Lok Sabha Question No. 2635 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-03-17
Subject: Deaths due to Lack of Clean Water
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Ganesh Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

## DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO -2635

ANSWERED ON - 17/3/2022

## DEATHS DUE TO LACK OF CLEAN WATER

## †2635. SHRI GANESH SINGH:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:-

(a) whether as per report of NITI Aayog, two lakhs people die every year due to non-availability of clean water and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether as per report of NITI Aayog, forty percent of the population is likely to face water related problems by the year 2030 and if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the water of lakes and rivers is getting polluted and no provision has been made by the Government for keeping water clean in almost ninety percent of the cities; and

(d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR JALSHAKTI (SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL)

(a)  &  (b)  Yes  Sir.  Composite  Water  Management Index (CWMI) report 2018 of NITI Aayog stated that  about two  lakh  people  die  every  year  due to  inadequate  access  to  safe  water.In the same report of NITI Aayog it is estimated that about 600 million people may face water stress thus constituting about 40% of India's projected population by 2030.

Since August, 2019, the Government of India in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to make provision of potable tap water supply in adequate quantity, of prescribed  quality  and  on  regular  &  long-term  basis  to  every  rural  household  by  2024 including those in water quality-affected habitations.

Under Jal Jeevan Mission, while taking up schemes to make provision of potable tap water supply to rural households, priority is given to quality-affected habitations. Children being more  susceptible  to  water-borne  diseases  and  contamination  in  drinking  water,  on  2 nd October,  2020,  a  special  campaign  was  launched  to  make  provision  of  potable  tap  water supply  in  schools,  anganwadi  centres,  ashramshalas,  etc.  on  a  priority  basis.  As  a  result, provision of tap water supply has become available in 8.52 lakhs (83%) schools and 8.76 lakhs (78.4%) anganwadi centres of the country.

(c) & (d) As reported by Central Pollution Control Board,Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change,Water bodies are dwindling due to encroachments over the years due to increase  in population, urbanization and encroachment. Also, water bodies are polluted mainly due  to  discharge  of  untreated  or  partially  treated  sewage  from  cities/towns  and  industrial effluents  in  their  respective  catchments,  problems  in  operation  and  maintenance  of  existing infrastructure for sewage/effluent treatment plants, inadequate infrastructure for management of generated sewage and waste, lack of dilution (no e-flows in case of rivers), agricultural run-off and other non-point sources are the root cause of water pollution.

Water being a State subject, it is the responsibility of States/Union Territories (UTs) for taking adequate measures for control of water pollution.

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), at present, monitors the water quality of surface water and  groundwater  at  4294  locations  (including  rivers  at  2026  monitoring  locations,  and  lakes, tanks & ponds at 657 locations, under National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP) in association with the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/ Pollution Control Committees (PCCs). Furthermore, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) identified 351 polluted river for rejuvenation.

Also, all the States and UTs are required to submit status on framework including action plans for restoration of polluted stagnant water bodies in the respective State/UT and action plan for restoration of identified/ prioritized stagnant water bodies to  Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) and CPCB.

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