Data Discrepancies: Interpreting Rural Water Data inthe Decadal Census

If the quality of water was equally poor in 2010 as well, then the census, which captures data only on drinking water sources (and not on whether households access taps irrespective of the purpose of use), is reporting that only a few households accessed taps for drinking. [...]in villages where water quality is an issue and taps are used only for non-potable purposes, census data may be correct, but it is not a good indicator for piped water coverage. [...]panchayat bore wells (such as those present in our study area), which are connected to a piped network, should ideally be reported under "tap from treated source" or "tap from untreated source," and not as "bore wells." [...]census data on access to taps for drinking purposes are not a good indicator of piped water coverage, since this data may be influenced by the water supply situation (insufficient supply and quality) at the time of census data collection. [...]the role of the enumerator and respondents/households is crucial in census data collection.