Lok Sabha Question No. 3274 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-20
Subject: Initiatives taken to Mitigate Groundwater Contamination
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Kripanath Mallah, Shri Vijay Baghel

3274.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3274

ANSWERED ON 20.03.2025

## INITIATIVES TAKEN TO MITIGATE GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION

SHRI KRIPANATH MALLAH

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a)  the  extent  to  which  the  Government's  initiatives  have  been  effective  in  reducing  groundwater contamination in the country, particularly in Chhattisgarh;

(b) whether the Government proposes to assess the community participation and private sector partnerships to improve groundwater quality management; and

(c) if so, the details thereof in regard to Durg Parliamentary Constituency of Chhattisgarh, district-wise?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

## ( SHRI RAJ BHUSHAN CHOUDHARY )

(a) Water is a state subject and the responsibility of ground water management, including taking initiatives for  improving  ground  water  quality  and  mitigate  the  contamination  issue,  lies  primarily  with  the  state governments. The Central Government complements the efforts of the States by providing technical support and financial assistance through its various centrally sponsored schemes.

However, the Central Government in this direction has taken several steps and some of the important ones are regular sharing of ground water quality data available with CGWB through Yearbooks, Half-yearly Bulletins and fortnightly Alerts etc.; Taking up special studies in ground water quality affected areas; Taking up construction of Arsenic safe wells by CGWB in the affected areas using the innovative cement sealing technology;  Implementing   comprehensive  pollution  control  program  by  Central  Pollution  Control  Board (CPCB)  by  setting industry specific discharge standards, making Effluent Treatment  Plants  (ETPs) mandatory for Industries, Online continuous monitoring of Discharge etc.

Moreover, Government of India in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) - Har Ghar  Jal,  since  August  2019,  to  make  provision  of  potable  tap  water  supply  in  adequate  quantity,  of prescribed quality and on regular & long-term basis to every rural household in the country, wherein Bureau of  Indian Standards' BIS:10500 standards have been adopted as prescribed norms for quality of tap water service delivery.

As a result of all these cumulative efforts, it is reported that from August 2019 to March 2025 the number  of  habitations  affected  in  the  country  by  two  major  contaminants  viz.  Arsenic  &  Fluoride,  have declined from 14,020 to 314 and from 7,996 to 251 respectively. These remaining habitations have also been

SHRI VIJAY BAGHEL

provided  clean  &  safe  drinking  water  through  Community  Water  Purifier  Plants  (CWPPs).  Further,  in Chhattisgarh, reportedly, there were 184 quality affected habitations (159 by Fluoride & 25 by Heavy metals) as on 01/04/2022 and as on date all of them have been covered under JJM scheme.

(b) & (c) The central government has taken several important steps to ensure large scale community and private  sector  participation  for  turning  ground  water  management  into  a  truly  peoples'  movement.  The notable among them are:

- i. Central  Ground  Water  Board  organizes  various  Public  Interaction  Programs  (PIP),  Mass Awareness Programs (MAP), Tier II and Tier -III programmes on local ground water issues, including  educating  the  public  about  the  impacts  of  water  contamination  and  promoting sustainable  practices  to  maintain  water  quality.  Total  of  6  PIPs  and  one  Tier-II  training programme have been conducted in the Durg constituency area so far.
- ii. Under JJM, with a view to involve community  at large  and to spread awareness regarding water quality, five persons, preferably women, are identified and trained from every village for  testing  the  water  samples  through  Field  Test  Kits  (FTKs).  Thus  far,  more  than  24  lakh women have been trained across the country, with around 2,400 in Durg district and 3,475 in Bemetara district.
- iii. The Government is implementing Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) in the country since 2019 with active community involvement. Jal Shakti Kendras (JSKs) have been set up under Abhiyan in various  districts  of  the  country  for  interacting  with  local  community  and  dissemination  of water related knowledge. 31 JSKs have been set up in Chhattisgarh so far, including one each in Durg and Bemetara.
- iv. Jal  Sanchay  Jan  Bhagidari:  A  Community-Driven Path to Water Sustainability in  India has been  launched  by  the  Hon'ble  Prime  Minister,  which  marks  the  government's unwavering resolve  to  make  water  conservation  a  national  priority.  The  initiative  emphasizes  the importance of Jan Bhagidari or peoples' participation in water conservation with the aim to have  a  special  focus  on  the  construction  of  artificial  recharge  structures/borewell  recharge shafts, which will increase storage capacity & help to augment groundwater recharge. Thus far, a total  of  2.55  lakh  ground  water  recharge  structures  have  been  constructed  in Chhattisgarh, with 4,998 structures in Durg district and 2,510 in Bemetara district.
- v. Further, the Ministry of Jal Shakti and its organizations, work with a very large number of Non-Governmental Organizations and academic institutions to promote public awareness and for enhancing water resource management in the country.

<!-- image -->

*****