Lok Sabha Question No. 84 (STARRED), answered on 2017-12-21
Subject: Fluoride in Drinking Water
Ministry: DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION
Asked by: JYOTI DHURVE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 84 TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.12.2017

## Fluoride in Drinking Water

## †*84. SHRIMATI JYOTI DHURVE:

Will the Minister of DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION be pleased to state: (a)  whether  any  assessment  has  been  made  regarding  quantity  of  fluoride  in drinking water in various parts of the country; (b) if so, the details thereof, State/ UT-wise; (c)  the  details  of  the  efforts  made  by  the  Government  to  check  the  excess  of fluoride in drinking water; and

- (d) the details of the future plan in this regard?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION (SUSHREE UMA BHARTI)

- (a) to (d)   A Statement of reply is laid on the Table of the House.

## ***************

## Statement referred to in the reply to Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 84   due for reply on 21.12.2017

(a) to  (d)  :  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 Governments who plan, design, approve, execute and operate  &  maintain  the  schemes  for  providing  safe  drinking  water  to  rural population. The funds provided to the States under NRDWP can be utilized for coverage  and  tackling  water  quality  problems  with  priority  to  arsenic  and fluoride affected habitations.

Assessment  of  Fluoride  in  drinking  water  is  being  done  by  the  State Governments  through  laboratory  testing  for  which  this  Ministry  is  assisting States through NRDWP. Up to 5% of funds provided to states under NRDWP can be utilized for Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance (WQMS), which inter alia  include  taking  up  works  relating  to  setting  up  of  new  /  up-gradation  of State/ district/sub district / block level/ mobile water quality testing laboratories,  providing  chemicals  and  consumables  to  laboratories,  providing field test kits/refills to Gram Panchayats etc.

State / UT-wise number of fluoride affected habitations with population, as  reported  by  the  States  into  Integrated  Management  Information  System (IMIS) of the Ministry as on 15 th  December, 2017 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 in 1,327 arsenic and 12,014 fluoride affected habitations so that safe water for drinking and cooking needs is  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.

Further, the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation had launched the National  Water  Quality  Sub-Mission  on  22 nd   March  2017  under  NRDWP  to provide safe drinking water  to about 28,000  arsenic / fluoride affected habitations over a span of 4 years.

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## Annexure referred to in the Statement of reply to Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 84 due for reply on 21/12/2017

State / UT-wise number of fluoride affected habitations with population, as reported by the States into Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry as on 15 th  December, 2017

| S. No.   | Name of the State / UT   |   Nos. of Fluoride affected Habitations |   Nos. of Fluoride affected Population |
|----------|--------------------------|-----------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
| 1        | ANDAMANandNICOBAR        |                                       0 |                                      0 |
| 2        | ANDHRA PRADESH           |                                     349 |                                 228730 |
| 3        | ARUNACHAL PRADESH        |                                       0 |                                      0 |
| 4        | ASSAM                    |                                     285 |                                 113837 |
| 5        | BIHAR                    |                                     898 |                                1100274 |
| 6        | CHATTISGARH              |                                     405 |                                 131263 |
| 7        | GOA                      |                                       0 |                                      0 |
| 8        | GUJARAT                  |                                       0 |                                      0 |
| 9        | HARYANA                  |                                     119 |                                 296751 |
| 10       | HIMACHAL PRADESH         |                                       0 |                                      0 |
| 11       | JAMMU ANDKASHMIR         |                                       5 |                                  10576 |
| 12       | JHARKHAND                |                                     552 |                                 263870 |
| 13       | KARNATAKA                |                                     606 |                                 406598 |
| 14       | KERALA                   |                                      34 |                                  80427 |
| 15       | MADHYA PRADESH           |                                     171 |                                  73219 |
| 16       | MAHARASHTRA              |                                      81 |                                 156068 |
| 17       | MANIPUR                  |                                       0 |                                      0 |
| 18       | MEGHALAYA                |                                       0 |                                      0 |
| 19       | MIZORAM                  |                                       0 |                                      0 |
| 20       | NAGALAND                 |                                       0 |                                      0 |
| 21       | ODISHA                   |                                     105 |                                  29993 |
| 22       | PUDUCHERRY               |                                       0 |                                      0 |
| 23       | PUNJAB                   |                                     306 |                                 366776 |
| 24       | RAJASTHAN                |                                    6159 |                                4267792 |
| 25       | SIKKIM                   |                                       0 |                                      0 |
| 26       | TAMIL NADU               |                                       0 |                                      0 |
| 27       | TELANGANA                |                                     987 |                                1390769 |
| 28       | TRIPURA                  |                                       0 |                                      0 |
| 29       | UTTAR PRADESH            |                                     179 |                                 310011 |
| 30       | UTTARAKHAND              |                                       0 |                                      0 |
| 31       | WEST BENGAL              |                                    1336 |                                 838552 |
| Total    | Total                    |                                   12577 |                               10065506 |