Lok Sabha Question No. 3837 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-01-03
Subject: Fluoride Contamination of Drinking Water
Ministry: DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION
Asked by: RAJESH PANDEY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DRINKING WATER & SANITATION

## LOK   SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3837 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03/01/2019

## Fluoride Contamination of Drinking Water

## 3837. SHRI RAJESH PANDEY:

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

- (a) whether any assessment has been made regarding quantity of fluoride available in drinking water in various parts of the country, especially in the rural parts;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, State/UTwise, especially Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh; and
- (c) the details of the steps taken by the Government to check the excess of fluoride in drinking water?

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

- (a) & (b): As per Bureau of International Standards, the permissible limit of Fluoride in Drinking  Water  is  1.5  mg/L  and  State-wise  number  of  fluoride  affected  rural habitations,  wherein  fluoride  is  in  excess  of  permissible  limit  of  1.5  mg/L,  as reported by the States in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry including Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh as on 26.12.2018 is at Annexure .
- (c) : 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 scheme National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP). It is the State Governments who plan, design, approve, execute, operate & maintain the  schemes  for  providing  safe  drinking  water  to  rural  population. The  funds provided to the States under NRDWP can be utilized for taking up schemes in water quality affected areas on priority including fluoride affected areas.

To  deal  with  arsenic  and  fluoride  contamination,  with  the  recommendation  of National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog), Government of India had released  Rs.  1,000  crore  in  March  2016  for  commissioning  of  Community  Water Purification  Plants  (CWPPs)  and  last  mile  connectivity  of  piped  water  supply schemes.

In addition, the Ministry had  launched National Water  Quality Sub-Mission (NWQSM) on 22.03.17 to provide safe drinking water to 27,544 arsenic / fluoride affected rural habitations in a span of 4 years, subject to availability of funds.

## State-wise number of fluoride affected rural habitations as reported by the States in Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry including Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh as on 26.12.2018

| S. No.   | State          | Number of Fluoride affected habitations as on 26.12.2018   |   Number of Fluoride affected habitations as on 26.12.2018 |
|----------|----------------|------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh |                                                            |                                                        319 |
| 2        | Assam          |                                                            |                                                        262 |
| 3        | Bihar          |                                                            |                                                        781 |
| 4        | Chhattisgarh   |                                                            |                                                        282 |
| 5        | Haryana        |                                                            |                                                        103 |
| 6        | Jammu &Kashmir |                                                            |                                                          4 |
| 7        | Jharkhand      |                                                            |                                                        198 |
| 8        | Karnataka      |                                                            |                                                        458 |
| 9        | Kerala         |                                                            |                                                         32 |
| 10       | Madhya Pradesh |                                                            |                                                        140 |
| 11       | Maharashtra    |                                                            |                                                         63 |
| 12       | Odisha         |                                                            |                                                         98 |
| 13       | Punjab         |                                                            |                                                        299 |
| 14       | Rajasthan      |                                                            |                                                       5176 |
| 15       | Uttar Pradesh  |                                                            |                                                        178 |
| 16       | West Bengal    |                                                            |                                                       1263 |
| Total    | Total          |                                                            |                                                       9656 |