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UPSC MainsGeneral Studies Paper IGeographyPractice question

Universal Access to Safe Water and Water Security

Access to safe and clean drinking water is fundamental to public health, human dignity and sustainable development. In this context, critically examine the challenges faced by India in ensuring universal access to safe and clean water. Discuss the role of government initiatives, technological interventions, and community participation in achieving water security.

Critically examineDiscuss~250 words3 min readmedium
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How to approach

Begin by linking safe drinking water to constitutional provisions and highlighting the magnitude of water stress in India using official metrics. In the body, critically evaluate key structural challenges including resource depletion, contamination, governance bottlenecks, and geographical factors, followed by an analysis of government initiatives, technological solutions, and community-led models. Conclude by stressing balanced supply-and-demand management to achieve SDG-6.

Model answer

412 words

Introduction

Access to safe drinking water is intrinsic to the right to life with human dignity under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. However, NITI Aayog estimates that nearly 600 million Indians face extreme water stress, and unchecked water scarcity could lead to an estimated 6% loss in the country's GDP by 2030, underscoring the urgent need for long-term water security.

Challenges in Ensuring Universal Access to Safe Water

  • Overexploitation and Resource Depletion: Agriculture accounts for approximately 85% of India's freshwater consumption. According to the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB 2024), the national groundwater extraction stage stands at 60.4%, leading to the rapid depletion of shallow aquifers across major agrarian belts.
  • Widespread Water Quality Contamination: CGWB assessments reveal that over 56% of districts exhibit nitrate contamination exceeding acceptable thresholds, largely driven by excessive chemical fertilizer application. Furthermore, geogenic contaminants like arsenic in the Ganga-Brahmaputra basin and widespread fluoride pose severe public health risks.
  • Governance and Structural Gaps: Distribution systems suffer from high levels of Non-Revenue Water (NRW) due to pipeline leakages, inadequate operation and maintenance (O&M) budgets at the local body level, and unmetered or subsidized agricultural electricity tariffs that incentivize continuous groundwater over-pumping.
  • Hydro-Climatic and Regional Inequity: Erratic monsoon patterns fueled by climate change, coupled with topographical constraints, exacerbate acute seasonal water stress in arid and semi-arid regions such as Vidarbha, Marathwada, and Bundelkhand.

Key Pillars of Water Security

  • Government Initiatives: The flagship Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) has significantly transformed rural service delivery, expanding tap water connectivity from 17% in 2019 to around 80% by early 2025. Complementarily, the Atal Bhujal Yojana targets community-led demand-side management of stressed groundwater systems across priority states.
  • Technological Interventions: Leveraging digital governance, smart Internet of Things (IoT) sensors are increasingly utilized for real-time monitoring of quantity, pressure, and quality under rural piped water networks. Expanding Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR), atmospheric water generators in water-deficit pockets, and precision micro-irrigation (drip and sprinkler systems) significantly shrinks the agrarian water footprint.
  • Community Participation and Decentralized Models: Citizen-led movements under campaigns like Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain have revitalized decentralized rainwater harvesting. Empowering Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) and Pani Samitis to manage rural utility assets, alongside reviving traditional structures like Johads and Tankas, ensures institutional ownership and climate resilience.

Conclusion

Achieving enduring water security necessitates harmonizing supply-side infrastructure with demand-side behavioral modification and water stewardship. Sustaining community governance and transparent resource monitoring will be vital to realizing Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) for all.

Key facts to remember

statistic

India's overall stage of groundwater extraction stands at 60.4%, with agriculture accounting for around 85% of total freshwater withdrawals.

— Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) Report 2024
statistic

Groundwater in 56% of districts across India reports nitrate concentrations exceeding permissible health limits, driven primarily by agricultural runoff and untreated wastewater.

— Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) Report 2024
scheme
Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)

Launched in 2019, the Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) delivering 55 litres per capita per day of potable water to every rural household, expanding rural tap coverage from 17% in 2019 to approximately 80% by 2025.

definition
Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR)

The intentional diversion and infiltration of surface water into underground aquifers for subsequent recovery or environmental benefit, mitigating groundwater overdraft and saltwater intrusion.

Frequently asked questions

How does community management improve rural water security?

Empowering local bodies such as Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) creates local ownership for the operation and maintenance of assets, ensures equitable distribution, and reduces pipeline downtime through rapid fault identification.

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