[Answered] Analyze the systemic challenges of water contamination in India’s piped supply. Evaluate the significance of shifting monitoring from the source to the delivery point in ensuring the long-term success of the Jal Jeevan Mission and safeguarding public health.”

Introduction

Despite Jal Jeevan Mission gains, India faces persistent water contamination, causing disease and deaths, revealing systemic governance failures where access has improved faster than quality assurance and last-mile public health safeguards.

Systemic Challenges: Infrastructure and Governance Deficit

1. Aging pipeline infrastructure: Old, corroded and leaking pipes allow sewage ingress and chemical contamination, especially during intermittent supply cycles common in Indian cities.
2. Intermittent water supply model: Non-continuous supply creates negative pressure, drawing contaminants into pipelines, unlike 24×7 systems recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
3. Fragmented institutional responsibility: Urban local bodies manage supply, State departments regulate quality, and pollution control boards monitor sources, leading to accountability gaps.
4. Reactive regulatory culture: Monitoring often follows outbreaks, as seen in Indore (2025) and earlier jaundice outbreaks in Bhopal and Odisha, reflecting weak preventive surveillance.

Public Health Burden: Silent but Severe

1. High disease load: According to the WHO and UNICEF, unsafe water and sanitation cause nearly 2 lakh deaths annually in India, mainly from diarrhoeal diseases.
2. Urban poor vulnerability: Slums and low-income settlements, though connected to piped water, face higher exposure due to illegal connections and low-pressure supply, violating the principle of environmental justice.
3. Economic costs: NITI Aayog estimates water-related illnesses impose significant productivity losses, reinforcing the poverty-health trap.

Limits of Source-Based Monitoring

1. False sense of safety: Municipal supply is classified as an “improved source” under NFHS, yet contamination often occurs after treatment, within the distribution network.
2. Inadequate testing frequency: Current protocols emphasize raw water and treatment plants, ignoring last-mile contamination risks.
3. Regulatory mismatch: BIS 10500 drinking water standards exist, but enforcement at household delivery points remains weak.

Delivery-Point Monitoring: A Paradigm Shift

1. Public health logic: Testing water where citizens actually consume it aligns with the precautionary principle recognised by the Supreme Court in Vellore Citizens’ Welfare Forum v. Union of India.
2. Early warning mechanism: Chlorine residual testing, microbial indicators like E. coli, and real-time sensors can detect failures before outbreaks occur.
3. Accountability enhancement: Delivery-point testing fixes responsibility on service providers, strengthening duty of care under Article 21’s right to life.
4. Global best practice: Countries like Singapore and the UK mandate continuous distribution monitoring, ensuring trust in tap water systems.

Implications for Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)

1. From access to assurance: JJM’s next phase must evolve from “Har Ghar Jal” to “Har Ghar Safe Jal”, integrating quality metrics.
2. Community-based surveillance: Village Water and Sanitation Committees and urban RWAs can conduct field test kits monitoring, as piloted in Gujarat and Telangana.
3. Digital water governance: Integration of IoT sensors, GIS mapping and water quality dashboards aligns with the Digital India vision.

Way Forward: Institutional and Legal Reforms

1. Continuous supply transition: Move towards 24×7 water systems to prevent ingress contamination.
2. Legal enforceability: Make BIS water standards statutorily binding, not advisory.
3. Capacity building: Train urban local bodies in water safety planning, as recommended by the Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO).
4. Citizen awareness: Public disclosure of water quality data to uphold the right to information.

Conclusion

As Justice P.N. Bhagwati stressed, the right to life includes health and dignity. Delivery-point water monitoring transforms Jal Jeevan Mission from infrastructure delivery into a genuine public health guarantee.