Unsafe Drinking Water & Death by Contamination | UPSC Editorials

Context: The three deaths in Chennai, during the first week of Dec 2024, due to suspected contaminated water supply, highlighting broader issues of water safety in urban India.

• There were also cases of outbreaks of E.coli contamination in Bengaluru, Kochi, Noida, and Vizianagaram, reflecting that it's a multi-state issue.

Read the article on the National Water Mission!

Key Challenges in Ensuring Safe Drinking Water in Indian Cities

Some of the major challenges in ensuring safe drinking water in Indian cities are:

• Infrastructure Strain: Growing urban population putting pressure on water systems that are inadequate.
  • Old water treatment plants operating below optimal efficiency.
  • Deteriorating pipelines leading to leakages and contamination.
• Contamination Types: Presence of both biological and chemical pollutants in water sources.
  • Arsenic detected in 230 districts across 25 states.
  • Fluoride contamination found in 469 districts across 27 states.
• Maintenance Problems: Regular occurrences of severe water contamination in cities.
• Resource Management: High levels of water wastage in distribution systems.
• Response Inadequacy: Official reactions often dismissing or downplaying concerns regarding water quality & efficiency of supply.
• Last mile quality Control: Inconsistent chlorination and treatment at local distribution points.
• Institutional fragmentation: Lack of coordination between municipal, state, and central authorities.

Read the article on Water Stress in India!

Global Context Surrounding India's Water Safety Challenges

The global context surrounding India’s water safety challenges are:

• WHO Statistics: 1.7 billion people globally use faecally contaminated water.
• Mortality Impact: One million annual deaths from unsafe water-related issues.
• UN Recognition: Human right to water and sanitation explicitly acknowledged.
• Health Implications: Strong link between water quality and public health.
• Universal Challenge: Common problem across tropical countries.

Read the article on the United Nations Water Development Report!

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UPSC Practice Questions

Despite increasing water coverage in urban India, ensuring its safety remains a critical challenge. Analyze the multi-dimensional aspects of urban water safety and suggest comprehensive measures to address this issue. (250 words, 15 marks)