Rural Water Supply And Sanitation Programme

Introduction The provision of safe drinking water supply and sanitation facilities is a basic necessity of life and a crucial input in achieving the goal of “Health for All” Provision of safe drinking water and sanitation is a State subject and is the primary responsibility of the States. However, the Central Government has been supplementing the efforts of the States through financial and technological inputs under centrally sponsored schemes.

Two centrally sponsored programmes, namely, the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP) and the Central Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP). Substantial investment to the tune of about Rs.50,000 crore has been made in the rural water supply sector alone by the Central and State Governments since 1st Five Year Plan in approx. 37 lakh hand pumps and 1.45 lakh piped water supply schemes crediting the country with one of the largest rural drinking water supply networks in the world. While significant achievement has been made in terms of providing access to potable drinking water – with 95.34% rural habitations fully covered and another 4.28% partially covered, the sanitation coverage in rural areas continues to be a challenge, with only 22% of the rural population having access to basic sanitation, as per the 2001 Census.

During 2000-01, Rs.513 crore was released to the States. In 2001-02 Rs.636.7 crore has been allocated for this scheme and Rs.355 crore released as the first instalment.

Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP) The Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP), currently implemented through the Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission, in the Department of Drinking Water Supply, has been in operation since 1972- 73 in with 100% grants-in-aid to assist the States and UTs to accelerate the pace of coverage of safe and adequate drinking water supply facilities to the rural population. The programme focusses on the coverage of all rural habitations specially the un- reached ones, to ensure sustainability of the systems and sources, to tackle the problem of water quality and institutionalize water quality monitoring and surveillance through a Catchment Area Approach.

This programme has recently been revamped with an aim to usher in reforms by institutionalizing community participation in the rural water supply sector so as to gradually replace the government oriented, centralised, supply driven and non-people participating programme by a people oriented decentralised, demand driven and community based one. Community participation is envisaged in implementing, managing and maintaining the rural drinking water supply system. The Central allocation for this programme has been enhanced from Rs.1,960 crore in 2000-01 to Rs.1,975 crore in 2001-02. An amount of Rs.1,637crore has been released by the Centre and Rs.1,496 crore separately by the States, upto end of January, 2002. The number of habitations covered are 26,803 against a target of 45,527 and the population covered is 10.5 million as against a target of 21.6 million for the period. The entire programme was given a Mission approach when the Technology Mission on Drinking Water Management, called the National Drinking Water Mission (NDWM), was introduced as one of the five Missions in social sector in 1986.

National Drinking Water Mission (NDWM) Introduced as one of the five Missions in social sector in 1986. It gave shape to Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP) in 1972-73 to assist States and Union Territories with 100% grants-in-aid to implement drinking water supply schemes in such villages. NDWM was renamed as Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM) in 1991. Presently Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission (RGNDWM), Department of Drinking Water Supply, Ministry of Rural Development administers the Centrally Sponsored programmes in Rural Drinking Water Supply and Rural Sanitation, sectors.

Central Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP) During the International Water and Sanitation Decade in 1980s, Central Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP) was launched in 1986 in the Ministry of Rural Development to accelerate sanitation coverage in rural areas with the objective of improving quality of life of the rural people and also to provide privacy and dignity to women. It is meant for providing sanitation facilities in the rural habitation. All the inhabitants of the rural areas irrespective of cast, creed and sex get benefit of this programme. The programme was supply driven, highly subsidized, and gave emphasis for a single construction model.

Based on the feedback from various agencies, the programme was revised in March 1991 incorporating some changes in the subsidy pattern and also included village sanitation as one component. Based on the recommendation of the National Seminar on Rural Sanitation in September 1992, the programme was again revised. The revised programme aimed at an integrated approach of rural sanitation. Since, its inception and up to the end of the 9th Plan, 94.5 lakh latrines were constructed for rural households under the CRSP as well as corresponding State MNP. The total investment made has been Rs. 621 crore under the CRSP and Rs.1045 crore under the State sector MNP(Minimum Needs Programme). This has led to only a marginal increase in the rural sanitation coverage. On an average, annual increase in the rural sanitation coverage has been only 1 percent, which was insignificant.

The CRSP was restructured in 1999 with a provision for allocation based component of CRSP to be phased out by the end of the 9th Plan i.e. 2001- 2002. The Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) under restructured CRSP was launched with effect from 1.4.1999 following a community led and people centered approach. TSC moves away from the principle of state-wise allocation primarily based on poverty criterion to a “demand-driven” approach. The programme gives emphasis on Information, Education and Communication (IEC) for demand generation for sanitation facilities. It also gives emphasis on school sanitation and hygiene education for changing the behaviour of the people from the younger age itself. The components of TSC include start-up activities, IEC, Individual house hold latrines, community sanitary complex, school sanitation & hygiene education, Anganwadi toilets, Alternate delivery mechanism in the form of Rural Sanitary Marts and Production centers and administrative charges. Total sanitation campaign is being implemented in 451 districts of the country. The project outlay for 451 TSC projects sanctioned so far is Rs 4413.19 crore The Central, state and beneficiary contribution are Rs 2620.89 crore, Rs 979.90 crore and Rs 812.40 crore respectively. During the current year, 53 projects have been sanctioned. The physical and financial progress of the TSC projects is available on the Departmental web site at www.ddws.nic.in.

IX Plan The provision of potable drinking water to all villages has been identified as one of the priority tasks of the Government. At the beginning of the Ninth Plan there were about 85,000 Not Covered (NC), 391,000 Partially Covered (PC) and 140,000 Quality Problem (QP) habitations. The Ninth Plan seeks to cover all the NC, PC and QP habitations with safe drinking water facilities. In the first three years of the Ninth Plan, 62,000 NC and 242,000 PC habitations have been covered with water supply facilities.

As on 1st February 2002, there are 1,257,532 Full Covered (FC) habitations, 147,241 Partially Covered (PC),with a balance of 17,891 habitations as Non-Covered (NC) ones. The Rural School Sanitation Programme has been introduced as a major component and an entry point for wider acceptance by the rural masses. The Programme aims at constructions of toilets in all rural schools by the end of the Ninth Plan. The coverage of rural population with sanitation facilities was estimated to be about 17 per cent at the beginning of the Ninth Plan. This has increased by about 3 per cent or so during the Ninth Plan.

An area of concern is the re-emergence of uncovered villages in view of poor quality of construction, non involvement of people in design/operation/maintenance of assets and fast depletion of ground water levels leading to problems of arsenic and fluoride content being enhanced. This necessitates addressing of the problems of control on groundwater withdrawal, water harvesting and soil and water conservation, and community participation for management of drinking water as an economic asset.

The Rural School Sanitation Programme has been introduced as a major component and an entry point for wider acceptance by the rural masses. The Programme aims at constructions of toilets in all rural schools by the end of the Ninth Plan. The unit cost shall not exceed Rs.20,000 and the level of subsidy has been fixed in ratio of 60:30:10 for the Central, States and Panchayats /schools respectively. 10 per cent of the funds under TSC would be earmarked for school sanitation. Rs.135 crore have been allocated for CRSP by the Centre during 2001-02 up to September 2001 and Rs.6.8 crore under the Minimum Needs Programme(MNP) provision by the States. As against this, an amount of Rs.72.6 crore has been released by the Centre up to January, 2002.

The Rural Sanitation Programme was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development in 1986 to improve the quality of life of the rural poor and to provide privacy and dignity to the women. The revised Ninth Plan strategy envisages a shift from high subsidy to a low subsidy regime, a greater household involvement, intensive IEC campaigns, stress on software and emphasis on school sanitation. The Central Rural Sanitation Programme (CRSP) was restructured in 1999 and aims at providing adequate sanitation facilities to the rural poor, generate awareness about health education, eradicate manual scavenging by converting all existing dry latrines into low cost sanitary latrines. Total Sanitation Campaigns (TSCs) are being implemented in phases in the country. The TLC envisages a synergestic interaction between the Government machinery, active NGO participation, intensive IEC, provision of an alternative delivery system and more flexible, demand oriented construction norms. 58 pilot Districts have been identified by the States for implementation under phase I. This has been increased to 150 districts throughout the country. So far , 58 Project proposals under TSC from 1-4-99 to January, 2001 at a total cost of about Rs.606 crore have been approved.

X Plan The Xth Plan accords the highest priority to providing the “Not Covered”(NC) habitations with sustainable and stipulated supply of drinking water. It is envisaged to cover all the rural habitations including those, which might have been slipped back to NC/PC category by the end of X Plan.

The strategy to achieve the Tenth Plan objectives can be briefly summarized as: Accelerating coverage of the remaining Not Covered and Partially Covered habitations, including those slipped back from Fully Covered to Partially and Not Covered categories, with safe drinking water systems. To tackle problems of water quality in affected habitations and to institutionalize water quality monitoring and surveillance systems. To promote sustainability, both of systems and sources, to ensure continued supply of safe drinking water in covered habitations.

The Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana Rural Drinking Water Programme which has been introduced as a specific component of the new initiative for achievement of sustainable human development at the village level, launched by the Government in 2000-01. A minimum of 25 per cent of the total allocation for the component is to be utilized by the respective States/UTs on projects for water conservation, water harvesting, water recharge and sustainability of drinking water source in respect of Desert Development Programme (DDP) /Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP) areas and other water stress /drought affected areas and the balance 75 percent utilized for tackling water quality and extension of coverage of habitations.

Central Assistance under Sub-Mission Programme Approved capital cost of treatment plants — desalination, defluoridation, arsenic; and, iron removal O&M cost of desalination plants Cost of water conservation measures Cost of holding awareness camps, epidemiological surveys and water quality testing Water testing laboratories — non-recurring cost of equipment and recurring cost on technical staff, chemicals, etc; Mobile water quality testing laboratories.

SWAJALDHARA The Government of India has been emphasizing the need for taking up community based rural water supply programmes. A beginning was made in 1999 by sanctioning Sector Reform pilot Projects on experimental basis. With the experience gained, the reform initiatives in the rural drinking water supply sector has now been opened up through out the country by launching the Swajaldhara programme on 25.12.2002. The key Principles of the programme are: adoption of demand responsive, adaptable approach along with community participation based on empowerment of villages to ensure their full participation in the project through a decision making role in the choice of the drinking water scheme, planning, design, implementation, control of finances and management arrangements; full ownership of drinking water assets with appropriate level of panchayats; panchayats/communities to have the powers to plan, implement, operate, maintain and manage all Water Supply and Sanitation schemes; partial capital cost sharing either in cash or kind including labour or both, 100% responsibility of operation and maintenance by the users; an integrated service delivery mechanism; taking up conservation measures through rain water harvesting and ground water recharge systems for sustained drinking water supply; shifting the role of Government from direct service delivery to that of planning, policy formulation, monitoring and evaluation, and partial financial support.

Three Programmes of the Prime Minister The Honourable Prime Minister in his Independent Day Address (15.8.2002) announced three programmes viz. Installation of one Lakh Hand Pumps, providing drinking water facilities to one lakh Primary Schools and revival of one Lakh traditional sources of Water. Thereafter EFC memo for the programmes was prepared and the case was processed for Cabinet Approval. CCEA gave the approval in June, 2003. The guidelines for implementation of the programmes have since been prepared and circulated to all the States. The programme hadto be completed in two years i.e. 2003- 2005. The total cost involved is Rs. 800 Crore. Rs. 80 Crore (10%) will be the community contribution. Specific provision of Rs. 700 Crore have been made in the Budget. The remaining Rs.. 20 Crore are to be met from the ARWSP. These programmes had to be completed by the end of current financial year.

Human Resource Development (HRD) and IEC A National Human Resource Development Programme (NHRDP) was launched in 1994. The primary focus of NHRDP is to build-up the capacity and capability of rural beneficiaries to promote more active community participation and on elevating the performance and productivity levels of sector professionals with a view to ensure sustainability of water supply and sanitation schemes. The programme has now been revamped by introducing the concept of Communication and Capacity Development Unit (CCDU). The guidelines for setting up of CCDU guidelines have been issued. The CCDU will take up the activities of HRD and IEC( Informational, Educational & Communicational).

Research and Development (R&D) It was realized that the objective of providing necessary scientific and technological inputs required to improve the performance, cost effectiveness and management practices of the on-going programmes would not be achieved without the R&D input and support. A series of R&D initiatives have therefore been taken to provide the necessary scientific and technological inputs into the Mission programmes. The R&D programme is focused on sustainability issues, control of fluoride, arsenic and other quality problems, reviving traditional technologies etc. with innovative ideas focusing on Action Research oriented R&D projects

Management Information System/ Computerisation The Management Information System (MIS) is extremely important for planning, effective monitoring of the implementation of the various components of the programme. A quick to and fro flow of information between the Mission and the States will be established by using the state of the art Information Technology (IT). It will be ensured that public has access to habitation-wise data through NIC and there is effective communication system using NICNET. The MIS project consists of Selection of Hardware, Selection of Operating System, Preparation of Software Requirement Specifications (SRS) Document, and Development of Customised Application Software.

Documentation and Information Centre (DIC) To shoulder the enormous task of documenting and monitoring the drinking water supply and sanitation programme implementation, the Department felt the need for dissemination of and access to information about issues related to the sector. Accordingly, it entrusted the responsibility of setting up a documentation centre on drinking water and sanitation to the Indian National Scientific Documentation Centre (INSDOC), under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Facilities are also being made to store and disseminate information to various organizations by storing information in CD ROMs.