Drinking water directly from the tap is generally associated with developed countries where it is considered safe and potable. Only about 50 countries around the world offer drinkable tap water, with the majority located in Europe and North America, and a few in Asia and Oceania. Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, Germany, and Singapore have the highest-quality tap water, followed by Canada, New Zealand, Japan, the USA, Australia, the UK, Costa Rica, and Chile.
In a developing country like India, perceptions of drinking tap water are complex, with extremely low public trust due to widespread water pollution leading to water-borne diseases through everything people consume, from water to food. It was unimaginable that one of the most water-polluted countries in the world could dare to dream of drinking directly from the tap—until the state of Odisha experimented with this idea by piloting it in the holy town of Puri, the abode of Lord Jagannath.
The ‘Drink From Tap’ (DFT) Mission is part of the ‘Sujal’ (a Hindi word referring to clean water) initiative of the Government of Odisha. The Sujal–Drink From Tap journey is an example of co-developing solutions with local communities to reshape the narrative of tap water as safe to drink and, importantly, accessible to all at all times. The “Sujal – Drink From Tap” Mission was launched in October 2020 by the Water Corporation of Odisha (WATCO) to provide 24×7 potable tap water directly to households in urban areas, adhering to IS 10500 standards and utilizing real-time monitoring to ensure safety. This mission aimed at universal coverage and is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Target 6.1, which calls for achieving universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030. After the pilot project in Puri, drinking water directly from the tap has been implemented in several cities across the state, including Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Gopalpur, Nimapada, Champua, Rajgangpur, Birmitrapur, Rairangpur, Sundargarh, Hinjilicut, and Anandpur, with the aim of expanding across the entire state.
Before the Drink From Tap mission, only about 40% of Odisha’s population had access to clean water through a piped network. As often observed, water crisis is also an equity crisis: economically weaker sections of society, such as slum dwellers and informal workers, were largely excluded from clean water supply. Nearly half of the distributed water was lost due to erratic supply, illegal pumping from direct connections, absence of metering, and low revenue collection. To address these challenges, the state government, through the Housing & Urban Development Department, planned the mission to ensure universal access to clean and safe drinking water, extending coverage up to the last mile.
Session Overview
The Wednesdays.for.Water session organized by the WforW Foundation featured a discussion titled ‘Drink From Tap: The Odisha Story’ to understand the nuances of the initiative and explore what other Indian states might learn from it. The speaker for the session was G. Mathi Vathinan, who is credited with envisioning the Sujal initiative in Odisha. Mathi is an Indian Administrative Service officer of the Odisha cadre. During the session, he held the positions of Director General at the State Administrative Training Institute and Head of the Centre for Good Governance, Odisha. He has consistently worked to address the challenges of urbanization and improve the quality of life of marginalized communities in cities. Dr. Suresh Kumar Rohilla, Professor at the University of Bradford, served as the session discussant. He is a distinguished figure in urban water management, with a focus on integrating water considerations into urban design and planning to foster climate-resilient, water-efficient, and sanitation-secure cities. The session was moderated by Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava from the WforW Foundation.
The session ‘Drink From Tap: The Odisha Story’ traced the initiative from inception to implementation under Mathi’s leadership. It discussed both the opportunities and challenges faced by the state government in supplying drinkable tap water and examined what other Indian states could learn from Odisha’s experience. The session video is available here. This essay has been developed from the session as a learning outcome. As Mathi retired from service in January 2026, this essay also serves as a tribute to a bureaucrat who worked tirelessly to make an unimaginable task a reality in a country plagued by water crisis, largely driven by contamination—literally making Drink From Tap happen.
Beyond Engineering – Building Public Trust
Convincing local communities to believe in universal access to potable piped water supply on a 24/7 basis was a major challenge for the state. This led to significant investments in awareness, sensitization, and motivational campaigns around the Drink From Tap (DFT) initiative. Digital displays of real-time water quality were installed at railway stations, major junctions, and government offices. However, public displays alone were insufficient. People were more inclined to trust water quality when it was tested on-site and communicated by members of their own communities. To build this trust, the state introduced the Jal Sathi scheme, encouraging women from local self-help groups to take the lead. About 950 Jal Sathis were trained, equipped, and paid to facilitate meter reading, revenue collection, and water quality testing in the field. Metering and water tax collection increased consumer responsibility as Jal Sathis conducted door-to-door engagement. They also helped register consumer concerns and complaints. In addition, mobile crews were deployed to promptly address issues such as leakage repairs, operation and maintenance, and water quality or supply disruptions.
The Jal Sathis emerged as a crucial bridge between WATCO and the public. They played a vital role in countering skepticism around DFT and sensitizing communities about water conservation. Acting as advocates of the state’s efforts, they demonstrated water quality using test kits. Since people trusted Jal Sathis from their own localities, acceptance of drinking tap water increased only after their reassurance.
Rewriting Policy to Enable DFT Implementation
To ensure public confidence in the water quality data displayed publicly, extensive efforts were invested in building robust policy and infrastructure frameworks. From the outset, the DFT initiative faced criticism, and myths surrounding its ambition made public acceptance difficult.
Before infrastructure development began, several policy measures were introduced. The Odisha Right to Public Services Act, 2012 (ORPS Act) mandated that government services provide water connections within seven days of an application being submitted. This landmark legislation established citizens’ entitlement to services as a right and introduced penalties for non-compliance, promoting transparency and accountability.
Crucially, the policy reduced the documentation required for household connections. Prior to the ORPS Act, applicants needed to submit 14 documents; this was reduced to just two—identity proof and indemnity. The government also removed upfront connection fees to support urban poor households, waiving charges for those living below the poverty line. Previously, citizens were often dependent on middlemen who used poor-quality materials, resulting in frequent leakages and wastage. Real-time digital monitoring displays were installed not only to build trust but also to monitor water flow and pressure, significantly reducing leakages and energy costs.
Providing clean tap water extended beyond infrastructure and community leadership. The success of DFT contributed to improved public health and reduced anxiety over water-borne diseases. Between 2016 and 2021, reported diarrhea cases declined from 3,858 to 205, while water-borne deaths dropped from 30 to virtually zero. By 2024, cities that had fully adopted DFT saved millions from water-related epidemics alongside addressing water scarcity. For instance, 12 pilot zones tested DFT across residential, commercial, and slum populations.
Case Study: Puri
Puri is a major cultural and religious center, with nearly 70% of its population dependent on religious tourism for livelihoods. Despite being one of the most visited pilgrimage towns in India, a significant portion of its population lives in poverty. Until 2015, only about half the city had access to piped water connections. As with other basic services, water demand was high. Recognizing this, the government tasked WATCO in 2020 with implementing the DFT Mission, emphasizing that water should be directly drinkable, with special attention to the needs of the poor.
Situated on the Bay of Bengal coast, Puri sources water from the Bhargavi River, which holds ecological and cultural significance. Water is conveyed from the river to a reservoir and then treated before being pumped into 19 elevated storage reservoirs across the city. These reservoirs supply water to households through a 275 km piped network. Under the DFT Mission, households could use tap water directly for drinking and cooking without filtration or boiling. In 2020, the mission was piloted in four zones, and by 2021, Puri became the first city in India to provide 24/7 ‘Drink From Tap’ quality water.
A key emphasis of DFT was serving the urban poor. Previously reliant on community taps, slum households received individual household connections. To ensure uninterrupted supply, automated systems recorded and stored data on flow, pressure, and quality. Most consumer connections were mapped on a GIS platform to enable efficient management. Mobile laboratory vans were deployed for on-site testing in response to complaints, and 120 drinking water fountains were installed to reduce plastic bottle usage.
Post-DFT implementation, government data shows reduced groundwater extraction. With most households now connected to municipal supply, 88% of residents consumed tap water directly. In slum areas, women who once spent hours fetching water now focused on education, skill development, and employment. Jal Sahelis moved through the streets with pride, earning respect from both residents and government institutions.
Discussion
After Lord Jagannath, Puri is now also known as the birthplace of the DFT Mission. Today, tap water in Odisha is safe and accessible to many. Through collaboration between government and community leaders, Odisha demonstrated that providing drinkable tap water is possible in India—once an unimaginable task. Central to this success was administrative commitment to rewriting policy and enabling service delivery, as emphasized by Mathi. The DFT Mission is as much a social engineering project as a technical one. Its success depended on building social capital through Jal Sahelis, without which technology alone could not function sustainably.
Key takeaways from Odisha’s DFT experience include:
- Public water requires public trust;
- Flexibility is crucial for policy reform;
- The focus must shift from adding supply to managing distribution;
- Implementation and operation benefit from community participation;
- Community partnership is critical for technology adoption and sustainability.
The larger question now is whether the DFT Mission can be scaled to other states. India has strong scientific capacity—so what holds other states back from offering drinkable tap water? At present, DFT is not even on the agenda in many states. There is no guarantee that what worked in Odisha will work everywhere; impacts need further evaluation before policies are adapted to different contexts. Leadership remains critical. States seeking to adopt DFT will need committed leaders like Mathi—willing to take risks to accomplish what once seemed impossible.
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Hirwa Hans Harelimana is an urban economist and storyteller working at the intersection of community experiences and citywide solutions. With a background in development economics and international studies, he focuses on how people living in cities adapt, build, and imagine better housing and public spaces. He works at the Brazil Embassy in Rwanda and volunteers with the WforW Foundation. Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava is an entrepreneur, researcher, educator, speaker, and mentor. More about her at: https://uol.de/icbm/geooekologie/mitarbeiter, www.wforw.in, www.edc.org.in, www.mansee.in, www.woder.org
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