National Rural Drinking Water Programme

The National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) is a flagship initiative of the Government of India aimed at ensuring the provision of safe and adequate drinking water to rural populations across the country. Established to address the persistent challenges of potable water availability in villages, the programme integrates sustainability, water quality monitoring, and participatory community approaches in its design. It forms a critical component of India’s broader rural development and public health strategies, seeking to improve quality of life and reduce water-borne diseases.

Background and Evolution

The origins of the NRDWP can be traced to India’s long-standing efforts to provide rural communities with safe drinking water, beginning with the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP) launched in 1972–73. The ARWSP focused primarily on infrastructure creation, aiming to supply safe drinking water to habitations affected by scarcity and contamination. Over time, the focus shifted towards sustainability, decentralisation, and community participation.
In 2009, the ARWSP was restructured and expanded as the National Rural Drinking Water Programme under the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (now the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti). The restructuring sought to enhance service delivery by integrating quality, quantity, reliability, and sustainability into a single framework.

Objectives and Key Features

The NRDWP is designed to ensure adequate, safe, and sustainable drinking water for every rural household. Its major objectives include:

• Providing every rural person with 55 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water.
• Ensuring potable water security through sustainable sources such as groundwater and surface water.
• Monitoring and maintaining water quality standards, reducing contamination from fluoride, arsenic, iron, and nitrates.
• Promoting decentralised planning and implementation by empowering Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).
• Encouraging community ownership and participation in the operation and maintenance of rural water supply systems.
• Integrating water conservation, rainwater harvesting, and groundwater recharge to achieve long-term sustainability.

The programme adopts a sector-wide approach, linking water supply with sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to achieve holistic rural well-being.

Institutional Framework and Implementation Mechanism

The NRDWP operates as a centrally sponsored scheme, with financial sharing between the central and state governments. The typical funding pattern has been 50:50 for most states, 90:10 for north-eastern and Himalayan states, and 100% central assistance for Union Territories.
Implementation is carried out through:

• State Water and Sanitation Missions (SWSMs) – responsible for policy and coordination.
• State Water and Sanitation Support Organisations (WSSOs) – providing technical and social mobilisation support.
• District Water and Sanitation Missions (DWSMs) – overseeing district-level execution.
• Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) – community-level bodies ensuring participation and sustainability.

Components of the Programme

The NRDWP comprises several components to achieve its objectives comprehensively:

1. Coverage Component: Focused on providing safe water supply to uncovered, partially covered, and water quality-affected habitations.
2. Sustainability Component: Aimed at strengthening source sustainability through water conservation, groundwater recharge, and catchment protection.
3. Quality Component: Targeting areas affected by chemical or bacteriological contamination through installation of treatment plants and provision of alternative sources.
4. Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Component: Supporting regular maintenance of existing water supply systems.
5. Support Component: Involving training, capacity building, awareness creation, and information, education, and communication (IEC) activities.
6. Natural Calamity Component: Addressing emergency water needs during droughts, floods, and other disasters.

Water Quality and Monitoring

Ensuring water quality is a central pillar of the NRDWP. The programme mandates regular testing of drinking water sources through district laboratories and Field Test Kits (FTKs) at the village level. The Online Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) tracks coverage, water quality, and physical progress.
Contaminants such as fluoride, arsenic, iron, salinity, and nitrates are closely monitored, and specific action plans are developed for affected regions. For instance, fluoride mitigation projects in Rajasthan and arsenic mitigation in West Bengal have been key focus areas under NRDWP interventions.

Convergence and Linkages

The NRDWP functions in coordination with other national schemes to achieve water security and rural welfare. Key convergences include:

• Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) for sanitation and hygiene.
• MGNREGA for water harvesting and watershed development.
• Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), launched in 2019, which subsumed NRDWP to achieve Har Ghar Jal (Tap Water for Every Household) by 2024.

Under JJM, the focus expanded from habitation-based coverage to household-level tap connections, marking a shift from quantity-based to service-delivery-based outcomes. However, NRDWP remains foundational to the policy framework and continues to guide state-level planning and rural water management.

Achievements and Impact

Since its inception, the NRDWP has significantly improved rural water access across India. By the mid-2010s, more than 80% of rural habitations were reported to have access to safe drinking water. The programme led to:

• Reduction in water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera.
• Enhanced women’s empowerment through reduced time spent fetching water.
• Strengthened local governance and community participation in rural infrastructure.

States such as Tamil Nadu, Punjab, and Himachal Pradesh achieved near-universal coverage, while ongoing challenges persisted in parts of Rajasthan, Jharkhand, and Assam due to hydro-geological and contamination issues.

Challenges and Criticisms

Despite substantial progress, the NRDWP faced several operational and structural challenges:

• Sustainability Issues: Many water supply schemes suffered due to poor maintenance and depletion of groundwater sources.
• Quality Problems: Persistent contamination in some regions highlighted gaps in regular testing and quality assurance.
• Institutional Weaknesses: Limited technical capacity and delayed fund release hampered effective implementation.
• Equity Concerns: Remote and tribal areas often lagged behind in service delivery.
• Data Reliability: Inconsistent reporting under IMIS occasionally led to discrepancies between official data and ground realities.

Independent evaluations by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in 2018 noted that only around 44% of rural households had access to safe and adequate drinking water, urging better monitoring and convergence with emerging programmes.