Lok Sabha Question No. 2312 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-08-03
Subject: Water Supply under JJM
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shardaben Anilbhai Patel, Mitesh Rameshbhai (Bakabhai) Patel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

## DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-2312

ANSWERED ON-03/08/2023

## WATER SUPPLY UNDER JJM

## 2312. SHRIMATI SHARDABEN ANILBHAI PATEL:

## SHRI MITESH RAMESHBHAI PATEL (BAKABHAI):

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

- (a) whether the Government has taken any remedial action to ensure that the water supplied under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) is free of turbidity, bacterial contamination, excess mineral content and heavy metals; and
- (b) if  so,  whether  the  Government  would  undertake  a  study  to  assess  the  functionality  of  tap connections for households and village-level public institutions?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL)

(a) & (b) Government of India is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) - Har Ghar Jal, since August, 2019, in partnership with States, to make provision of potable tap water supply in adequate quantity, of prescribed quality and on regular & long-term basis to every rural household. Under Jal Jeevan Mission, as per existing guidelines, Bureau of Indian Standards' IS:10500 standard is to be adopted for ensuring safe drinking water supply. Under JJM, while allocating the funds to States/ UTs, 10% weightage is given to the population residing in habitations affected by chemical contaminants.

Under Jal Jeevan Mission, States/ UTs have been advised to plan and implement piped water supply schemes of bulk water transfer based on safe water sources such as surface water sources or alternative safe ground water sources for the villages with water quality issues.

Since, planning, implementation and commissioning of piped water supply scheme 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)  especially  in  Arsenic  and  Fluoride  affected 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.

States/UTs have been advised to undertake testing of water quality on a periodic basis i.e. once in year for chemical and physical parameters, and twice in a year for bacteriological parameters and take remedial action wherever necessary, to ensure that the water supplied to households is of prescribed quality.

To enable States/ UTs to test water samples for water quality, and for sample collection, reporting,

monitoring  and  surveillance  of  drinking  water  sources,  an  online  JJM  -  Water  Quality Management Information System (WQMIS) portal has been developed. As reported by States/UTs on WQMIS, more than 62.81 lakh water samples have been tested in the water testing laboratories and  107.92  lakh  water  samples  using  Field  Testing  Kits,  during  2022-23.  Besides,  as  on 28/07/2023, more than 21.81 lakh water samples have been tested in the water testing laboratories and 29.88 lakh water samples using Field Testing Kits, during 2022-23. The State-wise details of water quality test reported through WQMIS are available in public domain on JJM Dashboard and can also be accessed at:

## https://ejalshakti.gov.in/WQMIS/Main/report

As reported by States/UTs, as on date, there are 2,087 drinking water quality testing laboratories at different levels viz. State, District, sub-division and/ or block level in the country. To encourage water  quality  testing  to  ensure  potable  drinking  water  supply,  States/  UTs  have  opened  water quality testing laboratories to general public for testing of their water samples at a nominal rate.

States/ UTs have been advised to identify and train 5 persons preferably women from every village to conduct water quality testing using FTKs/ bacteriological vials at village level and report the same on the WQMIS portal. So far, as reported by states/UTs, about 22.37 lakh women have been trained.

Under JJM, it has been envisaged to carry out regular functionality assessment. Department of Drinking  Water  &  Sanitation,  undertakes  regular  assessment  of  the  functionality  of  tap  water connections provided to rural households as well as public institutions viz. schools, anganwadis etc.,  through  an  independent  third-party  agency,  based  on  statistically  significant  sampling  at district  level.  The  functionality  of  tap  water  connections  is  assessed  on  three  parameters  viz. adequate quantity, prescribed quality and regularity. Last two such assessments were carried out in 2020-21 and 2021-22.

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