Lok Sabha Question No. 2493 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-16
Subject: Fluorides in Ground Water
Ministry: DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION
Asked by: BHARATI DHIRUBHAI SHIYAL, SUBHASH PATEL, GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT, SRIRAM MALYADRI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DRINKING WATER & SANITATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2493 TO BE ANSWERED ON 16.03.2017

## Fluorides in Ground Water

†2493. DR. BHARATIBEN D. SHYAL: SHRI SUBHASH PATEL: SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT: SHRI MALYADRI SRIRAM:

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

- (a) the details of the States where the presence of fluorides exceeds the permissible levels prescribed for ground water by the Bureau of Indian Standards; and
- (b) the steps being taken by the Government to address this problem to enable the people living in these States get flouride free drinking water?

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

- (a) State-wise number of fluoride affected habitations ( more than permissible level prescribed by Bureau  of  Indian  Standards  for  drinking  water)    as  reported  by  the  States  into    Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry as on 10th March, 2017  is at AnnexureI.
- (b) 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  clean drinking water to rural population. It is the State Governments who plan, design, execute and operate schemes for providing safe drinking water.

Up  to  67%  fund  allocated  to  the  States  under  NRDWP  can  be  utilized  for  coverage  and tackling  water  quality  problems.  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  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.

In  addition  to  this,  the  Ministry  has  formulated  a  National  Water  Quality  Sub-Mission  for focus funding to schemes meant for mitigating arsenic and fluoride contamination 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. The fundamental objective of SubMission  is  to  provide  focused  funding  ring-fenced  to  only  arsenic  and  fluoride  affected population. Under this program, Rs. 814.14 Crore have been released to 15 States to complete ongoing schemes.

Annexure-I :  referred in the reply to Lok  Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2493 due for reply on 16/03/2017 as reported by the

State-wise number of fluoride affected habitations ( more than permissible level prescribed by Bureau of Indian Standards for drinking water) States into IMIS of the Ministry as on 10/03/2017

| S. No.   | Name of the State /UT   | No. of fluoride affected habitations (More than 1.5mg/l)   |
|----------|-------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1        | ANDAMANand NICOBAR      | -                                                          |
| 2        | ANDHRA PRADESH          | 442                                                        |
| 3        | ARUNACHAL PRADESH       | -                                                          |
| 4        | ASSAM                   | 155                                                        |
| 5        | BIHAR                   | 1,013                                                      |
| 6        | CHATTISGARH             | 75                                                         |
| 7        | GOA                     | -                                                          |
| 8        | GUJARAT                 | -                                                          |
| 9        | HARYANA                 | 195                                                        |
| 10       | HIMACHAL PRADESH        | -                                                          |
| 11       | JAMMUANDKASHMIR         | -                                                          |
| 12       | JHARKHAND               | 992                                                        |
| 13       | KARNATAKA               | 853                                                        |
| 14       | KERALA                  | 73                                                         |
| 15       | MADHYAPRADESH           | 109                                                        |
| 16       | MAHARASHTRA             | 91                                                         |
| 17       | MANIPUR                 | -                                                          |
| 18       | MEGHALAYA               | -                                                          |
| 19       | MIZORAM                 | -                                                          |
| 20       | NAGALAND                | -                                                          |
| 21       | ODISHA                  | 62                                                         |
| 22       | PUDUCHERRY              | -                                                          |
| 23       | PUNJAB                  | 281                                                        |
| 24       | RAJASTHAN               | 6,538                                                      |
| 25       | SIKKIM                  | -                                                          |
| 26       | TAMIL NADU              | -                                                          |
| 27       | TELANGANA               | 1,041                                                      |
| 28       | TRIPURA                 | -                                                          |
| 29       | UTTAR PRADESH           | 200                                                        |
| 30       | UTTARAKHAND             | -                                                          |
| 31       | WEST                    | 1,019                                                      |
| Total    | BENGAL                  |                                                            |
|          |                         | 13,139                                                     |