There is an urgent need to develop and implement new ways of storing, conserving protecting and distributing water.

Infrastructure of Rural Drinking Water supply:

• Earlier, drinking water to the rural population has been provided through hand pumps, tube wells and piped water supply.
• But now the thrust area is piped water supply, preferably through a balanced mix of sustainable surface and groundwater based resources.
• 18% of rural households had been provided with Piped Water Supply (PWS) household connections.
• There is also significant variation in piped water coverage across States.
• The Central Government aims to cover 90% rural households with piped water supply and 80% rural households with tap connections by 2022.
• It is recorded that more than 80% of rural habitations have been covered under the National Rural Development Water Programme (NRDWP) in other words created drinking water infrastructure in the rural areas followed by partially covered habitations (15.59 %).
• It is further noted that 60,365 quality affected habitations with arsenic, fluoride, brackishness, iron, etc. had been provided safe drinking water.
• If it goes at this pace, piped drinking water (‘Har Ghar Jar) could be provided to the rural people of the country before 2030.

Drinking Water Infrastructure under SWAJAL in Aspirational districts:

• The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MoDWS) launched SWAJAL, which is a community demand driven, decentralized, single village, preferably solar powered, mini Piped water supply programme for the 112 aspirational districts in 27 States identified by NITI Aayog.
• The aspirational districts have low coverage of habitations with piped water supply as compared to National Coverage.
• Gram Panchayats in partnership with rural communities and State Sectoral agencies are being involved in the execution of the scheme and also operate and maintain the scheme.
• Swajal would ideally be implemented as groundwater based Piped Water Supply (PWS) scheme in all the habitations of these districts.
• The States Governments are advised to access the funds under the “Flexi Funds” under NRDWP.
• 5% of the funds (both Central and state share put together) under NRDWP can be utilized by the State for funding Swajal.
• In order to build the capacity of the field officials, a first of its kind Training of Trainers (ToTs) programme has been organized by the Ministry with assistance from UNICEF in the recent past.

Infrastructure of Water through Convergence, for Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM):

• The availability of enough water for sanitation purposes needs to be taken into account on priority.
• A conjoint approach to water and sanitation is being adopted through convergence with the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) and the SBM (Gramin).
• Villages which have been declared ODF are given priority for Piped Water Schemes under NRDWP.
• The field observations revealed that this incentivised approach has motivated/boosted the people to achieve open defecation free and getting PWSS.

Operation and Maintenance (O&M) of Infrastructure of Rural Drinking Water Supply:

• An efficient O&M of a water supply system is to provide safe drinking water as per designed quality and quantity.
• Operation: It refers to the timely and daily operation of the components of a Water Supply system such as head works, treatment plant, machinery and equipment, conveying mains, service reservoirs and distribution system etc., effectively by various technical personnel, as a routine function.
• Maintenance: It is defined as the act of keeping the structures, plants, machinery and equipment and other facilities in optimum working order. It includes preventive /routine maintenance and breakdown
• As per the records, expenditure for O&M on running, repair and replacement costs of drinking water supply projects, the States allocate a maximum of 15% NRDWP allocation. This is being shared by 50:50 (Central and State).
• The community-based O&M of drinking water projects, undertaken by Gram Panchayats, is an initiative aimed at enhancing the provision of safe drinking water to rural communities through community-managed drinking water projects.
• The Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC), a Committee under State Panchayat Raj Act, undertakes the following activities assist the Panchayat in such activities.