Lok Sabha Question No. 2072 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-08
Subject: Safe Drinking Water in Arsenic-hit Areas
Ministry: DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION
Asked by: MAULANA BADRUDDIN AJMAL

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2072 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08/03/2018

## Safe Drinking Water in Arsenic-hit Areas

## 2072. SHRI BADRUDDIN AJMAL:

Will the Minister of DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether several reports have expressed their concern over the rising crisis of drinking  water in  arsenic-hit  areas  in  the  country  specially  in  Assam  and  urged  the Government to take serious note for providing drinking water in such areas; (b) if  so,  the  details  of  the  States  and  areas  which  are  affected  by  arsenic  and fluoride; and (c) The details of the schemes and funds allocated by the Government to provide

- safe drinking water to the people of arsenic-hit areas?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF DRINKING   WATER AND SANITATION (SHRI S.S.AHLUWALIA)

(a) to (c): Yes Madam.  Ministry is aware that there is crisis of safe drinking water in arsenic affected areas in some parts of the country. Rural drinking water supply is a state subject.  For improving the coverage of safe drinking water to rural population, this  Ministry  supplements the efforts of the states by providing them with technical and  financial  assistance  through  the  centrally  sponsored  National  Rural  Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP). It is the State Government who plan, design, approve, execute and operate & maintain the schemes for providing safe drinking water to rural population. State-wise number of arsenic and fluoride affected habitations as reported by the states into Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry as on 01 st  March,2018 is at Annexure. To  deal  with  arsenic  and  fluoride  contamination,  with  the  recommendation  of  NITI Aayog, Government of India has released Rs 800 crore in March 2016 for commissioning Community Water Purification Plants (CWPPs) so that safe water for drinking and cooking needs are addressed immediately. In addition, funds to the tune of Rs.100 Crore each are also provided for tackling arsenic and fluoride problems in West Bengal and Rajasthan respectively for the last mile connectivity in commissioning surface water based piped water supply schemes. The  Ministry  of  Drinking  Water  and  Sanitation  had  launched  the  National  Water Quality  Sub-Mission  (NWQSM)  on  22 nd   March  2017  under  NRDWP  to  provide  safe drinking  water  to  about  28,000  arsenic  /  fluoride  affected  habitations.  As  on  date, Rs.2421.64 Crore has been released under NWQSM to provide safe drinking water in arsenic / fluoride affected habitations and 1872 habitations have been provided with potable water so far. The funds provided to the States under NRDWP can also be utilized for coverage and tackling water  quality problems  with  priority  to arsenic and  fluoride affected habitations.

## Annexure referred to in the reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2072 due for reply on 08/03/2018

## State-wise number of arsenic and fluoride affected habitations as reported by the states into Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry as on 01 st  March, 2018

| S. No.   | Name of the State   | Nos. of Fluoride affected habitations   | Nos. of Arsenic affected habitations   |
|----------|---------------------|-----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andaman &Nicobar    | 0                                       | 0                                      |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh      | 348                                     | 0                                      |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh   | 0                                       | 0                                      |
| 4        | Assam               | 285                                     | 4,518                                  |
| 5        | Bihar               | 898                                     | 871                                    |
| 6        | Chhattisgarh        | 403                                     | 19                                     |
| 7        | Goa                 | 0                                       | 0                                      |
| 8        | Gujarat             | 0                                       | 0                                      |
| 9        | Haryana             | 118                                     | 0                                      |
| 10       | Himachal Pradesh    | 0                                       | 0                                      |
| 11       | Jammu &Kashmir      | 4                                       | 0                                      |
| 12       | Jharkhand           | 552                                     | 102                                    |
| 13       | Karnataka           | 580                                     | 4                                      |
| 14       | Kerala              | 34                                      | 0                                      |
| 15       | Madhya Pradesh      | 171                                     | 0                                      |
| 16       | Maharashtra         | 79                                      | 0                                      |
| 17       | Manipur             | 0                                       | 0                                      |
| 18       | Meghalaya           | 0                                       | 0                                      |
| 19       | Mizoram             | 0                                       | 0                                      |
| 20       | Nagaland            | 0                                       | 0                                      |
| 21       | Odisha              | 104                                     | 0                                      |
| 22       | Puducherry          | 0                                       | 0                                      |
| 23       | Punjab              | 301                                     | 701                                    |
| 24       | Rajasthan           | 6,065                                   | 0                                      |
| 25       | Sikkim              | 0                                       | 0                                      |
| 26       | Tamil Nadu          | 0                                       | 0                                      |
| 27       | Telangana           | 798                                     | 0                                      |
| 28       | Tripura             | 0                                       | 0                                      |
| 29       | Uttar Pradesh       | 179                                     | 748                                    |
| 30       | Uttarakhand         | 0                                       | 0                                      |
| 31       | West Bengal         | 1,336                                   | 10,162                                 |
| Total    | Total               | 12,255                                  | 17,125                                 |