The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities) has amended the existing Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2017 to mandate compliance with guidelines on accessible and inclusive piped water supply for persons with disabilities and access challenges, effective immediately.
Specific guidelines and standards to be followed by every establishment are outlined herein, which includes Guidelines on accessible and inclusive piped water supply for persons with disabilities and for other population groups with access challenges, which have been notified by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India vide notification number CDN-11017/58/2021-Coordination-DDWS.
Key Highlights:
- A piped drinking water facility will be defined as accessible if it meets the following requirements:
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- Addresses the barriers to accessing safe drinking water, including barriers in reaching the tap, in entering and getting out of the space where the tap is located, and in using the tap to source clean drinking water. Such accessibility needs to be assured wherein water usage is essential (how to provide space for carrying water);
- ensures safety of the users at all times;
- ensures ease of access to all the users, especially persons with disabilities and elderly persons at all times; and
- ensures dignity of the users at all time
- In the event drinking water points already exist in the facilities, retrofitting needs to be prioritized over new installations. Retrofitting of existing water points will majorly comprise adjusting heights of the water points, introducing foot-pedal operated taps, taps with long handles and easy operation, adding support bars, providing markers and signs to make the water points more accessible.
Source: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment
