The Multi-District Assessment of Water Safety (M-DAWS) programme was undertaken by Water and Sanitation Management Organisation (WASMO) with financial and technical support from UNICEF.
The methodology involved:
The study found that there were a number of physical, chemical and bacteriological parameters, which defined quality of drinking water in the M-DAWS study carried out in 8 focus districts. Broadly, water quality issues could be categorized as:
There was a significant rise in awareness levels among communities with respect to water quality due to various government initiatives such as distribution of field testing kits, mobile water quality campaign, pre & post monsoon surveillance, IEC activities and involving schools in monitoring water quality. However, water quality has a very fragile relationship with human interface and environment and hence requires due attention. The report identified the need for behavioral change in communities with the help of dedicated IEC to improve or maintain the quality of water.
Inter-departmental co-ordination emerged as one of the critical issues in ensuring water quality. The report thus found that linkages between water departments, rural development department, health, education, child development were crucial in maintaining quality of drinking water.
A news article on this report in the Indian express can be accessed from this link. A government notification about this study done in different states in India can be accessed from this link.
Download the report from below: