Why this exists
Access to safe drinking water is not optional. Yet across India, people continue to fall sick — and in some cases die — because tap water supplied to homes is unsafe to drink. These problems are often highly local and can persist for weeks without wider visibility.
The visibility gap
Most tap water quality issues affect specific pipelines or supply zones. They remain invisible beyond the immediate neighborhood until they escalate into a public health crisis.
People living in these areas already know when something is wrong. They see it and smell it when they pour a glass of water.
Media reporting plays a critical role in exposing such situations, but it is difficult to get timely, nationwide visibility into local water supply problems as they unfold.
What this platform does
This platform collects simple, anonymous citizen observations about tap water — how it looks, smells, and feels.
Your report appears on the map immediately. It's public. Anyone can see it.
Your report matters. While individual observations are subjective, collecting reports at scale allows patterns to emerge across regions. One report shows what you see. Ten reports from the same area show a pattern. A hundred reports make it undeniable.
This mass approach can capture "obvious" problems faster and more inclusively than waiting for lab tests or official investigations. The more people report, the clearer the picture becomes.
Together, these report clusters create a near real-time, nationwide public record that anyone — journalists, researchers, residents, officials — can see.
This is subjective citizen data — great for awareness, but always verify with official tests for health decisions. If you spot an issue, contact local authorities alongside reporting here.
Media context
One example: an India Today ground report where West Delhi residents poured tap water into a container on camera. The water appeared visibly contaminated. Residents described a sewage-like smell, ongoing illness, and the need to purchase drinking water separately while still paying utility charges.
Incidents like this show the gap between what people experience daily and what becomes visible nationally — a gap this platform aims to narrow.
People should not have to wait for a crisis to be seen.