Lok Sabha Question No. 1640 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-05
Subject: Irrigation Water Supply Projects
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Navaskani K, Shri Selvam G, Shri C N Annadurai

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER & SANITATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1640

ANSWERED ON 05.12.2024

## IRRIGATION WATER SUPPLY PROJECTS

## 1640.  SHRI NAVASKANI K: SHRI SELVAM G: SHRI C N ANNADURAI:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a)   the number of ongoing water supply projects in rural and urban areas under the various schemes of the Government;
- (b)  the expected timeline for completion of these water supply projects;
- (c)   whether the Government has faced challenges in ensuring timely completion of water supply projects, particularly in rural regions and if so, the details thereof;
- (d)  the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  ensure  the  sustainability  of  ongoing  water supply projects;
- (e)   whether  the  Government  has  any  plans  for  long-term  maintenance  and  monitoring  of  these water supply projects and if so, the details thereof; and
- (f)   whether the Government proposes to involve private sector to participate in the implementation of ongoing irrigation and water supply projects and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI V. SOMANNA)

(a)  &  (b)  Government  of  India  in  partnership  with  States,  is  implementing  Jal  Jeevan  Mission (JJM) - Har Ghar Jal to make provision of tap water supply to every rural household. At the start of Jal Jeevan Mission in August 2019, only 3.23 Crore (16.8%) rural households were reported to have tap water connections. So far, as reported by States/ UTs as on 02.12.2024, under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) - Har Ghar Jal around 12.10 Crore additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections. Thus, as on 02.12.2024, out of 19.35 Crore rural households in the country, around 15.33 Crore (79.11%) households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes and the remaining 4.02 Crore households are likely to be covered by the States as per their plans.

Further,  Ministry  of  Housing  &  Urban  Affairs  has  informed  that  it  has  taken  several  initiatives towards  sustainable  management  of  water  in  urban  areas  through  implementation  of  National Missions  i.e.,  Atal  Mission  for  Rejuvenation  and  Urban  Transformation  (AMRUT)  launched  in 2015  &  AMRUT  2.0  launched  in  2021.  AMRUT  focuses  on  development  of  basic  urban infrastructure especially water supply & access to tap connection to every household in 500 cities. Taking it forward, AMRUT 2.0 covers all the statutory towns of the country to ensure universal coverage of water supply & make cities 'water secure'. It envisages rejuvenation of water bodies, urban  aquifer  management,  promote  recycling  &  reuse  and  rainwater  harvesting  to  augment freshwater  resources.  For  water  availability  &  conservation,  so  far,  3,596  water  supply  projects worth Rs. 1,14,073.65 crore have been approved by Apex Committee at MoHUA.

(c) States have informed that lack of dependable drinking water sources in water-stressed, drought prone and desert areas, presence of geo-genic contaminants in ground water, uneven geographical terrain, scattered rural habitations, delay in release of the matching State share in some States , lack of technical capacity with implementing agencies, Gram Panchayats and local communities to plan, manage,  operate  &  maintain  the  water  supply  schemes,  rising  price  of  raw  materials,  delay  in obtaining statutory/ other clearances, etc. are few of problems being faced in the implementation of the  Mission.  Further,  CoVID-19  pandemic  and  poor  availability  of  raw  materials  especially  DI/ HDPE pipes due to Russia-Ukraine military conflict have also impacted the pace of implementation in the States.

To address the challenges holistically and overcome these, Government of India has taken a number of steps, inter alia including implementation of Special Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure through  M/o  Finance  for  financial  assistance  as  50-year  interest  free  loan  for  capital  investment projects;  taking  suitable  measures  for  maintaining  assured  and  adequate  availability  of  pipes  at reasonable  price,  nomination  of  a  nodal  officer  in  the  Department  for  coordinating  with  Central nodal  Ministries/  Departments/  agencies  to  facilitate  the  States  in  obtaining  Statutory/  other clearances;  setting  up  of  State  Programme  Management  Units  (SPMUs)  and  District  Programme Management  Units  (DPMUs)  and  implementation  of  ' Nal  Jal  Mitra  Programme '  for  ensuring availability of skilled local persons at village level.

Further,  MoHUA has informed that the projects taken-up under AMRUT are large infrastructure projects  with  long  gestation  periods  and  the  States  have  informed  that  implementation  of  some projects has been delayed due to various reasons such as land acquisition issues, climatic challenges. delay  in  obtaining  requisite  clearances/  permissions  and  shortage  of  experienced  and  technically skilled contractors for complex urban infrastructure projects. etc.

(d) & (e) To ensure long term sustainability of infrastructure created, quality material and quality construction  is  being  ensured  through  third  party  inspection  before  making  payment.  Moreover, measurement and monitoring of water supply in villages through sensor-based IoT solution, linking AADHAR  of  the  head  of  household  for  targeted  delivery  subject  to  statutory  provisions,  geotagging of assets created, etc. are also provisioned under JJM.

Further, to bring transparency and effective monitoring, an online 'JJM dashboard' & mobile App has been created, which provides State/ UT, district, and village-wise progress as well as status of provision of tap water supply to rural homes.

Provisions  for  taking  up  augmentation  and  strengthening  of  local  drinking  water  sources  in convergence with other schemes viz. MGNREGS, 15th Finance Commission grants to Rural Local Bodies (RLBs)/ Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), State schemes, MP/ MLA-LAD funds, District Mineral Development Fund, CSR funds, community contribution, etc. have also been envisaged under the JJM.

In  addition,  to  address  the  financial  issue  of  operation  &  maintenance  of  water  supply  schemes, provision has also been made under JJM to reward/ incentivize the community in a phased-manner after  the  commissioning  of  the  scheme  to  the  tune  of  10%  of  the  capital  expenditure  on  their respective in-village water supply scheme along with collection of user charges.

As  informed  by  MoHUA,  to  track  the  implementation  of  AMRUT  projects,  the  progress  is periodically reviewed & monitored through regular video conferences/ webinars/ workshops/ sitevisits  etc.  by  MoHUA with the States/UTs & their ULBs. There are AMRUT and AMRUT 2.0 portals for online monitoring & tracking of the progress of projects provided by the States. The Apex Committee constituted under the ambit of Mission guidelines reviews, monitors & supervises the AMRUT Mission periodically. For assessment and monitoring of work done under AMRUT in the  States.  there  is  a  provision  for  setting  up  Independent  Review  and  Monitoring  Agencies (IRMAs) in all the States/UTs. Funds are released to the States/UTs upon satisfactory compliance of IRMA reports.

(f) Drinking Water being a State subject, it is the States who plan, design, approve and implement drinking  water  supply  schemes.  Government  of  India  supplements  the  efforts  of  the  States  by providing technical and financial assistance. State Governments may involve private companies for preparation of project reports, execution of the projects, etc., as per their requirements.

Further,  Department  of  Water  Resources,  River  Development  and  Ganga  Rejuvenation  is implementing Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) with an aim to enhance physical access  of  water  on  farm  and  expand  cultivable  area  under  assured  irrigation,  improve  on-farm water  use  efficiency,  introduce  sustainable  water  conservation  practices,  etc.  Command  Area Development & Water Management (CAD&WM) programme under PMKSY provides financial assistance for bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and irrigation potential utilized, and  participatory  irrigation  management.  For  capacity  building  and  training  of  farmers,  various NGOs, WALMIs and other educational institutions  are  recommended  to  get  involved  for  better mass awareness.

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