Tap it for India: Puri’s tap water is safe to drink.

About the news:

In India, piped water isn’t universally available, and tap water isn’t potable in most of the country. Recently, Puri in Odisha has become the first Indian city to get 24×7 safe drinking water on tap.

Progress of tap connections in India:

UP, West Bengal and Rajasthan were the states that have the worst tap connections. But, ever since the formation of the Jal Shakti ministry, the Centre is pursuing tap connections in mission mode. Some states have seen major progress. In Bihar households with tap connections have increased from around 2% to 86%.

Why tap connections are important?

• Niti Aayog’s 2019 composite water management index noted India’s per person disease burden due to unsafe water and sanitation is 12 times higher than Sri Lanka’s and 40 times higher than China’s. The index also mentions that water-borne diseases like diarrhoea are a leading killer due to unsafe water and sanitation.
• Functional tap connections not only provide an increase in GDP but also protect millions from completely preventable diseases.