West Bengal: only a quarter use tap water

Kolkata, March 27 (IANS) The West Bengal census report of 2011 revealed Tuesday that only 25.4 and 54.5 percent of households use tap water and have electricity in their homes.

According to the West Bengal census report 2011, only 35.8 percent of households have bathing facilities.

Of this, 8.7 percent of bathing facilities are without roof. Here, West Bengal ranks 31st in the country.

"(A total of) 38.6 percent have drinking water source within the premises while 26.6 percent still fetch drinking water from a source located beyond 500 meters away in rural areas or 100 meters in urban area," it stated.

The report stated that 54.5 percent have electricity as the main source of lightening while 43.5 percent still depend on kerosene.

"(A total of) 58.8 percent have latrine facilities, a significant increase from 43.7 percent over 2001. Still there are about 41 percent households in Bengal which don't have latrine facilities," said Dipak Ghosh, director of the directorate of census operations, West Bengal.

Ghosh added that only 35.3 percent households have television.

Nearly 77 percent households still use firewood, crop residue, cowdung cake and coal for cooking.

Only 18 percent households use LPG/PNG. The state is ranked 28th among all Indian states in both segments.

Only two percent households have four-wheelers whereas nine percent have two-wheelers.

However, 89.3 percent of the households are self owned. Only 7.3 percent is rented.