Nal se Jal: Piped water to every rural home in India

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Dear colleagues

Nal se Jal: Piped water to every rural home in India: what do you think are the main challenges to be solved to deliver this?

I read with interest the recent news reports about the Government of India's Nal se Jal initiative to get piped water supply to every home in India in the next five years.  As the country that gave the world the India Mark II handpump, this a huge step - but what do you see as the main challenges? Is water resources? Skills? Governance?

Many other countries around the world are looking to switch from point-source to piped water supplies, so we will be watching with interest.

Sean Furey

Director, Rural Water Supply Network

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7 Answers

  3. Two types of projects can be foreseen Nal Se Jal-micro and mini piped water supply  and surface water based mega piped water supply schemes.  Both have their own sets challenges.

    Non-functionality appears to be the major issue for mini and micro sized projects whereas poor water quality likely to affect the mega schemes. Its is time that industry prepares for this.

         

    2 Comments

    2. Challenges -

      Less Community Engagement -

      Community engagement in planning and designing of water supply scheme is essential for sustainability of any water supply scheme. This has not happened in the past. Community have lost faith from government and their functioning which has resulted in less involvement.   

      Poor Operation and Maintenance of Water Supply facilities-

      Currently VWSC's at Gram Panchayat level are responsible for O&M of water supply scheme. However VWSC are not active in most of the states in India.  Which is creating poor service delivery, poor tariff recovery and no O&M of facilities leading to failure of the scheme.

      Convergence of Schemes and Programs-

      Every government department is working in set format. It is necessary to widened their approach and contribute in development of village in integrated way. The officials need to work together with community and plan together for sustainable village development. 

  4. What do I see the main challenges to " Nal se Jal " in India?

     

    1. Corruption

    2. Lack of transparency

    3. Lack of independent evaluation

    4. No funds for maintenance

    5. Multiple water organizations working in silos

    6. Political economy

    7. Out-dated water institutions and organizations

    8. Engineering approach instead of Management approach

    9. Poor capacity building of engineers of States

    10. 30 years of complacent service of engineers of both union and state

    11. Politico-contractor-bureaucratic-engineer nexus at grassroots

    12. Publicity and propaganda highlighting only success stores but not failures

     

    .......SUMMING UP THE MAJOR CHALLENGE IS INDIA'S MIS-GOVERNANCE.

     

  5. There are problems associated with a universal piped supply which are not always appreciated. Once a family has water on demand they will install a flush toilet and other water hungry devices which, in turn means that they need connection to a sewer system to carry the wastewater away and the sewage produced will need treatment. The second problem concerns payment for the water which is a big problem in nearly all developing countries as the populace expect potable water for free. We then get into the endless debates about metering and tariff structures.

    1 Comment

  6. Piped water supply is the best for urban / rural area in specified non scattered population. Piped water supply need assured and sustainable water source supported by professional managements/ maintenance / technical  team. When population is scattered running cost of piped water supply is prohibitive for the technical and financial viability and it's local sources need additional measures to keep it sustainable. There should be flexibility to select assured water supply, which is main aims not which type of system is adopted. 

    1 Comment

  7. Some of the challenges:

    1. Monetary resources,  and its efficient allocation

    2. Sustainable water source

    3. Sustainable operations -  willingness to pay and affordability

    4. Sustained efforts across the board - penchant for immediate results

    5. Demand management

    2 Comments

    1. For politicians, nothing short of their commitment to the sector. An understanding that while water is a common and social good in developing countries, the increasing shortage makes it an economic good too. Hence water needs to be priced.  Especially piped water.

      For professionals - Maharashtra's SNA (Campaign for clean water) is something to be supported and emulated. It was designed as a reform-based investment in the sense that milestones in reform need to be reached prior to capitalinvestment. The Net has documents on this.