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Water Supply System in Kerala SOCIAL SERVICE

4.182 The drinking water system in Kerala can be classified broadly into three categories:-

1. Water supply through the schemes owned and operated by the government via Kerala
Water Authority (KWA) and Local Self Government Institutions.
4.183 Kerala Water Authority (KWA) is the primary drinking water supplier in the state. KWA
has operations throughout the state and is involved in both urban and rural water supply. Apart
from state schemes, schemes receiving funds from Govt of India, NABARD and LIC are also
implemented by KWA.

Box No.4.12

Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme

Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP) was introduced in 1972 to assist
states and union territories to implement drinking water supply schemes in villages. The
entire programme was given a Mission approach when the Technology Mission Scheme on
Drinking Water Management, called the NDWM was introduced in 1986.NDWP was renamed
as Rajeev Gandhi Rural Drinking Water Programme. Objective of the scheme is to meet the
emerging challenge in the rural drinking water sector related to availability, sustainability and
quality of water. Components pertaining to the State under this programme are coverage,
sustainability, quality, natural calamities, operation and management (O&M) and support
activities. The funding pattern will be 47 per cent for coverage, 20 per cent for water quality,
15 per cent for O&M, 10 per cent for sustainability, 5 per cent for support activities and 3 per
cent for waterquality monitoring and surveillance (WQM&S). For coverage, O&M and quality
the cost sharing is 50:50 between the Centre and the State. In the case of sustainability,
support activities and WQM&S funds are received as 100 per cent grant in aid from central
government. As per the guidelines of National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP),
Government of India has strictly instructed the state government to share the total project
cost of the ongoing/ new schemes under ARWSP approved by the State Level Sanctioning
Committee (SLSC) in the ratio 50:50 between the centre and the state governments. There
are 183 ongoing schemes using ARWSP funds.

4.184 KWA receives Plan funds for operating more than 30 Plan schemes. They can broadly be
classified into –

a) New Water Supply Schemes – both Rural and Urban
b) Old/ Existing Water Supply Schemes – schemes for Replacements, Rehabilitation,

Improvements, Modernisation, Renovation etc
c) Schemes for strengthening Institution – Training, Quality Control, R&D, Automation,

Computerisation, State Water Quality Referral Institute etc
d) Others – Schemes for Innovative Technologies, Non Revenue Water Management etc

4.185 As on 30/9/2014, KWA has 1241 water supply schemes in operation of which only 48
are Urban WSS. KWA has 1934 ongoing schemes also, with the maximum number of such
schemes in Thrissur District. The District wise details are provided in Appendix 4.74 and 4.75.
As on 30/09/2014, the Water Supply Schemes of KWA cover around 60% of rural population,
26% of urban population and 43% of the total population of the state. District wise, the highest
percentage of population was covered in Ernakulam and the lowest in Kasargod. Details can be
seen in Appendix 4.76. KWA has about 15.9 lakh water supply connections and about 2 lakh

Economic Review 2014