Lok Sabha Question No. 912 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-02
Subject: Contamination of Ground Water
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Kalyan Banerjee

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI,

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 912

ANSWERED ON 02.12.2021

## CONTAMINATION OF GROUND WATER

## 912.         SHRI KALYAN BANERJEE

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that the States of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Chhattisgarh  are  reported  to  be  most  affected  by  arsenic  contamination  of  ground  water  above  the permissible level;
- (b) if so, the details of most contaminated reported areas and the affected population of each of these States; and
- (c) the action taken by the Government to supply contaminated free water to the people of those areas?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

(SHRI BISHWESWAR TUDU)

- (a) 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  arsenic  in  ground  water  beyond  permissible  limits  (as  per  BIS)  for  human consumption  in  isolated  pockets  in  various  States  /  UTs  including  West  Bengal,  Jharkhand,  Bihar,  Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Manipur and Chhattisgarh.
- (b)  The  details  of  partly  affected  districts  with  arsenic  contaminants  beyond  permissible  limits  in  ground water  of  West  Bengal,  Jharkhand,  Bihar,  Uttar  Pradesh,  Assam,  Manipur  and  Chhattisgarh  are  given  in Annexure-I . Specific information on arsenic affected population is not readily available.
- (c)   Water  being  a  State  subject,  initiatives  on  water  quality  is  primarily  States'  responsibility;  however, various  steps  have  been  taken  by  the  Central  Government  for  providing  contamination  free  water  in  the country. Some of them have been listed in Annexure-II .

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Annexure  referred  to  in  reply  to  part  (b)  of  Unstarred  Question  No.  912  answered  in  Lok Sabha on 02.12.2021 regarding 'Contamination of Ground Water'.

Details of Partly Affected Districts with Arsenic Contaminants in Ground Water of Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

|   S. No. | State/UTs     | Arsenic (above 0.01 mg/l)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
|----------|---------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Assam         | Sivsagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Sonitpur, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Hailakandi, Karimganj, Cachar, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Goalpara, Dhubri, Nalbari, Nagaon, Morigaon, Kamrup, Darrang &Baksha.                                                                                                                                 |
|        2 | Bihar         | Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Bhojpur, Buxar, Darbhanga, Katihar, Khagaria, Kishanganj, Lakhisarai, Munger, Patna, Purnea, Godda, Dhanbad, Samastipur, Saran, Vaishali, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Madhepura, Muzaffarpur, Saharsa, Siwan, West Champaran.                                                                  |
|        3 | Chhattisgarh  | Rajnandgon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
|        4 | Jharkhand     | Sahebganj, Lohardaga.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
|        5 | Manipur       | Bishnupur, Thoubal.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
|        6 | Uttar Pradesh | Bahraich, Balia, Balrampur, Bareilly, Basti, Bijnor, Chandauli, Ghazipur, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Meerut, Mirzapur, Muradabad, Rai Bareilly, Sant Kabir Nagar, Shajahanpur, Siddarthnagar, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Unnao, Azamgarh, Badaun, Deoria, Jhansi, Kausambi, Kushinagar, Pilibhit, Maunath Bhanjan. |
|        7 | West Bengal   | Bardhaman, Hooghly, Howrah, Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North- 24 Parganas, South-24 Parganas, Coochbehar.                                                                                                                                                                                                           |

## ANNEXURE-II

## Annexure  referred  to  in  reply  to  part  (c)  of  Unstarred  Question  No.  912  answered  in  Lok Sabha on 02.12.2021 regarding 'Contamination of Ground Water'.

Government of  India  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. Under JJM, while planning water supply schemes to provide tap water supply to house-holds, priority is given to quality-affected habitations. While allocating the funds to States/ UTs in a particular financial year, 10% weightage is given to the population residing in habitations affected by chemical contaminants including arsenic and fluoride, as on 31st March of the preceding financial year.

Since, planning, implementation and commissioning of piped water supply schemes based on a safe water source may take time, purely as an interim measure, States/ UTs have been advised to install community water purification plants (CWPPs) in such habitations, to provide potable water to every household  at  the  rate  of  8-10  litre  per  capita  per  day  (lpcd)  to  meet  their  drinking  and  cooking requirements.

Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation had launched a National Water Quality Sub-Mission (NWQSM) on 22 nd March, 2017 as a part of National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP), which has now been subsumed under JJM, to provide safe drinking water to 27,544 arsenic/fluoride affected rural habitations in the country.

Under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) launched on 25th June, 2015  in  selected  500  cities  of  the  country  with  focus  on  development  of  urban  infrastructure  in various sectors including water supply, States/UTs have the option to take projects on special water supply arrangements for difficult areas, hill and coastal cities, including those having water quality problems.

CGWB has constructed arsenic safe exploratory wells in West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh by using innovative cement sealing technique. 510 such wells in this regard have been constructed by CGWB, including 40 in Bihar, 185 in West Bengal and 285 in Uttar Pradesh and handed over to concerned  States  for  use.  Further,  CGWB  is  providing  technical  assistance  to  the  States  for implementing cement sealing technology in Gangetic flood plains.

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