The Hindu Business Line : CAG finds gaping holes in rural water supply scheme

New Delhi, Dec. 27 Even as the Union Cabinet on Friday cleared a Rs 6,000-crore investment for repair, renovation and restoration of water bodies across the country as part of the programme to recharge groundwater and ensure increased availability of drinking water, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has found gaping holes in the implementation of the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Scheme (ARWSP).

The basic remit of ARWSP include coverage of all rural habitations with access to safe drinking water, sustainability of drinking water systems and sources, tackling the issue of quality in affected habitations and institutionalising the reform initiative in the rural drinking water supply sector.

A performance audit of ARWSP, covering the period from April 2002 to March 2007, in as many as 26 States, revealed that out of the total Central assistance of Rs 16,104 crore during the period under review, State governments could utilise only 70 per cent at Rs 11,320 crore.

Despite the investment of more than Rs 66,000 crore in the rural water supply sector since the First Five-Year Plan, there is “considerable need for improvement in rural drinking water supply”, CAG said in its report on the scheme, presented to Parliament recently.

‘surveys crucial’

Stating that surveys of habitations at periodic intervals are crucial in assessing groundwater level coverage of access to safe drinking water, the audit found there were significant deficiencies in the conduct of 2003 National Habitation Survey at the States. This “adversely affected assurances regarding the equality and reliability of the survey data and its utility for planning purposes”, CAG said.

In the absence of annual action plans based on a detailed and comprehensive habitation-wise analysis in many States, targets were being fixed on a numerical basis and works undertaken in an ad hoc fashion, which adversely impacts the coverage of habitations, especially the prioritization for incomplete works and Not Covered (NC)/Partially Covered (PC) habitations, the report said.

As there were innumerable instances of deficient financial control, besides cases of inadmissible expenditure and diversion of ARWSP funds in several States, CAG recommends that the Ministry of Water Resources should take “penal action” against States in case of diversion of ARWSP funds for non-approved purposes.

Quality count

The CAG also castigated the States for not paying due attention to water quality. “The infrastructure for testing and monitoring water quality, especially at the district level, was inadequate and periodic testing requirements were not complied with.

Distribution and utilisation of field testing kits at the Gram Panchayat and Village and Water Sanitation Committee level was also poor”, the report said, adding that requisite number of field testing kits should be procured and distributed “so that the objective of institutionalising water quality testing at the grass root level is achieved”.

Many States did not take adequate measures for ensuring sustainability of water, especially ground water, even as the proportion of schemes relying on ground water sources was very high. Hence the CAG said the “Ministry should ensure that States accord due importance to the sustainability component, as suited to their local environment”.

The CAG report warned that in the absence of adequate attention being bestowed on sustainability, the slip back of habitations might continue to remain a major area of concern.

Low assurance

Finally CAG said there is “low assurance” about realistic identification of all problem habitation, proper matching of execution of works with problem habitations, quality of water and sustainability of the resources.

Hence it cautioned that these areas must perforce be addressed with ground level approach as the efficacy of simply pouring money into schemes and achievements of some numbers (coverage of problem habitation and works executed) disregarding ground situation, will remain questionable for addressing the drinking water needs of the problem habitation”.

More Stories on : Water | Regulatory Bodies & Rulings | States

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