308 districts in India facing shortage of potable water

NEW DELHI: Over 300 districts in 13 states of the country, including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, are facing shortage of drinking water, the Rajya Sabha was informed today.

"...as reported by the States, 308 districts are affected in respect of shortage of drinking water supply in 13 States (Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Maharashtra," Union Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation Ram Kripal Yadav said while responding to queries on drinking water crisis and Government's plans to resolve it.

Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have reported the most number of districts, 50 and 46 respectively, affected due to water shortage, he said.

In Maharashtra and Karnataka, 33 and 27 districts are grappling with the situation respectively.

Yadav said, the Union Ministry assists state governments technically and financially through centrally-sponsored schemes like National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP).

Ten per cent of the allocation under the scheme is for sustainability is to be used exclusively to achieve drinking water security in areas identified by states reeling under hardships, Yadav said.

He said state governments constructed/executed 9914 sustainability structures including 824 pits and trenches, 682 check dams, 82 percolation tanks, 107 village ponds/traditional water bodies and 628 rooftop (rainwater harvesting) structures during 2015-16 with the 10 percent funds of sustainability component under NRDWP allocation.