protection and maintain rigorous quality control in the packaged water industry.

Abrupt, 'irreversible' drop in global freshwater levels, Nasa study claims

Recent data from Nasa satellites have revealed that Earth's surface has lost freshwater abruptly since 2015. This major drop coincides with a 2014 to 2016 period of El Niño warming

Better access to water, sanitation but only 63% use clean fuel: Mospi

Goa (99.2%) has the highest share of households with access to clean cooking fuel

Water purifier maker Livpure eying over 1 mn subscriptions within 4 years

Livpure is betting big on its water-as-a-service model, targeting over 10 lakh subscriptions in the next four years as it intensifies efforts to scale up affordable access to clean and purified water across India, according to company Managing Director Rakesh Kaul. The company, also present in categories such as appliances, mattresses and sleep accessories, is targeting a turnover of Rs 900 crore this fiscal year, a growth of up to 60 per cent from the previous year. "India is a huge market, and everyone knows that purified water and access to purified water is a big challenge...Currently, in a country the size of ours, penetration of water purifiers is still at 7 to 8 per cent of the total household population of India," Kaul told PTI. With a view to reducing the cost of access to clean drinking water to consumers, he said,"We launched an innovative business model called water-as-a-service four years back, whereby we decided that the installation (of electric water purifier) will .

All states, UTs achieve over 50% tap water coverage in rural areas: Data

All states and Union territories have more than 50 per cent coverage of tap water connections in rural households, according to official data. Under the Har Ghar Jal scheme, all rural households will be provided with tap water connections by the year-end. As of now, all states and Union territories (UTs) have more than 50 per cent coverage of tap water connections in rural households with 11 states and UTs having 100 per cent coverage. The states and UTs with 100 per cent coverage of tap water connections in rural households are Goa; Andaman & Nicobar Islands; Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu; Haryana; Telangana; Puducherry; Gujarat; Punjab; Himachal Pradesh; Arunachal Pradesh; and Mizoram. The least coverage has been recorded in West Bengal at 52.30 per cent, Rajasthan at 52.91 per cent, Kerala at 53.62 per cent, Jharkhand at 54.26 per cent, and Madhya Pradesh at 64.84 per cent, according to the data. Out of a total of 19,33,38,234 (19.33 crore) rural households, ...

In 2020, only 1 in 3 in LMICs could access safe drinking water: Study

Only one in three people in low-and middle-income countries had access to safe drinking water in 2020, a new analysis of 135 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has estimated. Using models, researchers from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, combined household surveys with global Earth observation, including satellite, air, and land data, on human, geographic, and environmental factors. They, thus, created detailed maps of safe drinking water use across 135 LMICs. Their analysis is published in the journal Science. The authors estimated that despite 88 per cent of the people living in the LMICs using an improved drinking water source, defined as having "the potential to deliver safe water," almost half the population were estimated to be exposed to faecal contamination. As such, more than 4.4 billion people in poorer countries lack safe drinking water. This is roughly twice the estimate of 2 billion people in 2020 given by the World Health Organization and United Nations (UN) Children's

Budget 2024: Mere 0.5% boost to department of drinking water and sanitation

The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has received a budgetary allocation of Rs 77,390.68 crores for the fiscal year 2024-2025. This figure reflects a minimal increase of only 0.5 per cent from the revised estimate of Rs 77,032.65 crore announced in budget 2023-2024. A substantial portion of this financial year's allotment for the Drinking Water and Sanitation department is directed towards the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), which received Rs 69,926.65 crore, a marginal rise from the revised estimate of Rs 69,846.31 crore in 2023-2024. This flagship programme aims to provide functional household tap connections to every rural household by 2024, focusing on ensuring regular and adequate water supply. Additionally, the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation (SPM-NIWAS) has been allocated Rs 95 crore, a huge rise from the Rs 3 crore it got in the last revised estimate. The Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), which focuses on maintaining Open Defecation

20 students fall ill after drinking water from school tank in Jharkhand

At least 20 students fell ill after drinking water from a tank in their school in Jharkhand's Latehar district on Saturday, an official said. When they were taken to a local health centre, doctors said the condition of the children was stable. The incident happened at Upgraded Primary School at Duru, around 80 km from the state capital Ranchi. After having their meal, the children went to drink water from the tank in the school. After some time, several students started vomiting and complained of uneasiness, a teacher of the school said. Some students said there was a foul smell in the water. The students were brought to the local community health centre where they were examined. Doctors said their condition was stable. The Chandwa Block Development Officer Chandan Kumar said the water sample had been taken for examination. Kumar also visited the community health centre to enquire about the health conditions of the students.

K'taka bans use of drinking water for car washing, gardening, imposes fine

As per the Bengaluru district administration, for up to 5 km, a 6000-litre water tanker will cost Rs 600, an 8000-litre water tanker will cost Rs 700, and a 12,000-litre water tanker will cost Rs 1000

Mumbai plans to build Rs 4,120 crore treatment plant amid water woes

The water treatment plant will be one of the largest in the world in terms of capacity, the company said

First 'Pey Jal Survekshan' survey has covered 485 cities, says govt

The Union housing and urban affairs ministry on Thursday said the first "Pey Jal Survekshan" survey has covered 485 cities and captured more than 5.21 lakh household responses. It said 46 cities or municipalities had a 100-per cent pass rate of samples taken from households and water treatment plants. The results of the survey and awards for the best-performing cities and states would be released on March 5 at a ceremony to be attended by President Droupadi Murmu. "Direct observation and assessments were carried out in 830 water treatment facilities, 941 water bodies, 1,044 used water treatment facilities and 2,005 parks were visited for assessing availability of rainwater harvesting structures," the ministry said in a statement. Elaborating on the various categories under the "Pey Jal Survekshan Awards", Secretary in the ministry Manoj Joshi said based on the survey scores for access and coverage, and water quality and sustainability parameters, nine awards will be given to cities

India's water transformation: $250 bn investment fuels decade of progress

Minister Shekhawat revealed that Namami Gange has been acknowledged as one of the top 10 World Restoration Flagships by the UN Convention of Biodiversity conference COP15

Har Ghar Jal initiative: Can some states come in the way of 100% coverage?

The Jal Shakti ministry's data shows the target is within striking distance: 73.57 per cent of the households have already been covered by this flagship scheme of the Narendra Modi government

Kashmir Valley endures unusual, severe dry spell amid harsh winter

Reduced snowfall and precipitation levels have prompted worries about potential water scarcity and its far-reaching impacts on the environment and daily life