Lok Sabha Question No. 2863 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-08-08
Subject: Drinking Water in Summer
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Manickam Tagore B

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2863 ANSWERED ON 08.08.2024

## DRINKING WATER IN SUMMER

## 2863.  SHRI MANICKAM TAGORE B:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a)   the  steps  being  taken  to  secure  a  reliable  and  sufficient  supply  of  drinking  water  during  the summer months and contingency plans in place to address potential shortages particularly in regions prone to high temperatures and increased water demand;

(b)  the manner in which the Government is preparing to maintain or restore drinking water services during  and  after  flooding  events  along  with  the  infrastructure  or  logistics  in  place  to  prevent contamination and ensure access to safe drinking water;

(c)   the  strategies  employed  to  ensure  the  quality  of  drinking  water  is  maintained  during  these extreme  conditions  along  with  the  details  of  specific  protocols  for  testing  and  treating  water  to prevent contamination from environmental factors such as flooding;

(d)  the  details  of  improvements  being  made  in  water  supply  infrastructure  to  enhance  resilience against summer heat and flood conditions; and

(e)   whether  there  are  any  ongoing  projects  aimed  at  strengthening  water  storage,  distribution systems, or purification facilities and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (d) Since August 2019, Government of India in partnership with States is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) - Har Ghar Jal to make provision of potable water to every rural household of the country, inter alia including those facing water shortages particularly in regions prone to high temperatures and increased water demand, through functional tap water connection i.e. at a service level  of  55  litre  per  capita  per  day,  of  prescribed  quality,  on  regular  and  long-term  basis  in  all seasons including summer months.

Water being a State subject, the responsibility of planning, approval, implementation, operation, and maintenance of drinking water supply schemes, lies with State/ UT Governments. States/ UTs have been advised, through numerous review meetings, field visits, etc., to ensure functionality of tap water connections provided inter alia including quality (BIS:10500) and quantity (55 litre per capita per day (lpcd)) of water supplied as per JJM standards throughout the year.

Further,  States  have  also  been  advised  for  source  recharging,  viz.  dedicated  bore  well  recharge structures,  rainwater  recharge,  rejuvenation  of  existing  water  bodies,  reuse  of  greywater,  etc.,  to

ensure adequate water availability for rural water supply schemes. In addition, Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch  the  Rain  (JSA:  CTR)  campaign  is  being  implemented  aiming  to  encourage  water conservation at grass-root levels with people's participation.

As informed by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India has taken several steps  towards  sustainable  management  of  water  in  urban  areas  through  issuance  of  various guidelines and implementation of National Missions i.e., Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) & AMRUT 2.0.

AMRUT was launched on June 25, 2015, in 500 selected cities (now merged to 485) across the country covering around 60% of the Urban Population. AMRUT focuses on development of basic urban  infrastructure  in  the  selected  cities  in  the  sectors  of  water  supply;  sewerage  and  septage management;  storm  water  drainage;  non-motorized  urban  transport  and  development  of  green spaces and parks. Against the approved plan size of ₹77,640 crore, a significant amount of ₹39,011 crore  (~50%)  has  been  allocated  for  water  sector  alone.  So  far,  1,391  projects  have  physically started  worth  ₹43,238  of  which  work  worth  ₹40,743  crore  physically  executed.  Through  these projects  and  in  convergence  with  other  programmes,  189  lakh  household  water  tap  connections have been provided so far.

AMRUT  2.0  has  been  launched  on  1st  October  2021  with  a  total  outlay  of  ₹2,77,000  crore covering all the statutory towns of the country to ensure universal coverage of water supply and make cities 'water secure'. Under AMRUT 2.0 so far, 3,543 water supply projects worth ₹1,13,358 crore  have  been  approved  by  MoHUA.  Through  these  approved  projects  1.82  crore  new  tap connection is planned to be provided.

While implementing the Mission, emphasis is laid on management of drinking water supply during extreme situations such as floods, heatwaves, etc. States/ UTs have also been advised to carefully select  the  locations  of  rural  water  supply  infrastructure  to  have  protection  from  floods,  cyclone, landslides,  land  slips,  impact  of  earthquake;  deploy  resilient  infrastructure;  comply  with  codal provisions issued for earthquake/ flood or cyclone/ landslide prone areas.

Moreover,  for  disaster  prone  areas,  like  coastal  areas,  flood  prone  tracts,  Himalayan  States  etc. States  have  been  advised  for  raising  of  platforms  for  handpumps/  tap  connections,  ensure  their functionality from time to time to work as interim solution in the event of natural disasters. Further, plan for stationing permanent mobile water purification plants at the nearest possible safe locations and develop an inventory of these plants; enable access to prepositioned emergency water supply kits camps and other mass displacement situations, supply of adequate purification kits; setting up of  mobile water purification plants in  affected area;  water  quality  surveillance  with  reference  to disease surveillance using field test kits; have also been envisaged for emergency preparedness.

Further, provision of flexi funds has been made in the operational guidelines to take up works for restoration of water supply schemes in case of natural disasters.

(e)  Numerous  projects inter alia including  projects aiming  at strengthening water  storage, distribution systems, or purification facilities are implemented concurrently at various levels across the States for achieving the objectives envisaged. Water being a State subject, project-wise details of individual projects/ schemes for rural water supply projects are not maintained at the Government of India level.

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