Driven by poor water quality, drinking water enterprises are mushrooming in many parts of India. Are these socially desirable and financially viable? Krishnamurthy and others try to answer...
How Sustainable are Rural Water Enterprises?
Synthesis of ITP-INREM Studies from Six States
A. Krishnamurthy, Bharti, S. Chekuri, S. Krishnan and R. Indu
with inputs from Harsh Dave and Shreyas S.
Rural Drinking Water Enterprises (RDWE) have emerged as a response to water scarcity and quality problems in villages. Initially limited to pockets, now they are widespread in some states of the country. Different government policies have encouraged such enterprises as part of rural drinking water programs. Mostly using reverse osmosis technique, the enterprises are of varying nature, with some entirely community owned, some privately driven and most in the middle with a mix of social and business objectives. Our field studies found that many of these enterprises are unviable without external funds, and unsustainable without additional measures to manage their water source. No wonder most of them are performing poorly, if not folding up or lying defunct.
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