Advocacy Project Description

The Drink from Tap (DFT) initiative, implemented as a core component of AMRUT 2.0 (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2.0) by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, represents one of the country's key efforts to reimagine urban water infrastructure as a vehicle for equity, sustainability, and public health. The programme envisions universal access to safe, potable water delivered on a 24×7 basis, piloted at the scale of a ward or metered district, with the broader goal of building water-secure cities in line with the vision of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat.

At its core, DFT seeks to ensure equitable water supply to all urban consumers, curb Non-Revenue Water losses that have long affected municipal utilities, and reduce the burden of water-borne illness on vulnerable populations. This research undertakes an impact assessment of the programme, from 407 projects across 41 states and union territories, a set of case study cities has been identified to represent geographic diversity, on-ground progress, and beneficiary reach, based on criteria such as extent of physical completion, scale of coverage, fund utilization, and representation across zones.

The assessment framework is structured around key indicator heads capturing coverage and outreach, service delivery and efficiency, wastage and system deficiencies, project financial health, adherence to hygiene and social equity, socio-economic benefit, and potential for future expansion and scalability, with primary data drawn from a diverse stakeholder base comprising municipal officers, service providers, residents, and other urban actors. The study moves beyond a narrow assessment of infrastructural completion toward a holistic evaluation of how DFT has reshaped citizens' everyday relationship with water, strengthened institutional capacity for governance, and improved the financial and operational sustainability of metered supply systems. Based on these findings, the report puts forth recommendations towards strengthening operations and maintenance practices, enhancing community awareness and participation, and improving service delivery mechanisms to sustain and further the improvement in quality of life brought about by equitable, round-the-clock access to safe drinking water in urban India.