Clean Drinking Water

The FSSAI has reclassified packaged drinking water and mineral water as a high-risk food category, mandating stricter regulatory controls and annual facility inspections. The move, effective immediately following an order dated November 29, requires manufacturers to undergo mandatory third-party food safety audits and comply with enhanced quality standards. Central licence holders in this category must now submit to annual inspections aimed at mitigating potential health risks associated with packaged water production. The reclassification by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) follows recent amendments to the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, which previously removed mandatory BIS certification requirements for certain food products. The reclassification is designed to strengthen consumer protection and maintain rigorous quality control in the packaged water industry.

Recent data from Nasa satellites have revealed that Earth's surface has lost freshwater abruptly since 2015. This major drop coincides with a 2014 to 2016 period of El Niño warming

Goa (99.2%) has the highest share of households with access to clean cooking fuel

Livpure is betting big on its water-as-a-service model, targeting over 10 lakh subscriptions in the next four years as it intensifies efforts to scale up affordable access to clean and purified water across India, according to company Managing Director Rakesh Kaul. The company, also present in categories such as appliances, mattresses and sleep accessories, is targeting a turnover of Rs 900 crore this fiscal year, a growth of up to 60 per cent from the previous year. "India is a huge market, and everyone knows that purified water and access to purified water is a big challenge...Currently, in a country the size of ours, penetration of water purifiers is still at 7 to 8 per cent of the total household population of India," Kaul told PTI. With a view to reducing the cost of access to clean drinking water to consumers, he said,"We launched an innovative business model called water-as-a-service four years back, whereby we decided that the installation (of electric water purifier) will .

All states and Union territories have more than 50 per cent coverage of tap water connections in rural households, according to official data. Under the Har Ghar Jal scheme, all rural households will be provided with tap water connections by the year-end. As of now, all states and Union territories (UTs) have more than 50 per cent coverage of tap water connections in rural households with 11 states and UTs having 100 per cent coverage. The states and UTs with 100 per cent coverage of tap water connections in rural households are Goa; Andaman & Nicobar Islands; Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu; Haryana; Telangana; Puducherry; Gujarat; Punjab; Himachal Pradesh; Arunachal Pradesh; and Mizoram. The least coverage has been recorded in West Bengal at 52.30 per cent, Rajasthan at 52.91 per cent, Kerala at 53.62 per cent, Jharkhand at 54.26 per cent, and Madhya Pradesh at 64.84 per cent, according to the data. Out of a total of 19,33,38,234 (19.33 crore) rural households, ...

Only one in three people in low-and middle-income countries had access to safe drinking water in 2020, a new analysis of 135 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has estimated. Using models, researchers from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, combined household surveys with global Earth observation, including satellite, air, and land data, on human, geographic, and environmental factors. They, thus, created detailed maps of safe drinking water use across 135 LMICs. Their analysis is published in the journal Science. The authors estimated that despite 88 per cent of the people living in the LMICs using an improved drinking water source, defined as having "the potential to deliver safe water," almost half the population were estimated to be exposed to faecal contamination. As such, more than 4.4 billion people in poorer countries lack safe drinking water. This is roughly twice the estimate of 2 billion people in 2020 given by the World Health Organization and United Nations (UN) Children's

The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has received a budgetary allocation of Rs 77,390.68 crores for the fiscal year 2024-2025. This figure reflects a minimal increase of only 0.5 per cent from the revised estimate of Rs 77,032.65 crore announced in budget 2023-2024. A substantial portion of this financial year's allotment for the Drinking Water and Sanitation department is directed towards the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), which received Rs 69,926.65 crore, a marginal rise from the revised estimate of Rs 69,846.31 crore in 2023-2024. This flagship programme aims to provide functional household tap connections to every rural household by 2024, focusing on ensuring regular and adequate water supply. Additionally, the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee National Institute of Water and Sanitation (SPM-NIWAS) has been allocated Rs 95 crore, a huge rise from the Rs 3 crore it got in the last revised estimate. The Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), which focuses on maintaining Open Defecation

At least 20 students fell ill after drinking water from a tank in their school in Jharkhand's Latehar district on Saturday, an official said. When they were taken to a local health centre, doctors said the condition of the children was stable. The incident happened at Upgraded Primary School at Duru, around 80 km from the state capital Ranchi. After having their meal, the children went to drink water from the tank in the school. After some time, several students started vomiting and complained of uneasiness, a teacher of the school said. Some students said there was a foul smell in the water. The students were brought to the local community health centre where they were examined. Doctors said their condition was stable. The Chandwa Block Development Officer Chandan Kumar said the water sample had been taken for examination. Kumar also visited the community health centre to enquire about the health conditions of the students.

As per the Bengaluru district administration, for up to 5 km, a 6000-litre water tanker will cost Rs 600, an 8000-litre water tanker will cost Rs 700, and a 12,000-litre water tanker will cost Rs 1000

The water treatment plant will be one of the largest in the world in terms of capacity, the company said

The Union housing and urban affairs ministry on Thursday said the first "Pey Jal Survekshan" survey has covered 485 cities and captured more than 5.21 lakh household responses. It said 46 cities or municipalities had a 100-per cent pass rate of samples taken from households and water treatment plants. The results of the survey and awards for the best-performing cities and states would be released on March 5 at a ceremony to be attended by President Droupadi Murmu. "Direct observation and assessments were carried out in 830 water treatment facilities, 941 water bodies, 1,044 used water treatment facilities and 2,005 parks were visited for assessing availability of rainwater harvesting structures," the ministry said in a statement. Elaborating on the various categories under the "Pey Jal Survekshan Awards", Secretary in the ministry Manoj Joshi said based on the survey scores for access and coverage, and water quality and sustainability parameters, nine awards will be given to cities

Minister Shekhawat revealed that Namami Gange has been acknowledged as one of the top 10 World Restoration Flagships by the UN Convention of Biodiversity conference COP15

The Jal Shakti ministry's data shows the target is within striking distance: 73.57 per cent of the households have already been covered by this flagship scheme of the Narendra Modi government

Reduced snowfall and precipitation levels have prompted worries about potential water scarcity and its far-reaching impacts on the environment and daily life

The National Green Tribunal has issued notices to 24 states and four Union Territories in a matter regarding the presence of arsenic and fluoride in groundwater. The green panel observed that the presence of these metals or chemicals are "very serious" and requires "urgent preventive and protective steps". The panel was hearing a matter in which it had taken suo motu (on its own) cognisance of a media report that highlighted the presence of arsenic and fluoride beyond permissible limits in groundwater in some pockets of various states and Union Territories. The report stated that arsenic was detected in groundwater in parts of 230 districts across 25 states while fluoride was found in some pockets of 469 districts in 27 states, the tribunal noted in a recent order. A bench of Judicial Member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Expert Member A Senthil Vel said the Central Ground Water Authority had submitted a report in which it admitted the presence of arsenic and fluoride in the districts

When a toilet is flushed in California, the water can end up in a lot of places: An ice skating rink near Disneyland, ski slopes around Lake Tahoe, farmland in the Central Valley. And coming soon kitchen faucets. California regulators on Tuesday approved new rules to let water agencies recycle wastewater and put it right back into the pipes that carry drinking water to homes, schools and businesses. It's a big step for a state that has struggled for decades to secure reliable sources of drinking water for its more than 39 million residents. And it signals a shift in public opinion on a subject that as recently as two decades ago prompted backlash that scuttled similar projects. Since then, California has been through multiple extreme droughts, including the most recent one that scientists say was the driest three-year period on record and left the state's reservoirs at dangerously low levels. Water is so precious in California. It is important that we use it more than once, said

To choose the best water purifier, you need to know the quality of water at your home, besides several other important factors

Packaged drinking water company Bisleri International is scaling up its manufacturing and strategic distribution network for easier and cost-effective placement of products and market gains, its Vice-Chairperson Jayanti Khan Chauhan said on Thursday. The company, currently, has 128 manufacturing plants and is looking to increase it to 150. The expansion would be through plants owned by Chauhan promoted company and its co-packers, which are exclusive to Bisleri. Bisleri is also expanding its offerings into CSD (carbonated soft drinks), premiumise through the brand Vedica Himalayan Spring Water, besides its mainstay of packaged drinking water business with an innovative approach. When asked about the outlook, Chauhan told PTI: "We are definitely going to increase our distribution, scale up on distribution and manufacturing for CSD for Bisleri. This strategic placement of manufacturing units and distribution networks will make it easier and cost-effective for us to get our products to

Union Minister Prahlad Patel on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the initiative to ensure every rural household in the country gets 55 litres of drinking water per person per day. Speaking at a gathering in Sihora here as part of the Bharatiya Janata Party's 'Jan Ashirwad Yatra', he said the PM also took the initiative to link Ken and Betwa rivers to ensure water supply to people in rural areas. "A survey report of 1950 said 18 per cent of the world's population resides in India, while only 4 per cent of drinking water was available. Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took this initiative to ensure every household in rural areas gets potable water," he said. The Union government, in partnership with states, is implementing the Jal Jeevan Mission to make provision of potable tap water supply to every rural household of the country at the service level of 55 litre per capita per day by 2024. The Jan Ashirwad Yatra mass outreach initiative of the BJP, whi

Goa, Telangana, Haryana, Gujarat, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Puducherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands have reported 100 per cent coverage