Only about 58.2 per cent of the households in the rural and about 80.7 per cent in the urban areas had drinking water facilities within the household premises during July-December 2018, according to the findings of National Sample Survey (NSS).
These findings are part of the report titled 'Drinking Water, Station, Hygiene and Housing Conditions in India'.
The National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation conducted the survey on drinking water, station, hygiene and housing condition as a part of 76th round of NSS.
"The major source of drinking water was hand pump for the households in the rural areas and piped water into a dwelling in the urban areas," says the report.
"About 42.9 per cent of the households in the rural areas used hand pump as the principal source of drinking water and about 40.9 per cent of the households in the urban areas used piped water into the dwelling as the principal source of drinking water," adds the report.
According to the report, about 48.6 per cent of the households in the rural and about 57.5 per cent in the urban areas had exclusive access to the principal source of drinking water. Whereas about 87.6 per cent of the households in the rural and about 90.9 per cent in the urban areas had sufficient drinking water throughout the year from the principal source.
Only 94.5 per cent of the households in the rural and about 97.4 per cent in the urban areas used 'improved source of drinking water' like bottled water, piped water into dwelling, piped water to yard or plot, piped water from neighbour, public tap or standpipe, tube well, hand pump, protected well, public tanker truck, private tanker truck, protected spring and rainwater collection.
About 51.4 per cent of the households in the rural and about 72.0 per cent in the urban areas used an improved source of drinking water, sufficiently available throughout the year located on the premises.
( With inputs from ANI )