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According to a report published by the NSO, the situation is particularly alarming in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, where the large majority, both in the urban and rural areas, drink untreated water. The high incidence of water-borne diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea are an outcome of the poor quality of drinking water in India, yet nearly two-thirds of the households across the country do not treat their water before consuming it, either out of ignorance or for want of resources to carry out the purifying process. Boiling water before drinking, perhaps the safest and effective way to kill germs and widely recommended by public healthcare institutions and doctors, is not popular in rural India. Rather, some choose to just strain their water through a piece of fabric before drinking it, a process that can only remove large particles of contaminants.