Lok Sabha Question No. 244 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-08
Subject: Contamination of Ground Water
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Poonam (Mahajan) Vajendla Rao, Ramya  Haridas

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI,

## DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 244

ANSWERED ON 08.12.2022

## CONTAMINATION OF GROUND WATER

## 244 SHRIMATI POONAM MAHAJAN

## MS. RAMYA HARIDAS

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

(a) the details of the States where rivers and groundwater have been found to be contaminated with salinity, iron and nitrates;

(b) whether it is a fact that the contamination is in excess of the limit prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS);

- (c) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and

(d) the corrective steps being taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI ( SHRI BISHWESWAR TUDU )

(a)  to  (c) Central  Ground Water Board (CGWB) generates ground water quality data of the country on a regional scale as part of its ground water quality monitoring program and various scientific studies. These studies indicate the occurrence of contaminants such as Nitrate, Iron and Salinity beyond permissible limits (as per BIS) for human consumption in isolated pockets in various States / UTs. The details in this regard are given at Annexure I .

Further,  Central  Water  Commission  (CWC)  generates  surface  water  quality  information  with  respect  to rivers in the country through various sites located in various parts of the country. As per the information for the  period  August,  2018  to  December,  2020,  iron  parameter  were  found  to  have  values  more  than  the prescribed standard for drinking water (as per BIS)  at 414  sites located in certain river basins falling in the States  of  Rajasthan,  Jharkhand,  Assam,  Uttar  Pradesh,  Odisha,  Tripura,  Tamil  Nadu,  West  Bengal, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Bihar, Madhya  Pradesh,Uttarakhand,Chhattisgarh, Arunachal  Pradesh,  Meghalaya,  Gujarat,  Manipur,  Delhi,Telangana,  Himachal  Pradesh  and  Sikkim.   In addition, the value of Nitrates were found beyond prescribed limits for drinking water (as per BIS) at 8 sites out of 588 sites for water year 1 st June, 2019 to 31 st May, 2020. Details in this regard are given at Annexure II .

Water  demand  in  the  country  is  continuously  increasing  due  to  population  rise,  industrialization  & urbanization etc which are contributing to rise in contaminants level in rivers and groundwater. Excessive use of fertilizers in the agriculture practices may also be considered as one of the factor for contamination in groundwater and surface water sources.

(d) Water being a State subject, initiatives on water management, including its quality is primarily States' responsibility;  however,  various  steps  have  been  taken  by  the  Central  Government  for  controlling  water contamination in the country.

Central  Pollution  Control  Board  (CPCB)  in  association  with  State  Pollution  Control  Boards/Pollution Control  Committees  (SPCBs/PCCs)  is  implementing  the  provisions  of  the  Water  (Prevention  &  Control) Act, 1974 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 to prevent and control pollution in water.  CPCB has made a comprehensive programme on water pollution for controlling point sources by developing industry specific  standards  and  general  standards  for  discharge  of  effluents  notified  under  the  Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for enforcement by SPCBs/PCCs.  As per the directives of CPCB, Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) are installed by the industrial units in the country for getting real time information on the effluent quality and non-complying units are identified for follow-up inspections and actions.

The Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has issued guidelines for control  and  regulation  of  groundwater  extraction  with  pan-India  applicability  notified  on  24  September 2020.  The guidelines include suitable provisions on measures to be adopted to ensure groundwater free from pollution.

The water pollution also owe its origin to contamination of surface water sources for which various efforts have been made in the country by installing Sewage Treatment Plants, Effluent Treatment Plants and better system of sewage networks etc. However, the adverse effects of the water pollution can be addressed to a large extent if safe water is made available to public. With this aim, central Government in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) since August, 2019 to provide potable tap water supply of prescribed quality to every rural household in the country by 2024.

In  addition,  Ministry  of  Housing  &  Urban  Affairs  supplements  the  efforts  of  the  States/  UTs  through  its programmes and policies.  Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) is one of such  programmes,  which  was  launched  on  June  25,  2015,  in  selected 500  cities  and  towns  across  the country.  The Mission focuses on development of basic urban infrastructure in the AMRUT cities, such as water  supply,  sewerage  &  septage  management,  storm  water  drainage,  green  spaces  &  parks,  and  nonmotorized urban transport.

Further, AMRUT- 2.0 was launched on 01 st October 2021 for the period of 05 years (FY 2021-22 to 202526),  with  the  objective  of  providing  universal  coverage  of  water  supply  through  functional  household  tap connection in all statutory towns in the country.

Contaminants  level  in  groundwater  can  be  reduced  to  some  extent  if  groundwater  is  recharged  through rainwater harvesting. Government of India in this regard has taken up a number of initiatives/schemes like Jal Shakti Abiyan, PMKSY-Watershed development, MGNREGA, Atal Bhujal Yojana etc.  The JSA in this regard was initiated in 2019 which continued during 2021 and 2022 also. Further, the JSA for the years 2021 and 2022  have been launched by the Hon'ble Prime Minister and Hon'ble President of India respectively. The JSA has given special emphasis on creation of recharge structures,   rejuvenation  of  traditional  water bodies, intensive afforestation etc for effective rainfall harvesting.

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## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (c) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 244 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 08.12.2022 REGARDING 'CONTAMINATION OF GROUND WATER'.

## States Wise Number of Partly Affected Districts with Salinity, Iron and Nitrate contaminants in Ground Water of India

| SI.No.   | State/ UT         | Salinity (EC above 3000 micro mhos/ cm) (EC: Electrical Conductivity)   | Nitrate (Above 45 mg/l)                  | Iron (Above1mg/l)                        |
|----------|-------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh    | 12                                                                      | 13                                       | 12                                       |
| 2        | Telangana         | 9                                                                       | 10                                       | 9                                        |
| 3        | Assam             |                                                                         |                                          | 25                                       |
| 4        | Arunachal Pradesh |                                                                         |                                          | 6                                        |
| 5        | Bihar             | 4                                                                       | 32                                       | 35                                       |
| 6        | Chhattisgarh      | 1                                                                       | 24                                       | 22                                       |
| 7        | Delhi             | 8                                                                       | 9                                        | 5                                        |
| 8        | Goa               |                                                                         |                                          | 2                                        |
| 9        | Gujarat           | 26                                                                      | 32                                       | 14                                       |
| 10       | Haryana           | 18                                                                      | 21                                       | 20                                       |
| 11       | Himachal Pradesh  |                                                                         | 7                                        | 5                                        |
| 12       | Jammu &Kashmir    |                                                                         | 9                                        | 10                                       |
| 13       | Jharkhand         |                                                                         | 23                                       | 23                                       |
| 14       | Karnataka         | 29                                                                      | 29                                       | 22                                       |
| 15       | Kerala            | 4                                                                       | 14                                       | 15                                       |
| 16       | Madhya Pradesh    | 20                                                                      | 51                                       | 47                                       |
| 17       | Maharashtra       | 28                                                                      | 30                                       | 24                                       |
| 18       | Manipur           |                                                                         |                                          | 4                                        |
| 19       | Meghalaya         |                                                                         |                                          | 7                                        |
| 20       | Nagaland          |                                                                         |                                          | 5                                        |
| 21       | Odisha            | 18                                                                      | 29                                       | 31                                       |
| 22       | Punjab            | 12                                                                      | 23                                       | 16                                       |
| 23       | Rajasthan         | 31                                                                      | 33                                       | 33                                       |
| 24       | Tamil Nadu        | 29                                                                      | 32                                       | 16                                       |
| 25       | Tripura           |                                                                         |                                          | 8                                        |
| 26       | Uttar Pradesh     | 14                                                                      | 62                                       | 68                                       |
| 27       | Uttarakhand       | 1                                                                       | 4                                        | 8                                        |
| 28       | West Bengal       | 9                                                                       | 16                                       | 21                                       |
| 29       | Andaman& Nicobar  | 1                                                                       |                                          | 3                                        |
| 30       | Daman &Diu        | 1                                                                       | 2                                        |                                          |
| 31       | Puducherry        |                                                                         | 2                                        |                                          |
|          | Total             | Parts of 275 districts in 20 states &UTs                                | Parts of 507 districts in 23 states &UTs | Parts of 516 districts in 29 states &UTs |

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) TO (c) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 244 TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 08.12.2022 REGARDING 'CONTAMINATION OF GROUND WATER'.

|   Sr. No | Water Quality Sites   | River     |   Year | Month     |   Nitrate (above 45 mg/l) |
|----------|-----------------------|-----------|--------|-----------|---------------------------|
|        1 | Amgaon                | Chulband  |   2019 | November  |                    62.925 |
|        2 | Bhakari               | Wainganga |   2019 | November  |                    45.1   |
|        2 | Bhakari               | Wainganga |   2019 | September |                    45.45  |
|        3 | Kollegal              | Cauvery   |   2019 | June      |                    81.26  |
|        4 | Lodhikheda            | Jam       |   2019 | November  |                    47.6   |
|        5 | Mungoli               | Penganga  |   2019 | September |                    47.55  |
|        6 | T.Bekuppe             | Arkavathy |   2019 | November  |                    51.7   |
|        6 | T.Bekuppe             | Arkavathy |   2019 | November  |                    45.17  |
|        7 | Tandi                 | Bhaga     |   2019 | August    |                    75.64  |
|        7 | Tandi                 | Bhaga     |   2019 | June      |                    48.8   |
|        7 | Tandi                 | Bhaga     |   2019 | October   |                    97.6   |
|        7 | Tandi                 | Bhaga     |   2019 | September |                   107.54  |
|        8 | Thimmanahalli         | Yagachi   |   2019 | June      |                    78.06  |

Study Period (2019-20)

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