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Groundwater in Gujarat is contaminated due to depleting water tables and salinity ingress. A recent habitation survey has found 7,675 habitations suffering from high levels of fluoride, nitrate and salinity in groundwater. Besides, contamination of drinking water owing to poor hygiene and sanitation contributes to a large number of illnesses.
For tackling drinking water problems, the state is shifting from groundwater-based water supply systems to surface water-based systems that are planned, owned and managed by the community. Simultaneously, a Fluoride Mitigation Programme is being implemented across all endemic districts of the State.
To decentralise water testing and enable the community to keep vigilance on the quality of water right at the village level, a community-based water quality surveillance programme has been initiated in the project villages of WASMO since long. In order to re-establish the relation between poor sanitation and drinking water contamination, a UNICEF supported M-DAWS survey has recently been launched.
Moreover, Government of India launched the National Rural Drinking Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance Programme in March 2006. Thereafter, Gujarat Jalseva Training Institute (GJTI) was identified as the State level Referral Institute (SRI), whereas WASMO – the State Water and Sanitation Mission, is the nodal agency for implementing the programme.
This project a time frame of 5 years. However, the State is keen to squeeze it in the next 3 years so as to cover all villages. By the end of 2007-08, it is expected that around 5000 villages will be covered under this project. |
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