Question 1
Is usable water available when households and essential services need it?
National priority 03 · Water & Sanitation
Water & Sanitation
Reliable and safe water, dignified sanitation and locally appropriate management of water resources.
Water that works as a daily service.
Follow the full chain from water source to household use and safe sanitation. A connection or treatment plant is only part of the service. Reliability, quality, access, operation and the final destination of wastewater and residues all need attention.
Question 2
Where do wastewater, septage and treated residues actually go?
Question 3
Who maintains the service and responds when it fails?
Data reference table
Evidence Snapshot
Read each value with its reporting period, population and limitations. A historical national reference is not a local baseline or proof that an IFT proposal works.
9 source-linked reference records. Publication checks do not independently reproduce the underlying data.
| Signal | Reference Value | Period / Population | How to Read It | Source Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessed annual groundwater recharge | 446.90 billion cubic metres Historical reference | Groundwater assessment water year 2024 India; national groundwater-resource assessment | An estimate of annual groundwater recharge in the assessment. Limitations: National recharge hides aquifer, seasonal and local variation; it is not a measured balance for a chosen village. | Ministry of Jal Shakti / Central Ground Water Board and States/UTs Official government release Record type: official resource assessment estimate Ministry of Jal Shakti year-end review: Ground Water Resources Published: 2025-01-25 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Value, period and coverage checked in publication |
| Assessed annual extractable groundwater resource | 406.19 billion cubic metres Historical reference | Groundwater assessment water year 2024 India; national groundwater-resource assessment | The extractable resource is distinct from total annual recharge. Limitations: Not a guarantee of water available to every user or of acceptable water quality; use local assessment units for local decisions. | Ministry of Jal Shakti / Central Ground Water Board and States/UTs Official government release Record type: official resource assessment estimate Ministry of Jal Shakti year-end review: Ground Water Resources Published: 2025-01-25 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Value, period and coverage checked in publication |
| Assessed annual groundwater extraction for all uses | 245.64 billion cubic metres Historical reference | Groundwater assessment water year 2024 India; extraction across all uses | A national extraction estimate for the groundwater resource balance. Limitations: It is not agriculture-only extraction or a metered count of every borewell. Local and sectoral distributions need separate data. | Ministry of Jal Shakti / Central Ground Water Board and States/UTs Official government release Record type: official resource assessment estimate Ministry of Jal Shakti year-end review: Ground Water Resources Published: 2025-01-25 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Value, period and coverage checked in publication |
| Average stage of groundwater extraction | 60.47% Historical reference | Groundwater assessment water year 2024 India; national groundwater-resource assessment | Relates assessed extraction to the assessed annual extractable resource. Limitations: A national average can coexist with severe local over-extraction; it is not a safe pumping limit for a farm or aquifer. | Ministry of Jal Shakti / Central Ground Water Board and States/UTs Official government release Record type: official resource assessment ratio Ministry of Jal Shakti year-end review: Ground Water Resources Published: 2025-01-25 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Value, period and coverage checked in publication |
| Assessment units classified as over-exploited | 751 of 6,746 assessment units Historical reference | Groundwater assessment water year 2024 India; assessed blocks, mandals and talukas | Counts assessment areas assigned to the over-exploited category. Limitations: Units are not equal in area or population. The count is not the share of people exposed, and does not establish conditions in an unmeasured local area. | Ministry of Jal Shakti / Central Ground Water Board and States/UTs Official government release Record type: official resource assessment classification Ministry of Jal Shakti year-end review: Ground Water Resources Published: 2025-01-25 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Value, period and coverage checked in publication |
| Assessed recharge from tanks, ponds and water-conservation structures | 25.34 billion cubic metres Historical reference | Groundwater assessment water year 2024 India; assessed recharge component | A national resource-assessment component relevant to recharge planning. Limitations: It does not measure the benefit of an individual rainwater-harvesting project or prove that all structures function. | Ministry of Jal Shakti / Central Ground Water Board and States/UTs Official government release Record type: official resource assessment estimate Ministry of Jal Shakti year-end review: Ground Water Resources Published: 2025-01-25 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Value, period and coverage checked in publication |
| Rural households reported with tap-water supply | About 15.75 crore households; 81.34% Historical reference | As of 27 November 2025 India; about 19.36 crore identified rural households; State/UT reporting | An administrative coverage reference for rural household tap access. Limitations: Reported connection coverage is not proof of regular supply, adequate quantity or safe water quality. The reference is rural, not urban, and is not a district estimate. | Ministry of Jal Shakti / JJM–IMIS Official government release Record type: state ut reported administrative coverage Fund Utilization under Har Ghar Jal Yojana Published: 2025-12-01 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Value, period and coverage checked in publication |
| Estimated urban sewage generation | 72,368 million litres per day Reported value — scope clarification required | 2021 published inventory; uniform underlying observation cut-off not established Urban areas in India covered by the CPCB assessment | A historical national urban wastewater-load estimate. Limitations: An estimate rather than a measurement of every discharge. It is not current city-level sewage generation or industrial effluent volume. | Ministry of Jal Shakti / Central Pollution Control Board Official government release Record type: official assessment estimate Published: 2021-08-05 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Period / coverage needs clarification |
| Available urban sewage-treatment capacity | 31,841 million litres per day Reported value — scope clarification required | 2021 published inventory; uniform underlying observation cut-off not established Urban India; treatment capacity reported with the CPCB assessment | Capacity can be compared with the same assessment’s generation estimate. Limitations: Available capacity is not actual operating throughput, compliant effluent or safely reused water. A local plant needs current operating and quality records. | Ministry of Jal Shakti / Central Pollution Control Board Official government release Record type: official capacity assessment Published: 2021-08-05 Publication checked: 2026-11-04 Period / coverage needs clarification |
Different surveys, administrative records, estimates and reporting years are not interchangeable. No combined IFT score is calculated from these rows.
Evidence coverage and review log (CSV) · Structured evidence register (JSON)
Every available subject in this pillar
All 30 topics, organised here.
Read the topic names below and open the subject directly. The groupings are for navigation; each original topic remains separate.
Resources, resilience & long-term planning (20)
Circular Water Economy ›City Water Security ›Water Connections Across India For Tomorrow ›District Water Security Plan ›Drought & Water-Scarcity Management ›Groundwater Management ›Water Implementation Roadmap ›Industrial Water Management ›Master Water & Sanitation KPIs ›National Water Security & Resource Inventory ›Rainwater Harvesting & Recharge ›Fastest Realistic Water Transformation ›Safe Drinking Water ›Urban Stormwater & Flood Management ›Village Water Security ›Wastewater & Sewage Management ›Water-Efficient Agriculture ›Water Research & Innovation ›Water Reuse & Recycling ›Water & Sanitation Employment Mission ›
Evidence, measurement & accountability (2)
Core subjects & practical pathways (4)
Technology, delivery & infrastructure (4)
IFT working ideas · Proposals for research
Practical ideas to investigate.
These are questions and proposals to develop, not completed programmes or established results.
Source-to-tap service records
Follow water quality, pressure, interruptions and household access along one complete service chain.
What must be checked
Check actual service rather than counting connections alone.
Safe septage collection and treatment
Compare scheduled emptying, licensed transport and treatment with a traceable receiving record.
What must be checked
Protect workers and establish the final destination of treated outputs and residues.
Neighbourhood rain and flood plan
Study infiltration, storage, drains and safe overflow routes for a small catchment.
What must be checked
Measure performance across seasons and assess downstream effects before scale.
Connected priorities.
10 questions and answers
Questions about Water & Sanitation
Why is a water connection not the whole service?
Households also need usable water at suitable times, reliable quality and a response when supply fails. The source, network and operator all matter.
What should a local water study record?
Record the supply area, source, season, affected users, availability, observed quality, measurement method and service owner. State where the information is incomplete.
How should leakage and interrupted supply be investigated?
Compare network records, field checks, pressure or flow observations and household experience. Distinguish a measured fault from an assumed cause before selecting repairs.
Why separate water, sewer and stormwater networks?
The concept studies different functions and their connections. A local design review should trace drinking water, wastewater and rainfall routes rather than treating them as interchangeable flows.
What does safe sanitation include after a toilet is built?
Trace containment, emptying, transport, treatment and the final destination of liquids and solids. Assign an owner and evidence record to each handoff.
Can treated wastewater be used for every purpose?
The page does not make that claim. Intended use, treatment performance, product quality, permissions, exposure and monitoring must be checked before a reuse proposal proceeds.
How should groundwater and surface-water choices be compared?
Consider local availability, seasonal change, existing users, ecological effects and the cost of operating the service. Check whether one option shifts scarcity to another place.
Who should maintain a proposed water service?
Identify the responsible local agency or operator before installation. Agree funding, staff, preventive maintenance, monitoring and a clear route for reporting faults.
How can fairness be checked in water delivery?
Compare service reliability, household cost and access across settlements and user groups. Include people who cannot easily reach a supply point or complaint office.
What results matter beyond installed assets?
Track safe service received, interruptions, quality checks, sanitation-chain performance, affordability and repair response. Record the period and source for each measure.