India - Housing Condition Survey, July 2008- June 2009, NSS 65th Round

In item 1, information in respect of the household's major source of drinking water during the last 365 days will be collected. Since a household may use more than one source of drinking water, provision has been made to record two such sources in column 3 of item 1 against cell 1 and cell 2, respectively. Entry in cell 1 will relate to that source of drinking water which is used most by the household and in cell 2, entry will relate to the second most used source of drinking water. However, if a household has only one source of drinking water, the relevant entry will be made against cell 1, and a dash (-) may be put in cell 2.
Drinking water packaged in bottles, pouches, and similar containers will be classified as bottled drinking water. Generally this packaged drinking water meets certain safety standards and are considered safe for drinking. However, tap water, well water, etc., kept by households in bottles, for convenience, will not be treated as bottled drinking water. If bottled drinking water is major source of drinking water, code 01 will be appropriate. If an arrangement is made by corporation, municipality, panchayat or other local authorities or any private or public housing estate or agency to supply water through pipe for household uses and if the sample household is availing such facility, then code 02 will be appropriate. Drinking water carried through pipe from sources like well, tank, river, etc., by the owner / occupants only for convenience of the household, however, will not be treated as tap water. Instead, such a source will get the code appropriate to the actual source from which water is carried through pipe. A well is considered as protected if has generally the following protective measures to lower the risk of contamination:

1) A headwall around the well with a properly fitting cover
2) A concrete drainage platform around the well with a drainage channel
3) A handpump or bucket with windlass

A well which does not have protective measures to lower the risk of contamination will be considered as unprotected well. Rainwater harvesting is the gathering or accumulating and storing of rainwater. Traditionally, rainwater harvesting has been practised in arid and semi-arid areas, and has provided drinking water, domestic water, water for livestock, etc. When harvested rainwater is used as a major source of drinking water code 11 will be applicable.