Water crisis turns key election concern

Guwahati: With election enthusiasm rising to fever pitch, the drinking water crisis in the state has turned into a key poll issue.
According to the 2011 census, only 55% households have a source of drinking water on the premises, 27% households have a source of drinking water nearby and 19% have a source of drinking water away from the premises.
The Census 2011 defines 'within the premises' as the area of the household and 'near the premises' as within 100 m of the household in urban areas and 500 m in rural areas.'Away' is defined as beyond 100 m of the household in urban areas and beyond 500 m in rural areas.
"What's the point of living in the city if we don't get access to safe drinking water? For close to three years, there has been no supply of water and we have had to rely on hand pumps," said Arati Das, a resident of AT Road, one of the worst-hit areas in the city.
"I am a school teacher and I urge political parties to ensure that the issue of drinking water is addressed. Water-borne diseases are common where I live," said Aparna Bhattacharjya, a schoolteacher of Nagaon Bengali High School.
"Most people in our area suffer from stomach ailments. Political parties should take note of this. There's no point in making promises if they are not fulfilled," said Eshani Das, a school student. Most victims of water-borne diseases are schoolchildren.
Though the current government began implementing national flagship programmes on drinking water through the public health engineering department, challenges in effective use and maintenance of existing infrastructure persist. According to the 2013-14 Rapid Survey on Children (RSOC) in Assam, the percentage of households with access to any improved source of drinking water here was 87.2% as compared to 91% nationally. The 2011 census pegs the percentage share of households having improved source of drinking water facility at 68.6%. Dima Hasao district fares the worst with only 19.0% households having improved source of drinking water.
Though the state government began implementing national flagship programmes on drinking water through the PHE department, challenges in effective use and maintenance of existing infrastructure persist
According to the 2013-14 Rapid Survey on Children (RSOC) in Assam, the percentage of households with access to any improved source of drinking water here was 87.2% as compared to 91% nationally