Lok Sabha Question No. 52 (STARRED), answered on 2025-02-06
Subject: Innovative Strategies to achieve Tap Water and Sanitation Targets
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Smt. Kriti Devi Debbarman, Shri Vijay Baghel

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

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*52

ANSWERED ON - 06/02/2025

## INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE TAP WATER AND SANITATION TARGETS

†*52 . Shri Vijay Baghel: Smt. Kriti Devi Debbarman:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a) The innovative strategies adopted/being adopted by the Government to ensure tap water and sanitation targets are achieved including addressing acute water scarcity in drought-prone areas through advanced technologies and efficient water management systems in the country, State-wise including Chhattisgarh along with the outcome thereof;
- (b) The manner in which the Government is planning to improve the quality of drinking water provided under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), particularly in rural areas, while ensuring sustainable groundwater recharge and the revival of traditional water bodies in over-exploited regions;
- (c) Whether the Government proposes to involve independent bodies in evaluating water and sanitation projects and if so, the details thereof indicating their roles and contributions in monitoring and assessing progress;
- (d) The manner in which the Government is monitoring the progress and effectiveness of tap water and sanitation projects in the country including Chhattisgarh and Delhi along with the specific steps for compliance of water quality standards in Delhi:
- (e) The  steps  taken/being  taken  to  involve  and  educate  local  communities  in  water conservation efforts, especially in water-stressed zones, to ensure long-term sustainability and active participation; and
- (f) Whether the Government has any dedicated plan to monitor the impact of industrial waste on water sources, enforce strict pollution control norms and ensure compliance with environmental standards and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI (SHRI C R PATIL)

(a) to (f): A statement is laid on the table of the House.

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## Statement referred to in reply to parts (a) to (f) in respect of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. †*52 for reply on 06.02.2025 regarding innovative strategies to achieve tap water and sanitation targets asked by Shri Vijay Baghel & Smt. Kriti Devi Debbarman

- (a) :  Government of India is committed to make provision for safe & potable tap water supply in adequate quantity, of prescribed quality and on a regular & long-term basis to  all  rural  households  in  the  country.  Towards  this  end,  the  Government  of  India launched the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), to be implemented in partnership with States/ UTs, in August 2019. Government of India supplements the efforts of States/ UTs by providing  technical  and  financial  assistance  under  JJM.  For  urban  areas,  the  Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban  Transformation  (AMRUT),  launched  on 25.06.2015, focuses on ensuring universal household access to water and improving sewage treatment infrastructure. The Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban) was later introduced as AMRUT 2.0 on 01.10.2021, for the period 2021-26, aiming to make cities self-reliant and water-secure.

For Sanitation, under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) and Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) provision has been made to provide essential sanitation facilities such as toilets, solid liquid waste management, septic tank, etc.

Ensuring the success of water supply and sanitation initiatives requires the adoption of innovative strategies and advanced technologies. Several measures have been implemented, including the use of HGM maps for identifying groundwater sources, GIS technology  to  locate  existing  water  sources,  and  IoT-based  monitoring  systems  for optimizing water distribution. These technological advancements allow for real-time monitoring,  leak  detection,  and  efficient  water  supply  management.  In  regions experiencing severe water scarcity, including Chhattisgarh, the government has actively promoted rainwater harvesting and artificial groundwater recharge through programs like Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain Campaign and Atal Bhujal Yojana. Additionally, efforts have been made to encourage water-saving technologies in agriculture, such as drip  irrigation  and  sprinkler  systems,  to  ensure  sustainable  water  usage.  A  key component of AMRUT 2.0 is the Technology Sub-Mission, which encourages start-ups and  private  entrepreneurs  to  develop  and  implement  innovative,  environmentally friendly solutions for water treatment, distribution, and water body rejuvenation.

- (b) :  Under JJM, in allocating the funds to States/ UTs, 10% weightage is given to the population residing in habitations affected by chemical contaminants and while taking up schemes to make provision of potable tap water supply to rural households, priority is given to quality-affected habitations. 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,  as  on 04.02.2025, there are 2,165 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. For the assuring the quality of the water, the 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.  The  State-wise  details  of  water  quality  test  reported  through WQMIS are available in public domain on JJM Dashboard. Further, States/ UTs have

also been advised to identify and train 5 persons preferably women from every village to  conduct  water  quality  tests  using  FTKs/  bacteriological  vials  at  village  level  and report the same on the WQMIS portal.

Jal Shakti Abhiyaan - Catch the rain campaign, in its different editions, focused on water conservation and rainwater harvesting structures, renovation of traditional water bodies, reuse and recharge structures, watershed development, etc. Further, a special initiative  Jal  Sanchay  Jan  Bhagidari  (JSJB)  under  JSA:  CTR  has  been  launched  on September  6,  2024,  which  aims  to  promote  collaborative  community-driven  water conservation efforts and focuses on enhancing water management through low-cost, scientifically designed artificial recharge structures, ensuring active participation from local communities, industries, and other stakeholders. Additionally, borewell recharge structures are encouraged/ supported under the JJM operational guidelines. Apart from this,  Government  of  India  is  also  implementing  Atal  Bhujal  Yojana  in  8,213  water stressed  Gram  Panchayats  (GPs)  in  80  districts  of  7  States,  viz.,  Haryana,  Gujarat, Karnataka,  Madhya  Pradesh,  Maharashtra,  Rajasthan  and  Uttar  Pradesh  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.

- (c) &  (d)  :  The  Operational  Guidelines  of  JJM  mandates  DDWS  to  carry  out  regular functionality assessment, evaluation and impact assessment. For the purpose, DDWS shortlists a third party through open tendering process. In such assessment(s), State/ UTs are given a functionality score on the basis of functionality of samples on quantity, quality and regularity of water supply to rural households. The reports are shared with States/  UTs  to  undertake  measures  for  mid-course  corrections  to  enhance  the functionality of tap connections. 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. For sanitation,  Swachh Survekshan  Grameen  (SSG),  through  a  third-party  survey  agency,  is  carried  out  to assess household sanitation parameters, including Faecal Sludge Management (FSM), biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste management, and Grey Water Management (GWM).

The mechanism of online monitoring is also in place for these programmes, such as JJM-Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) and JJM-Dashboard for JJM, and separate dashboards for SBM (G) for monitoring of progress under the programme across  the  country  including  Chhattisgarh.    Similar,  dashboards  are  in  place  for monitoring of water and sanitation projects in urban areas including Chhattisgarh and Delhi under AMRUT, and SBM (U) respectively. Also, the progress of these schemes is reviewed & monitored through regular meetings, workshops, site-visits etc.

Further, as informed by M/o Housing and Urban Affairs, in Delhi under AMRUT, water supply projects have been taken including creation of water treatment plant.  Further, under AMRUT 2.0 water supply projects have been approved by MoHUA.

- (e) : The JJM Operational Guidelines inter-alia emphasize the role of the community in planning,  operations  &  maintenance  (O&M)  and  sustainability  of  in-village  water supply infrastructure. The Gram Panchayat or its sub-committee i.e. Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC)/ Pani Samiti/ User Group etc. with at least 50% women members are required to operate and maintain the in-village water supply. The Gram Panchayat and/ or its sub-committee, i.e. VWSC/ Pani Samiti/ User Group, etc. are also empowered  to  open  an  account  to  receive  funds  for  O&M  from  different  sources

including 15 th FC  tied grants, collection charges,  etc.    The  community  level functionaries are also trained under various capacity building programmes.

Further,  Ministry  of  Jal  Shakti  (MoJS)  launched  Jal  Shakti  Abhiyan  (JSA),  a  timebound, mission  mode  water  conservation  campaign  for  implementation  in  the  JulyNovember  2019  period  in 1,592 blocks out of 2,836 blocks of 256 waterstressed districts of the country. Jal Shakti Abhiyan could not be taken up in 2020 due to restrictions imposed by the COVID pandemic. Ministry of Jal Shakti in 2021 took up the 'Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain' (JSA: CTR) subsuming Catch the Rain campaign  which  covered  rural  and  urban  areas  of  all districts  (all  blocks  and municipalities)  of  the  country.  JSA:  CTR  campaign  has  five focused  interventions which  inter-alia  includes  rainwater  harvesting  &  water conservation. JSA:  CTR  has become an annual feature since 2021 and the 5th edition of JSA: CTR was launched on 09.03.2024 for implementation during the period 09.03.2024 to 30.11.2024 in rural and urban areas of all districts (all blocks and municipalities) of the country.

Involvement of Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS): After the easing of the lock-down, the 'JSA-Catch The Rain' Awareness generation campaign in collaboration with NYKS (Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan) was launched on 21 December, 2020 jointly by Minister of Jal Shakti and Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports in New Delhi. NYKS had been implementing the awareness generation campaign 623 districts of the country since then.

Expanding  on  this  vision,  the Jal  Sanchay  Jan  Bhagidari  (JSJB) initiative  was launched on September 6, 2024, in Surat, Gujarat, in the virtual presence of the Hon'ble Prime Minister. This special initiative, under JSA: CTR, aims to scale up Gujarat's Jal Sanchay program  nationwide,  promoting  collaborative  community-driven  water conservation efforts. JSJB aims to create one million low-cost recharge structures across  urban  and  rural  India,  using  a  combination  of scientific  technology  and traditional methods . The initiative promotes active participation and sustainable water management  by  involving  local  communities,  industries,  NGOs  and  government bodies. It's  a  public-private  partnership  model  which  draws  funding  from  not  only government  schemes  like  MGNREGS,  AMRUT,  PMKSY  etc  but  also  from mobilization of private finance like Industry - CSR , Philanthropy, individual donors, crowdfunding etc for people's participation,  ownership and sustainability.

National Water Mission (NWM) have developed a guidance document titled "Simple and Practical Methods of Artificial Recharge of Groundwater Augmentation" in the form of FAQs to provide technical support. Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) activities have also been undertaken to spread awareness about the initiative.

A  monitoring  and  evaluation  framework  has  also  been  established  through  the  Jal Sanchay  Dashboard,  which  tracks  progress  with  geo-tagged  locations  of  recharge structures.  CWC  and  CGWB  also  provide  technical  assistance  for  the  creation  and renovation of recharge structures to improve groundwater augmentation efforts.

Apart from above, Government of India is implementing Atal Bhujal Yojana, in 8,213 water stressed Gram Panchayats (GPs) in 80 districts of 7 States, viz., Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh for a period of 5  years  from  01.04.2020.  The  scheme  marks  a  paradigm  shift  from  groundwater development  to  groundwater  management.  'Pradhan  Mantri  Krishi  Sinchai  Yojana (PMKSY)' has been implementing 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. PMKSY has three components/  schemes  namely  Har  Khet  Ko  Pani  (HKKP),   Repair,  Renovation  & Restoration  (RRR)  Scheme  of  Water  Bodies  and  Surface  Minor  irrigation  (SMI) Scheme.

The Ministry of Jal Shakti has set up the Bureau of Water Use Efficiency (BWUE) under the National Water Mission on 20.10.2022, to act as a facilitator for promotion of improving water use efficiency across various sectors namely irrigation, drinking water supply, power generation, industries, etc. in the country. To enhance water use efficiency in some of the water intensive industries viz. Thermal Power plants, Textile, Pulp & Paper and Steel Industry, NWM has awarded in June, 2016 a benchmarking study to TERI regarding 'Benchmarking Industrial Water Use to Assist Policy for Enhancing Industrial Water Use Efficiency in India'. This study looks into the water use practices in selective water intensive industries (viz. Thermal Power Plants, Textile Industries, Steel Industries and Pulp & Paper) to identify the opportunities for reducing water consumption and associated benchmarks. The TERI have completed the studies and submitted the report to the department.

Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) in association with World Bank has launched the  Support  for  Irrigation  Modernization  Program  (SIMP)  for  modernizing  Major/ Medium Irrigation Projects in the country with the objective of increasing irrigation efficiency and crop water productivity. The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has reported that it conducts various awareness and training programs to promote rainwater harvesting (RWH) and water conservation.

- (f)  : As reported by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, the steps taken by  the  Government  to  check  the  pollution  of  water  bodies, inter  alia ,  include formulation and notification of standards for effluents from industries into land masses /  water  bodies,  operations  or  processes;  enforcing  of  these  standards  by  Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)/State Pollution Control Boards ( SPCBs) / Pollution Control Committee (PCCs) through a consent mechanism to establish / operate and regular  monitoring;  setting  up  of  monitoring  network  for  assessment  of  water quality/National  Water  Quality  Monitoring  Programme  (NWMP);  installation  of Online Continuous Effluent Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) to check the discharge of effluent  directly  into  water  bodies;  promotion  of  cleaner  production  processes; installation  of  Sewage  Treatment  Plants  (STPs)  in  cities;    installation  of  Common Effluent Treatment Plants for cluster of Small Scale Industrial units etc. Moreover, as per Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, waste generators are mandated to segregate and store the waste generated by them in three separate streams namely bio-degradable, non  bio-degradable  and  domestic  hazardous  wastes  in  suitable  bins  and  handover segregated wastes to authorized waste pickers or waste collectors as per the direction

or notification by the local authorities from time to time.  Further, waste generators are prohibited  from  throwing,  burning  or  burying  solid  waste  by  them  on  streets,  open public spaces outside his premises or in the drain or water bodies.

CPCB is also periodically  issuing  directions  to  all  the  concerned  departments  in  the States for management of sewage and waste water in accordance with the provisions notified  under  the  Environment  (Protection)  Rules,  1986  and  for  ensuring  proper operation of existing STPs, Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) and industrial pollution  control,  under  Section  18  (1)(b)  of  the  Water  (Prevention  and  Control  of Pollution) Act, 1974 as well as under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. CPCB has prepared guidelines for conservation and Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) in feasible industrial sectors, along with guidelines for the utilization of treated effluent in irrigation. Treated wastewater can be reused in various industrial sectors to reduce dependency on freshwater, enhance sustainability, and promote effective water resource management. 'Indicative Guidelines for Restoration of Water Bodies' have been issued by  CPCB  in  June,  2019  as  a  guidance  to  the  Stakeholders  for  ensuring  restoration/ rejuvenation of water bodies & circulated it to all the SPCBs/PCCs vide letters dated 18.06.2019 & 26.07.2019 and also uploaded in CPCB Website at https://cpcb.nic.in/NGTMC/Ind-Guidelines-RestWaterBodies-10062019.pdf

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