In a startling revelation, a government statistics said that Assam is the third state in India after Rajasthasn and West Bengal which is not able to provide safe drinking water to a huge habitation.
As many as 8772 habitations in Assam don’t get safe drinking water. 20498 habitations in Rajasthan and 9726 habitations in West Bengal don’t get safe drinking water.
On the other hand state governments in Sikkim, Manipur and Mizoram are able to provide safe drinking water to its 100 per cent habitations.
A total of 23438 habitations in Assam are getting safe drinking water less than 40 litre per capita per day and 55889 habitations are getting safe drinking water more than 40 litre per capita per day, the statistics said.
Aware of the fact, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitations has launched media campaigns at National level using Audio Visual (TV) and Audio (Radio) to educate people on the importance of water, its judicious usage and necessity of its optimum use and conservation.
“States are also carrying out IEC campaign through hoardings, wall writing, slogans, picture frames, group meetings, street plays, participatory rural appraisal and exhibitions towards furthering water literacy among rural population,” said a senior official in the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitations.
Significantly, training of members of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Gram Panchayat Water & SanitationCommittee (GPWSC), Village Water & Sanitation Committee (VWSC) on water quality are carried out by the States.
“Further, interpersonal communication on water quality issues including health related diseases is also carried out by the States. Above all, every year World Water Day is observed on March 22 by the states in which campaign on water literacy is carried out stressing upon the need of drinking water management,” said the official.