Lok Sabha Question No. 2330 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-16
Subject: Contaminated Drinking Water
Ministry: DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION
Asked by: SHASHI THAROOR

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DRINKING WATER & SANITATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2330 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.03.2017

## Contaminated Drinking Water

2330. DR. SHASHI THAROOR:

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

(a)  whether  the  right  to  water  has  been  recognised  as  a  Fundamental  Right  by  the Supreme Court of India and again in the Model Bill on Groundwater and if so, the details thereof;

(b)  whether  3.42  lakh habitations  are  receiving  inadequate  drinking  water  and  59,881 habitations where quality of water is affected with contaminants like Arsenic, Fluoride, Iron according to the 23rd report of the Standing Committee of Rural Development and if so, the details thereof;

(c)  whether according to the Committee the funds are half of the proposed amount for rural drinking water and inadequate for attaining 50% rural coverage by 2017 and if so, the details thereof;

(d)  if  so,  whether  the  Government  has  formulated  any  new  plan  for  ensuring  safe drinking water to each citizen and if so, the details thereof; and

(e) whether the Government would consider formulating Water Quality Index similar to Air  Quality  Index  to  inform  citizens  of  quality  of  water  being  consumed  and  if  so,  the details thereof?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF DRINKING WATER & SANITATION (SHRI RAMESH CHANDAPPA JIGAJINAGI)

(a)  Supreme  Court  has  interpreted  that  right  to  water  is  fundamental  to  life.    However, Supreme Court has not recognized right to water as such as a fundamental right.

The  current  Model  Bill  to  Regulate  and  Control  the  Development  and  Management  of Ground  water  prepared  and  duly  approved  by  Ministry  of  Water  Resources  in  January 2005 does not recognize right to drinking water as a fundamental right.

(b) It  is  a  fact  that  as  per  the  23 rd   report  of  the  Standing  Committee  of  Rural Development,  there  were  3.42  lakh  partially  covered  habitations  (receiving  inadequate drinking  water)  and  59,881  water  quality  affected  habitations  as  per  the  Integrated Management Information System (IMIS)  data  as  on  17/3/2016.  This  data  is  dynamic  in nature and as per IMIS data as on 10/3/2017, there are now 3.30 lakh partially covered

- habitations  and  64,094  water  quality  affected  habitations.  The  State-wise  break-up  of partially  covered  habitations  as  on  10/03/3017  is  at  Annexure-I  and  the  State-wise number of water quality affected habitations which are yet to be provided safe drinking

water as on 10/3/2017 is at Annexure-II. (c) The  budgetary  allocation  under  the  National  Rural  Drinking  Water  Programme (NRDWP) for the year 2017-18 is Rs 6,050 crore. However, the percentage of population covered with piped water supply in rural India as on 10/3/2017 is 53.52% and exceeded the target of 50% to be achieved by 2017. (d) The  centrally  sponsored  National  Rural  Drinking  Water  Programme  continues  to assist the States technically and financially in  providing safe water.  A new component of National  Water  Quality  Sub-Mission  has  been  added  under  NRDWP  which  aims  at providing  focused  funding  only  to  arsenic  and  fluoride  affected  rural  population  for providing safe drinking water preferably through surface water based piped water supply schemes. Funds required for enroute non-arsenic non-fluoride affected population has to be met out fully by the concerned State Government. (e) The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India is not planning to introduce water quality index as a measure of pollution because safe drinking water has its  own  standard  set  by  Bureau  of  Indian  Standards  in  its  IS-2010500-2012  and  its subsequent amendments, which again has been derived taking help of the World Health

Organization guidelines.

******

## Annexure-I referred to in the reply to LokSabhaUnstarred question no. 2330 due for eply on 16/03/2017

State-wise number of partially covered habitations as on 10/3/2017 which have access to safe drinking water but less than the norm of 40 litres per capita per day

| S.No.      | Namemof the State/UT   | TotalNoof Habitations   |   Noof Partially Covered Habitations |
|------------|------------------------|-------------------------|--------------------------------------|
| 1          | ANDMANandNICOBAR       | 400                     |                                 76   |
| 2          | ANDHRAPRADESH          | 48342                   |                              14783   |
| 3          | ARUNACHAL PRADESH      | 7577                    |                               4407   |
| 4          | ASSAM                  | 88099                   |                              24632   |
| 5          | BIHAR                  | 110234                  |                              41170   |
| 6          | CHHATTISGARH           | 74647                   |                               3229   |
| 7          | GOA                    | 347                     |                                  2   |
| 8          | GUJARAT                | 36066                   |                                  0   |
| 9          | HARYANA                | 7948                    |                                229   |
| 10         | HIMACHAL PRADESH       | 53604                   |                              11910   |
| 11         | JAMMU ANDKASHMIR       | 15958                   |                               7159   |
| 12         | JHARKHAND              | 120067                  |                               3826   |
| 13         | KARNATAKA              | 60248                   |                              30026   |
| 14         | KERALA                 | 11883                   |                               7828   |
| 15         | MADHYAPRADESH          | 128067                  |                                 74   |
| 16         | MAHARASHTRA            | 100066                  |                              11159   |
| 17         | MANIPUR                | 2868                    |                                605   |
| 18         | MEGHALAYA              | 10475                   |                               8788   |
| 19         | MIZORAM                | 738                     |                                291   |
| 20         | NAGALAND               | 1530                    |                                756   |
| 21         | ODISHA                 | 156468                  |                              26421   |
| 22         | PUDUCHERRY             | 266                     |                                113   |
| 23         | PUNJAB                 | 15384                   |                               2460   |
| 24         | RAJASTHAN              | 121648                  |                              45652   |
| 25         | SIKKIM                 | 2084                    |                               1353   |
| 26         | TAMILNADU              | 100204                  |                               7074   |
| 27         | TELANGANA              | 24582                   |                               9840   |
| 28         | TRIPURA                | 8723                    |                               1822   |
| 29         | UTTARPRADESH           | 260801                  |                               1074   |
| 30         | UTTARAKHAND            | 39209                   |                              17485   |
| 31         | WESTBENGAL             | 105905                  |                              46622   |
| 1714438    | Total                  | 1714438                 |                             330866   |
| Percentage | Percentage             | Percentage              |                                 19.3 |

## Annexure-II referred to in the reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred question no. 2330 due for reply on 16/03/2017

State-wise number of water quality affected habitations as on 10/3/2017 which are yet to be provided safe drinking water

|         | Name of the State/ UT   | Contamination Wise Number Of Habitations affected   | Contamination Wise Number Of Habitations affected   | Contamination Wise Number Of Habitations affected   | Contamination Wise Number Of Habitations affected   | Contamination Wise Number Of Habitations affected   | Contamination Wise Number Of Habitations affected   | Contamination Wise Number Of Habitations affected   |
|---------|-------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
| S.No.   | Name of the State/ UT   | Total                                               | Fluoride                                            | Arsenic                                             | Iron                                                | Salinity                                            | Nitrate                                             | Heavy Metal                                         |
| 1       | ANDAMANand NICOBAR      | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 2       | ANDHRA PRADESH          | 51 7                                                | 442                                                 | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 71                                                  | 4                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 3       | ARUNACHAL PRADESH       | 388                                                 | 0                                                   | 341                                                 | 47                                                  | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 4       | ASSAM                   | 9757                                                | 1 55                                                | 3706                                                | 5890                                                | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 6                                                   |
| 5       | BIHAR                   | 4438                                                | 1 01 3                                              | 1 065                                               | 2355                                                | 1                                                   | 4                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 6       | CHATTISGARH             | 853                                                 | 75                                                  | 0                                                   | 774                                                 | 3                                                   | 1                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 7       | GOA                     | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 8       | GUJARAT                 | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 9       | HARYANA                 | 247                                                 | 1 95                                                | 45                                                  | 0                                                   | 7                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 1 0     | HIMACHAL PRADESH        | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 1 1     | JAMMUANDKASHMIR         | 9                                                   | 0                                                   | 7                                                   | 2                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 1 2     | JHARKHAND               | 31 66                                               | 992                                                 | 1 26                                                | 2041                                                | 1                                                   | 6                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 1 3     | KARNATAKA               | 1 492                                               | 853                                                 | 20                                                  | 97                                                  | 72                                                  | 449                                                 | 1                                                   |
| 1 4     | KERALA                  | 438                                                 | 73                                                  | 3                                                   | 223                                                 | 1 02                                                | 37                                                  | 0                                                   |
| 1 5     | MADHYA PRADESH          | 1 26                                                | 1 09                                                | 0                                                   | 5                                                   | 1 2                                                 | 0                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 1 6     | MAHARASHTRA             | 364                                                 | 91                                                  | 1                                                   | 1 9                                                 | 1 49                                                | 1 04                                                | 0                                                   |
| 1 7     | MANIPUR                 | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 1 8     | MEGHALAYA               | 1 1                                                 | 0                                                   | 1                                                   | 1 0                                                 | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 1 9     | MIZORAM                 | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 20      | NAGALAND                | 43                                                  | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 43                                                  | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 21      | ODISHA                  | 1 81 9                                              | 62                                                  | 2                                                   | 1 625                                               | 1 27                                                | 3                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 22      | PUDUCHERRY              | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 23      | PUNJAB                  | 31 21                                               | 281                                                 | 475                                                 | 221                                                 | 1 7                                                 | 1 41                                                | 1 986                                               |
| 24      | RAJASTHAN               | 20350                                               | 6491                                                | 3                                                   | 5                                                   | 1 2836                                              | 1 01 5                                              | 0                                                   |
| 25      | SIKKIM                  | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 26      | TAMIL NADU              | 255                                                 | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 204                                                 | 50                                                  | 1                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 27      | TELANGANA               | 1 406                                               | 1 041                                               | 0                                                   | 36                                                  | 1 83                                                | 1 46                                                | 0                                                   |
| 28      | TRIPURA                 | 251 1                                               | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 251 1                                               | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 29      | UTTARPRADESH            | 546                                                 | 200                                                 | 262                                                 | 1                                                   | 82                                                  | 1                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 30      | UTTARAKHAND             | 1 6                                                 | 0                                                   | 0                                                   | 1 3                                                 | 0                                                   | 3                                                   | 0                                                   |
| 31 WEST | BENGAL                  | 1 2221                                              | 1 01 9                                              | 7479                                                | 3598                                                | 1 24                                                | 1                                                   | 0                                                   |
| Total   | Total                   | 64094                                               | 13092                                               | 13536                                               | 19720                                               | 13837                                               | 1 916                                               | 1993                                                |