The Indian government has said that a majority of people living in about 217,000 villages across the country lack potable water and face serious problem as the available drinking water sources have been polluted by chemicals.

A survey done of the rural drinking water supply has revealed that there are 216,968 rural habitations affected by poor water quality, out of which as many as 31,306 villages were affected by excess amount of fluoride in drinking water, the government said in an affidavit files earlier this month before the Supreme Court.

The affidavit filed by the Union Health Ministry said that salinity affected 23,495, iron affected 118,088, arsenic affected 5,029, nitrate affected 13,958 and multiple factors affected 25,092 villages across the country. Most of the affected villages are in the states of Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh.

The revelation comes at a time when the government has introduced a package of reforms to address the high rates of failure in rural drinking water projects. News reports state that existing supply-driven schemes have failed in about 100,000 villages and have not provided the required quality of water in as many additional settlements.

The government reportedly assured the apex court that it is prioritizing water quality problems.

Up to 20 percent of the funds of the Accelerate Rural Water Supply Program (ARSWP) are specifically earmarked for tackling water quality problems. Also, under the Bharat Nirman scheme, a plan is in the works to build rural infrastructure within four years.

"Rural drinking water is one of the components of the... plan and under this, it is envisaged to address the problem of quality of water," the Health Ministry said.

According to new reports, the government's revised reform package provides funding and incentives worth $1.5 billion USD for the 2008-2009 fiscal year alone.

It includes ARSWP, reintroduction of the Government's flagship reform program, Swajaldhara, which introduces more demand-responsive and participatory approaches to planning and implementation, as well as the Sajal Gram Puraskar, an incentive fund that rewards local governments and communities that achieve sustainable rural water supply.

Experts have pointed out that providing drinking water to a large population like India's is a daunting task for the government. Inconsistencies in levels of awareness, socio-economic development, education, poverty, practices and rituals add to the complexity of providing water.

The health burden of poor water quality is enormous. By some estimates, 37.7 million Indians are affected by waterborne diseases annually. The 31,306 villages affected by excess fluoride in drinking water have seen a rise in the number of cases of fluorosis in both human beings and animals, often leading to dental caries, bone and joint deformities, metabolic disorders and even paralysis.

Poor households and the country's economy have to bear the economic burden of such water-related diseases, making it doubly difficult for development activities to be promoted, according to experts.

Also, 1.5 million children are estimated to die of diarrhea in the country every year. The average availability of water is dipping with the growth in population, and according to some estimates, by 2020 India will become a water-stressed nation.

Against this backdrop, experts have been urging the central and state governments to step up investment in rural drinking water programs.