Tackling Water Insecurity in Rural India

Context

The 78th round of the National Sample Survey (2020-21) reveals that more than 41% of rural households lack safe drinking water within their homes.

Water Insecurity in Rural India: Background

• Share of Water Resources in India: India makes up 18% of the world’s population, with a share of water resources of less than 5%.
• Geographical Inequalities in Water access: The Geographical disparities in household access to safe water, though declining, continue to persist.
  • The distance to the principal source of drinking water for these households falls in the range of 0.2 to 1.5 km or more. 

Issues Related to Water Insecurity in Rural India

• Considered as a Gendered Activity: In water-scarce areas, water collection is seen as a gendered task, mainly undertaken by women and girls.
  • Academic Performance Hampered: Girls’ school attendance and academic performance suffer due to water-related challenges.
  • Gender Based Violence: Women are vulnerable to gender-based violence during water collection, affecting their mental health.
• Stress among Households: Water scarcity leads to significant stress among households.
• Affects Household Dynamics: Water insecurity impacts women’s daily lives, household dynamics, and social relationships.
• Open Defecation Issues: Research suggests that lack of access to adequate water leads to the practice of open defecation. This in turn leads to other issues such as:
  • Women practising open defecation face psychosocial stress.
  • There is an increased risk of non-partner sexual violence.
  • Health impacts like diarrhoea, typhoid, and cholera, as well as menstrual health issues.

Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM): Scheme for Water Management

• Household Connections: JJM focuses on providing household tap connections for drinking water, reducing women’s drudgery and creating time for productive activities.
• Benefits of JJM Scheme for Women: It also increases women’s participation in community engagement, including gram panchayat and self-help group activities.
  • Women who performed well on overall empowerment indicators also spent less time seeking water and showed a better mental health index.
  • Case Study: Access to safe drinking water in 3 districts in Tamil Nadu shows that there is a positive correlation between water access and sanitation access.
• Pani Samitis: Women are empowered through involvement in Pani Samitis, responsible for planning, implementation, operations, maintenance, and monitoring at the village level.
• Periodic Water Quality Monitoring: JJM guidelines recommend training at least five women from each village in periodic water quality monitoring. This empowers women while ensuring the delivery of quality water to rural households.

Conclusion

Measuring progress against gender goals extends beyond mere reporting on water access or quality. It’s essential that advancements in these areas lead to tangible socio-economic improvements for women.