ArticleBMJ open2025
Progress and determinants of household access to improved drinking water in India using a Water Access Index: insights from the National Family Health Survey towards achieving SDG 6.1.
Article in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Automated machine learning achieves accurate water quality prediction with reduced parameter requirements.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Exploring Water Storage Practices and Determinants for Sustainable Water Supply in Tropical Environments: Advancing SDG 6 Implementation.Environmental health insights · 2026Article
- Determinants of households' access to improved drinking water sources in Somalia: insights from the Somali Integrated Household Budget Survey (SIHBS) 2022.BMC public health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectiveAccess to clean drinking water is essential for health and development. Despite global and national initiatives, many regions in India continue to face inadequate water access. This study assesses progress, sociodemographic determinants and geographic disparities in access to drinking water in India, aligning with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.1.
designThis study used secondary data from five rounds of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-1 to NFHS-5; 1992-2021), nationally representative surveys conducted across India. Logistic regression was employed to examine the association between household sociodemographic characteristics and access to improved drinking water. A Water Access Index (WAI) was constructed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) based on four indicators: access to improved sources, on-premises availability, 5-minute round-trip access and household water treatment. The scores were normalised to a 0-100 scale. SETTING AND
participantsThe study used household data from NFHS-1 (88 562 households), NFHS-2 (92 477), NFHS-3 (109 041), NFHS-4 (601 506) and NFHS-5 (636 699), covering all 36 states/union territories in India.
resultsThere has been a notable improvement in access to improved sources, on-premises water and timely availability. Factors such as higher educational attainment, pucca housing and the absence of a below poverty line card were positively associated with better access. Based on WAI scores, 343 districts (49%) were categorised as front runners (65-99%), 142 districts (20%) as performers (50-64%) and 221 districts (31%) as aspirants (0-49%). Only one district (0.1%) achieved universal access. Many districts in West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand and other states still exhibit low-to-moderate water access.
conclusionWhile access to improved drinking water has advanced, regional and socioeconomic disparities remain stark. Targeted, multisectoral policies are essential to ensure equitable progress towards SDG 6.1 across all districts and population groups in India.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.