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

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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.2
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.

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