'Har Ghar Jal' Program To Save 4 Lakh Indian Lives: WHO Report

The World Health Organisation (WHO), in its report on Indian government's initiative ''Har Ghar Jal'', has highlighted its significant impact on public health and economic savings. The report estimates that ensuring safely managed drinking water for all households in the country could avert nearly 4 lakh deaths caused by diarrheal diseases.

The program would also help prevent approximately 14 million 'disability adjusted life years' (DALYs) related to these diseases, the report said, adding that this achievement alone would result in estimated cost savings of up to $101 billion. The analysis focuses on diarrhoeal diseases as it accounts for majority of WASH-attributable disease burden.

The 'Har Ghar Jal' report focuses on diarrheal diseases as they contribute significantly to the overall disease burden related to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) issues. The analysis underscores the urgent need to address these diseases and the potential for substantial gains in public health and economic well-being.

Prior to 2019, the situation of water supply in rural areas was challenging. The report reveals that in 2018, 36% of India's total population, including 44% of the rural population, lacked access to improved drinking-water sources on their premises.

The direct consumption of unsafe drinking water had severe health and societal consequences. The analysis indicates that in 2019, unsafe drinking water, along with inadequate sanitation and hygiene, contributed to 1.4 million deaths and 74 million DALYs globally.

WHO monitors various Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators, including proportion of the population using safely managed drinking water services and mortality related to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. WHO has developed methods and tools to estimate the health gains associated with improvements in water, sanitation, and hygiene, particularly in reducing diarrheal diseases and other related health outcomes.

The report emphasizes the tremendous time and effort saved for women and girls through the provision of tap water. In 2018, women in India spent an average of 45.5 minutes daily collecting water to meet household needs.

Overall, households without on-premises water spent a staggering 66.6 million hours each day collecting water, with the majority (55.8 million hours) occurring in rural areas. Universal coverage through tap water provision will result in substantial savings by eliminating the need for daily water collection efforts.

The Har Ghar Jal programme, implemented by the Jal Jeevan Mission under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2019. The program aims to provide every rural household with affordable and regular access to an adequate supply of safe drinking water through taps.

The program's components align with the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene to monitor progress on SDG for safely managed drinking water services.