Water quality in India

The National Water Policy has assigned the highest priority for drinking water supply needs followed by irrigation, hydro-power, navigation and industrial and other uses. In the successive five year plans and the intervening annual plans, efforts have been made to rapidly develop water supply and sanitation systems. In the context of the "International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade", the Government of India launched the decade programmes in April, 1981 with a view to achieving population coverage of 100 percent water supply facilities in urban and rural areas, 80 per cent sanitation facilities in urban areas and 25 per cent sanitation facilities in rural areas respectively by the end of the decade i.e. March, 1991. However, due to financial and other constraints the targets originally set for the decade were scaled down to 90 per cent in the case of urban water supply and 85 per cent in the case of rural water supply, 50 per cent in the case of urban sanitation and 5 per cent in the case of rural sanitation respectively. As per policy adopted provision for drinking water is to be made in all water resources projects. The drinking water requirements of most of the mega cities/cities in India are met from reservoirs of irrigation/multi-purpose schemes existing in near by areas and eve by long distance transfer. Delhi getting drinking water from Tehri Dam and Chennai city from Krishna Water through Telugu Ganga Project are typical example.

(Above info. is quoted from a Govt. of India website.)