God's Own Country, Kerala, Has Worst Drinking Water Quality In India

Yes, its true. Kerala has access to the lowest quality of drinking water in rural areas across the states of India, according to a report published by the National Sample Survey Organisation. The report says that only 29.5% of rural households in Kerala had access to safe drinking water, a figure which is grossly below the all-India average of 88.5%.

 

Kerala also had the highest chemical/bacterial contaminated drinking water among 28 tested states in the country, as per the Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation from the State's Economic Review for 2011-2012, reported The Hindu.   The states that had the highest proportion of access to safe drinking water was Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar.   While this may come across as a bit of shock, we had reported earlier that Kerala is a sharp study of contrasts. On one hand, it has the highest literacy in the country and has seen a sharp decline in poverty rates from nearly 34% in 1993-94 to 12% in 2009-10 in both rural and urban areas. It also has another side. The state has seen a sharp increase in suicide rates and crimes. Read the rest here.