Full Coverage: Water/sanitation

24.05.2006 India has 4% of the world’s total water and 15% of the world’s population. Drinking water ‘coverage’ in India was 18 percent in 1974, has now become 95 percent. About 80%-90% of domestic water in rural India is from ground water sources. With the installation of three million India Mark-II hand pumps for domestic water and 20 million power driven pumps for irrigation, the water table has fallen from an average of 10 metres to 80 metres (UNICEF-1998). This exacerbated the availability of water in aquifers and resulted in higher concentration of chemicals, including fluoride, arsenic, and iron.

18.05.2006 The Netherlands government plans to fund Bangladesh NGO BRAC for its new WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Programme) initiative in response to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). BRACÂ’s WASH Programme plans to achieve the Environmental Sustainability target set under the MDGs.

12.05.2006 Water scarcity is not something new. It haunts many places in Gujarat. But what is new is that inspite of water shortage there are many villages in Gujarat which have faced the drought successfully. These villages could save themselves from the drought because they welcomed the Roof Rain Water Harvesting Structure (RRWHS) introduced by the Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP), says Aditi Varma from Charkha.

11.05.2006 The Indian Supreme Court stopped construction work at a gigantic mall project in New Delhi after it was discovered that the project had not taken the mandatory Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) clearances. The decision by the court came after a petition was filed by two environment NGOs.

11.05.2006 On UN World Water Day 2006, WaterAid has released a report exposing the international donor community for consistently failing to serve the needs of the world's poorest people.Who is doing their bit? reveals that in the years since world governments signed the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) to halve by 2015 the proportion of people without access to basic water and sanitation, the proportion of total international aid to these vital services has actually decreased.