public health engineering department - Assam Online Portal

As-Is and e-Readiness Study report on Public Health EngineeringDepartment, Govt. of Assam1. GoalTo provide every rural person with adequate water for drinking, cooking and otherdomestic basic needs on a sustainable basis. This basic requirement should meet certainminimum water quality standards and be available at all times, in all situations, inwhich it is readily and conveniently accessible.2. Basic principlesi) Water is a public good and every person has the right to demand drinking waterii) It is the life-line activity of the Government to ensure that this basic need of thepeople is metiii) To increase economic productivity and improve public health, there is an urgent needto immediately enhance access to safe and adequate drinking water as such Governmentshould give highest priority to the meeting of this basic need for the most vulnerable anddeprived groups in the society.iv) The ethic of fulfillment of drinking water needs to all should not be commercialized anddenied to those who cannot afford to pay for such service. Willingness to pay under adverseconditions cannot be interpreted as affordability to pay.v) Drinking water supply cannot be left to the market force as it does not recognize theimportance of providing livelihoods supply to all, nor does it ascribe an appropriate valueto health of the people. The commodification of water will shift the focus to profits to bemade from the scarce resource rather than human rights to water for livelihood.vi) As, such the emphasis is more on Public- Public Partnership than commercialization of thedrinking water supply programme by the private agencies.vii) Maintenance cost of the water supply system should have an inbuilt component of crosssubsidyto ensure that the economically backward groups are not deprived of this basicminimum needs.3. Visioni) To ensure permanent drinking water security in rural India.ii) For ensuring drinking water security, it is necessary that measures to improve/augment existing drinking water sources are taken up and conjunctive use of groundwater,surface-water, rain water harvesting is adopted based on the village water budgetingand security plan prepared by the community.iii) It is also important that the system delivers services for its entire design period andthe quality of water is in conformity with the prescribed standards at both at the supply andconsumption points.iv) The issue of potability, reliability, sustainability, convenience, equity and consumerspreference should be the guiding principles while planning for a community based water supplysystem.Ref.: AEDC/AOP/EOI/2009/10 Copyright : AEDC Ltd. 24