New Delhi: The Union water ministry’s report on household tap water connections has found Gujarat to be well behind the national average on the quantity and quality of water supplied through its network.This comes amid widespread contamination of drinking water in Gandhinagar, which has led to a typhoid outbreak in parts of the state capital.According to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti’s Functionality Assessment of Household Tap Connections State Report–2024, less than 50% of households in the state received quality water through tap connections in 2024, falling behind the national average of 76%.The report also showed that only 58.7% households in the state received more than 55 litres or more water per person per day – a target set under the Jal Jeevan Mission – as opposed to a national average of 80.2%.Further, only 47.3% of tap connections were found to be functional in the state, against the national average of 76%, the report said.The report also noted that only 31.9% of households in Gandhinagar and 46.1% in Ahmedabad received potable drinking water. In 19 of the 33 districts in the state, less than 50% households received quality drinking water through taps, the report said.Gujarat Congress spokesperson Parthivrajsinh Kathwadiya said that Banaskantha and Dahod districts did not receive potable drinking water at the household level at all.Typhoid outbreakOver 100 suspected cases of typhoid have been reported in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar due to contamination of drinking water in Sector 24 and 28 and Adiwada areas of the city.Leaks in at least seven locations had resulted in sewage mixing with drinking water supply. The leaks developed after a Rs 257-crore water supply project resulted in new pipelines being laid close to or in contact with sewer lines.The outbreak in Gujarat came days after similar contamination was reported in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, where at least 18 people lost their lives after drinking contaminated water.