Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

How safe are the global water coverage figures? Case study from Madhya Pradesh, India

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

    We’re sorry, something doesn't seem to be working properly.

    Please try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, please contact support so we can address the problem.

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO)/United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply and Sanitation was designed to provide reference figures for access in individual countries to safe water. The JMP is based on non-administrative or nongovernment data from national-level surveys such as the Multiple Indicator Clusters Survey (MICS) or Demographic Health Survey. In the 2007 JMP report, India is noted to have water supply coverage of 89% (95% in urban areas and 85% in rural areas) compared to the Government of India estimates of 95%. The central state of Madhya Pradesh is noted by the Government of India to have coverage of 60%. However, the definition of access to safe water currently does not consider the quality or safety of the water being consumed. This paper, therefore, presents results from the application of a statistical tool (random multiple cluster technique—termed Rapid Assessment of Drinking Water Quality [RADWQ]) to Indore Zone in Madhya Pradesh. When results provided by the RADWQ technique are compared to the JMP MICS data, coverage levels reported in the JMP are reduced by up to 40% due to the high risk of microbiological (thermotolerant coliforms) contamination. In Indore Zone, the coverage of safe water reduced from 42% to 25% through the inclusion of the water safety parameters. The study recommends the inclusion of water quality/safety data in reported data under the UNICEF/WHO JMP.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bartram, J., & Balance, R. (1996). Water quality monitoring: A practical guide to the design and implementation of freshwater quality studies and monitoring programmes. London: Chapman & Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumgart, H., & Sperling, F. (1984). Monitoring stations and water quality measurements on the river Lippe: Equipment-results-costs. Water Science and Technology, 16, 327–346.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) (1991). Drinking water quality standards.

  • Canter, L. (1985). River water quality monitoring. Chelsea: Lewis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, Y. X., Lin, M. Q., He, Z. L., Xiao, Y. D., Chen, C., Min, D., et al. (1996). Relationship between total fluoride intake and dental fluorosis in areas polluted by airborne fluoride. Fluoride, 29(1), 7–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dissanayake, C. B., & Rohana, C. (1999). Medical geochemistry of tropical environments. Earth-Science Reviews, 47, 219–258

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Government of India (CENSUS) (2001). National census data. New Delhi, India: Government of India.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herricks, E. (1982). Biological monitoring: Receiving system methodology based on community structure. Water Research, 16, 141–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howard, G., Ince, M., & Smith, M. (2003). Rapid assessment of drinking water quality: A handbook for implementation. Unpublished draft, WHO/UNICEF/WEDC, WEDC, Loughborough University, UK.

  • Kahama, R. W., Karuiki, D. N., & Njenga, L. W. (1997). Fluorosis in children and sources of fluoride around lake Elimentaite region of Kenya. Fluoride, 30(1), 19–25

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ortiz, D., Castro, L., Turrubiartes, F., Milan, J., & Diaz Barriga, F. (1998). Assessment of exposure to fluoride from drink water in Durango, Mexico, using a geographic information system. Fluoride, 31(4), 183–187.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Planning Commission, Government of India (2007). Eleventh five-year plan (2007–2012), rural drinking water and sanitation.

  • Sanders, T. G. (1980). Water quality as a stochastic process. In Proceedings of the ASCE national convention, 14–18 April. Portland, OR.

  • Sanders, T., Ward, R., Loftis, R., Steele, T., Adrian, D., & Yevjevich, V. (1983). Design of networks for monitoring water quality. Highlands Ranch: Water Resources Publications LLC.

    Google Scholar 

  • US Geological Survey (1977). Elements needed in design of a ground-water-quality monitoring network in the Hawaiian Islands. Water-Supply Paper 2041.

  • WaterAid India (2005). Water and sanitation in Madhya Pradesh: A profile of the state, institutions and policy environment. India: WaterAid Publication.

    Google Scholar 

  • WaterAid India (2006). Water and sanitation in rural areas of Madhya Pradesh. India: WaterAid Publication.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitfield, P.H. (1988). Goals and data collection design for water quality monitoring. Water Resources Bulletin, 24(4), 775–780.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • WHO (2004). Guidelines for drinking water quality: Recommendations (Vol. 1, 3rd Ed.). Geneva: World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/gdwq3rev/en/index.html.

  • WHO (2005). Water-related diseases, fluorosis; the disease and how it affects people. Geneva: World Health Organization.

    Google Scholar 

  • WHO/UNICEF (2008). Joint monitoring programme for water supply and sanitation (JMP), progress on drinking water and sanitation: Special focus on sanitation. New York: WHO/UNICEF.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. UNICEF, 1440 Zimbabwe Avenue, Maputo, Mozambique

    Sam Godfrey

  2. Geo-environment Management Division (GEM), National Environmental Engineering and Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, 440020, India

    Pawan Labhasetwar, Satish Wate & Sarika Pimpalkar

Authors
  1. Sam Godfrey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Pawan Labhasetwar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Satish Wate
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sarika Pimpalkar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pawan Labhasetwar.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Godfrey, S., Labhasetwar, P., Wate, S. et al. How safe are the global water coverage figures? Case study from Madhya Pradesh, India. Environ Monit Assess 176, 561–574 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1604-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1604-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation