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.

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Indiaspend Team