Benchmarking of rural water supply in Rajasthan: progressing towards participatory water security plants
Student name: Mr Akhil Choudhary
Guide: Dr Devesh Sharma
Year of completion: 2011
Host Organisation: Ramky Enviro Engineers Private Limited
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Mrs Sabita Kaushal
Abstract: Water is a public good and demand for basic drinking water needs is the fundamental right. Ministry of
Rural Development, Government of India under Rajiv Gandhi Rural Drinking Water Mission Programme
has laid emphasis on providing drinking water to all rural habitation and improves their service level. It
emphasizes shifting of the role of Government from service provider to the role of facilitator. Sustainable
solutions and efficient remedial action plans to ensure water security in rural areas can be prepare,
incorporating demographic, physical features, water sources, and other details of the villages; available
drinking water infrastructure and gaps; proposed work to augment the existing infrastructure and water
sources; funding by dovetailing various funds available at village level and requirement of funds from rural
water supply programmes.
With a view to improve the performance of Rural Water Supply Schemes (RWSS), PHED, Govt. of
Rajasthan has initiated Benchmarking of RWSS. Level of service should be linked to the issue of demand,
commonly expressed through user’s basic need for a particular level of service and satisfaction at every
household level on sustainable basis. Measuring, monitoring and evaluating performance of water supply
organizations and utilities is a prerequisite to improve operational efficiency, effectiveness and quality of
service delivery of rural water supply services.
The study aims to address the issue of quantity (sufficiency of DWS, Quality, Access, Sustainability and
equity (with special care taken for SC, ST & Minority Households). The study would help in prioritization
of the areas of attention deriving focused remedial actions and to prepare a Time Bound Action Plan to
address issues of equal access to drinking water. Underlining necessity of conjunctive use of water with a
view to conserve the available resources can be emphasized with logical evidences with the intended
outcome of the study. As benchmarking is a continuous process therefore improvement of operational
performance from time to time with needed capacity building at institutional, community level and
investments can be progressively checked.
Keywords: Benchmarking, Service delivery, Coverage, Sustainability, Indicators
