MDG 7c for safe drinking water in India: an illusive achievement

Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target 7c aims to halve the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.1With 89% coverage globally and 91% coverage in India in 2011, UN monitoring bodies judge the world to be on track for access to drinking water.2
However, celebration might be premature. The MDG target 7c indicator does not consider water quality, which relates to pathogens and chemicals that can cause disease. Rather, safe drinking water is defined via provenance from an "improved source", which includes piped water on premises and channels, such as public taps and hand pumps.
Between May, 2013, and October, 2013, we did an interviewer-administered cross-sectional survey at two sites in India, targeting households with at least one woman with a child aged 12—23 months. Data were collected from random samples of 685 households in a New Delhi slum (Kirti Nagar) and 1192 households in 60 villages of a poor rural district of Uttar Pradesh. In addition to recording household water source, we tested water for faecal contamination using a UNICEF-validated rapid test for coliform bacteria (TARAenviro aquacheck). Data on household characteristics and child health were also collected. We also tested water in government centres designed for the health and welfare of mothers and children.
Although 99·6% (682 of 685) of urban and 97·7% (1165 of 1192) of rural households surveyed had access to safe water as defined by the MDG target 7c indicator, water was contaminated in 41·5% (284 of 685) of urban and 60% (715 of 1191) of rural households (appendix). About half of the health centres in each site had contaminated water. Similar water quality results were found in a previous study of eight Indian districts.3
Overestimation of water quality through the MDG target 7c indicator leads to erroneous assessment of health challenges and living standards. Widespread access to safe drinking water coexists with very high levels of child morbidity and mortality, partly resulting from waterborne disease. The multidimensional poverty index is a living standards measure that takes into account water safety.4The use of multidimensional poverty index with coliform testing for water quality rather than the MDG definition leads to a substantial increase in estimated poverty .
In view of India's population size, there is every reason to question claims to have achieved the Indian and global MDG drinking water targets. Flawed data undermine effective research and appropriate action. The MDG target 7c indicator requires urgent reconsideration.
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• Heath & Safety
• Pollution
• Drinking Water Managment