For Narendra Modi’s re-election prospects, clean water in India is liquid gold
- Although the next polls are three years away, the prime minister’s plan to supply water to every home is seen as his pitch for another term
- While the logistics of this may prove tricky, analysts say the perception he has solved the problem may be enough to carry him to victory
Even 75 years after independence, millions of women have to spend hours walking great distances in the heat to the nearest well, pond, or river to fetch water for cooking, cleaning, and bathing.
Not only is this physically exhausting, when they return home with a precious pot of water, then begins the stress of worrying about conserving every drop so it is enough for the family’s needs. Moreover, the water often is not fit for drinking and carries microorganisms that cause disease.
Modi on Saturday talked of his government’s achievement in having increased the number of water connections to 43 per cent of rural households, up from 17 per cent when he first launched his “water mission” in 2019. In two years, he said, his administration had accomplished more in this regard than had been done in more than half a century.
“The day is not far when no woman in the country will have to walk long distances every day. They will be able to utilise their time for their betterment, education, or employment,” said Modi, while launching an app allowing consumers to monitor and rate the cleanliness of their water.