When the Government of India launched its Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC) in 1999, only around one in five rural households used a toilet. Hence, the focus was on prompting behavior change to eliminate open defecation and encouraging usage of toilets as this was seen as the highest priority.

The Department of Rural Development & Panchayats, Government of Punjab has recently implemented waste water treatment systems, applying Waste Stabilization Ponds (WSP) technology in some of the villages in the districts of Ludhiana and Muktasar, in order to rejuvenate/renovate existing unused ponds.

The revised National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) Guidelines issued by Rajiv Gandhi National Drinking Water Mission, Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation has focus on adequate water supply in quantity and quality, to each rural household on a sustainable basis.

Provision of adequate sanitation to all communities has been a major challenge in India. This is also due to the fact such communities have full spectrum of variations in sociocultural and economic conditions. It is said that in India near stone -age civilization coexists with atomic –age civilization.

This handbook is prepared as per the requirements of Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS), Government of India having following objectives: Identification of existing technologies for providing safe drinking water in the country;

This manual provides information on the Ground Water Prospects Maps including the map contents, scientific rationale behind preparing the contents, referencing of the contents on the ground and usage of the maps in the field.

There had been several newspaper clippings indicating that arsenic contamination in drinking water sources in Ballia district of Uttar Pradesh is creating hardship to the local people and several people are suffering from arsenecosis disease.

The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation administers the National Rural Drinking Water programme (NRDWP) instituted from 1/4/2009, through which support is extended to the states for implementing rural domestic water supply schemes.