Toward Managing Rural Drinking Water Quality in the State of Punjab, India
Rural drinking water quality is an emergent issue in the State of Punjab. In response to health concerns related to children being exposed to metals in some regions, and reports of higher incidence of cancers in the state, the department of drinkin...
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2020
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/106441581422984402/Toward-Managing-Rural-Drinking-Water-Quality-in-the-State-of-Punjab-India http://hdl.handle.net/10986/33336 |
| Summary: | Rural drinking water quality is an
emergent issue in the State of Punjab. In response to health
concerns related to children being exposed to metals in some
regions, and reports of higher incidence of cancers in the
state, the department of drinking water supply and
sanitation conducted blanket testing of all its water supply
sources. The objective of this study was to systematically
examine the drinking water quality issue and provide
practical guidance to the state on possible responses. The
state’s commitment to addressing this issue is highlighted
by its allocation of 59 million dollars for a component to
improve water quality through the Punjab Rural Water and
Sanitation Sector Improvement Project, financed by the World
Bank. While the study seeks to provide an analytical basis
for understanding the occurrence and impact of the
contamination, practical actions have been explored and
demonstrated to allow the state to begin actively managing
the water quality issue. The study is designed around three
key areas: understanding the problem; taking appropriate
action; and institutional sensitization and action. This
report is a first step toward understanding and managing
water quality issues in the state. It provides an analytical
basis for moving forward and has demonstrated approaches
that have yielded valuable lessons for scale-up. The next
steps are for the state to identify key actions and develop
detailed action plans for implementation. |
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