In India, the provision of clean drinking water has been given priority in the Constitution, with Article 47 conferring the duty of providing clean drinking water and improving public health standards to the State. United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) has rightly themed this year's Water Day as 'leaving no one behind. This goes on par with the promise on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030, a successor to Millennium Development Goals, include Goal 6 for clean water and sanitation for ensuring their availability and sustainable management. Goal 6.1 specifically says that by 2030, countries including India should achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all'. According to global reports released by the United Nations, 2.1 billion people live without safe drinking water at home and 80 per cent of those who have to use unsafe and unprotected water sources, reside in rural areas. Further, more than 700 children under five years of age die every day from diarrhoea due to unsafe water and poor sanitation. This report also makes a mention that in eight out of 10 households, women and girls are responsible for water collection. Nearly two-thirds of the world's population experiences severe water scarcity at least for 31 days per year. The intense impact of water scarcity could displace 700 million people by 2030.
