Lok Sabha Question No. 5321 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-04-06
Subject: Contaminated Drinking Water
Ministry: DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION
Asked by: RAVNEET SINGH

- (a)
- (b)

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5321 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06/04/2017

## Contaminated Drinking Water

- 5321 . SHRI RAVNEET SINGH:
- Will the Minister of DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION be pleased to state: (a) whether the ground water in certain parts of the country, including in Punjab, is contaminated with toxic chemicals including heavy metals; (b) if so, whether the Government has plans to initiate any scheme that focuses on supplying piped drinking water in such areas; and
- (c) if so, the details thereof and if not the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF DRINKING   WATER AND SANITATION (SHRI RAMESH CHANDAPPA JIGAJINAGI)

State-wise  number  of  habitations  affected  by  chemical  contamination  including  heavy metals  in  rural  drinking  water  sources  including  Punjab  as  reported  by  the  States  into Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry as on 31 th  March, 2017 is at Annexure . & (c) Rural drinking water supply is a state subject.  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) for improving the coverage of  safe  drinking  water  to  rural  population.  It  is  the  State  Governments  who  plan,  design, execute and operate schemes for providing safe drinking water. Under NRDWP, States can utilize upto 67% of funds released to them for provision of safe drinking  water  in  water  quality  affected  habitations  with  priority  to  arsenic  and  fluoride affected habitations. States may like to set up community water purification systems as a short/medium term measure for immediate provision of safe drinking water as powers to plan,  design,  implement  and  monitor  water  supply  projects  including  water  treatment plants  has  been  delegated  to  them.  Further,  5%  of  the  NRDWP  funds  are  earmarked  for Water  Quality  and  allocated  to  those  States  with  habitations  affected  by  excess  chemical contamination  and  with  high  priority  districts  affected  by  Japanese  Encephalitis/Acute Encephalitis Syndrome. States have been asked to focus on providing piped water supply schemes from safe and perennial surface water  source  in water  quality  affected  habitations.  As  immediate measures, States have been provided an amount of Rs. 800 Crores in Mar 2016 (including Haryana) as 100% grant by Government of India on the recommendation of  NITI Aayog to provide 8-10 litres per capita per day of safe drinking water in arsenic and fluoride affected habitations for drinking and cooking purposes, as short term measures through Community Water  Purification  Plants.  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  has  formulated  a  National  Water  Quality  Sub-Mission  for  focussed funding ring fenced only to arsenic and fluoride rural population on 50 : 50 cost sharing basis between centre and state and 90:10 for North-Eastern & Himalayan States preferably through surface water based piped water supply schemes. Under this program, Rs. 814.14 Crore have been released to 15 States to complete ongoing schemes.

Annexure :  referred to in the reply to Lok  Sabha Unstarred Question No. 5321 due for reply on 06/04/2017

State-wise number of habitations affected by chemical contamination including heavy metals in ground drinking water sources including Punjab as reported by the States into IMIS of the Ministry as on 31 th  March, 2017

| S.    |                    | Contamination WiseNumber Of Habitations   | Contamination WiseNumber Of Habitations   | Contamination WiseNumber Of Habitations   | Contamination WiseNumber Of Habitations   | Contamination WiseNumber Of Habitations   | Contamination WiseNumber Of Habitations   | Contamination WiseNumber Of Habitations   |
|-------|--------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
| S.    |                    | Fluoride Habs                             | Arsenic                                   | Iron                                      | Salinity                                  | Nitrate                                   | Heavy Metal                               | Total                                     |
| 1     | ANDAMANand NICOBAR | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         |
| 2     | ANDHRAPRADESH      | 442                                       | 0                                         | 0                                         | 71                                        | 4                                         | 0                                         | 517                                       |
| 3     | ARUNACHAL PRADESH  | 0                                         | 341                                       | 47                                        | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 388                                       |
| 4     | ASSAM              | 154                                       | 3705                                      | 5883                                      | 0                                         | 0                                         | 6                                         | 9748                                      |
| 5     | BIHAR              | 956                                       | 1061                                      | 2335                                      | 1                                         | 4                                         | 0                                         | 4357                                      |
| 6     | CHATTISGARH        | 75                                        | 0                                         | 774                                       | 3                                         | 1                                         | 0                                         | 853                                       |
| 7     | GOA                | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         |
| 8     | GUJARAT            | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         |
| 9     | HARYANA            | 195                                       | 44                                        | 0                                         | 7                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 246                                       |
| 10    | HIMACHAL PRADESH   | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         |
| 11    | JAMMU ANDKASHMIR   | 0                                         | 7                                         | 2                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 9                                         |
| 12    | JHARKHAND          | 992                                       | 126                                       | 2041                                      | 1                                         | 6                                         | 0                                         | 3166                                      |
| 13    | KARNATAKA          | 845                                       | 20                                        | 96                                        | 71                                        | 442                                       | 1                                         | 1475                                      |
| 14    | KERALA             | 73                                        | 3                                         | 223                                       | 102                                       | 37                                        | 0                                         | 438                                       |
| 15    | MADHYA PRADESH     | 108                                       | 0                                         | 5                                         | 12                                        | 0                                         | 0                                         | 125                                       |
| 16    | MAHARASHTRA        | 91                                        | 1                                         | 19                                        | 149                                       | 104                                       | 0                                         | 364                                       |
| 17    | MANIPUR            | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         |
| 18    | MEGHALAYA          | 0                                         | 1                                         | 10                                        | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 11                                        |
| 19    | MIZORAM            | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         |
| 20    | NAGALAND           | 0                                         | 0                                         | 43                                        | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 43                                        |
| 21    | ODISHA             | 62                                        | 2                                         | 1621                                      | 126                                       | 3                                         | 0                                         | 1814                                      |
| 22    | PUDUCHERRY         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         |
| 23    | PUNJAB             | 281                                       | 475                                       | 221                                       | 17                                        | 141                                       | 1990                                      | 3125                                      |
| 24    | RAJASTHAN          | 6491                                      | 3                                         | 5                                         | 12836                                     | 1015                                      | 0                                         | 20350                                     |
| 25    | SIKKIM             | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         |
| 26    | TAMIL NADU         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 204                                       | 50                                        | 1                                         | 0                                         | 255                                       |
| 27    | TELANGANA          | 1030                                      | 0                                         | 36                                        | 183                                       | 146                                       | 0                                         | 1395                                      |
| 28    | TRIPURA            | 0                                         | 0                                         | 2509                                      | 0                                         | 0                                         | 0                                         | 2509                                      |
| 29    | UTTAR PRADESH      | 200                                       | 262                                       | 1                                         | 82                                        | 1                                         | 0                                         | 546                                       |
| 30    | UTTARAKHAND        | 0                                         | 0                                         | 13                                        | 0                                         | 3                                         | 0                                         | 16                                        |
| 31    | WEST BENGAL        | 1018                                      | 7476                                      | 3590                                      | 124                                       | 1                                         | 0                                         | 12209                                     |
| Total | Total              | 13013                                     | 13527                                     | 19678                                     | 13835                                     | 1909                                      | 1997                                      | 63959                                     |