The success of the government water supply scheme in rural Tamilnadu (International Institute for Population Sciences and ORC Macro, 2001) is reflected in our findings that the people of Nelvoy village predominantly derived their drinking water from the government supply. As recently as 5 years ago, water sources such as shallow bore wells, operated by hand pumps and open wells were used as sources of drinking water. With the recession of the water table, the only reliable source of water has become the deep bore wells installed by the government.