GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation

 RAJYA SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. 02*
ANSWERED ON JULY 07, 2014
QUESTION
Per Capita Availability of Water

*02. SHRI RAJEEV CHANDRASEKHAR

 Will the Minister of DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION be pleased to state: 

(a)   whether it is a fact that the per capita availability of drinking water has reduced during the last ten years; 

(b)   if so, the details thereof; 

(c)    the details of changes in per capita availability of drinking water during the last ten years, State-wise/UT -wise; and 

(d)   what measures are being taken to increase the availability and supply of drinking water?

 ANSWER
MINISTER FOR DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION
(SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

(a) to (d) A Statement is laid on the table of the House. 

 Statement referred to in the reply to Rajya Sabha Starred Question No. 2 due for answer on 07/07/2014 

(a) & (b) The per capita availability of water in the country was 1816 cubic meters as per 2001 Census which has reduced to 1545 cubic meters as per 2011 Census. This shows that per capita availability of water in the country is decreasing due to increase in population. Per capita availability of drinking water in the country is not monitored by the Ministry. However, under National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) guidelines, the per capita norm for drinking water is 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd). The total additional coverage of habitations with 40 lpcd in the erstwhile Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP) and NRDWP from 2004·05 onwards at Annexure I indicates that the per capita availability of drinking water in the last decade in the rural areas is increasing. 

(c) The per capita availability of drinking water in rural areas is not monitored by this Ministry. 

(d) Drinking Water Supply is a State subject. However under National Rural Drinking Water Programme, this Ministry provides financial and technical assistance to States to supplement their efforts to provide adequate safe drinking water to rural population. To increase the availability of drinking water, the Ministry has suggested to adopt water conservation measures like roof top rainwater harvesting, erecting sustainability structures for water conservation etc,. The State wise sustainability structures taken up from 2009-10 onwards are given at Annexure II. Moreover Hydro Geomorphological Maps (HGM) are being used for accurately locating new drinking water sources in the field. Government of India is taking steps to cover rural habitations and households with adequate safe drinking water supply on a continuous basis. In the last 5 years, the year-wise number of additional drinking water supply schemes which have been constructed is at annexure III. 

                 Achievement of Coverage of Habitation with Drinking Water Supply under NRDWP

                                                                                                                                               ANNEXURE- II

                                  Sustainability - Achievements - State-wise and Structures created from 2009-10 onwards

                                                                                                                                                           Annexure - III

                              Annexure referred to part (d) of Rajya Sabha Starred Q. No.2 due for answer on 07.07.2014

                             Water Schemes completed during 2009-10 to 2013-14 State-wise

Source: http://indiawater.gov.in Forrnat-B15