Lok Sabha Question No. 286 (STARRED), answered on 2025-03-20
Subject: Clean Drinking Water to All by 2025
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Pushpendra Saroj

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

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. 286 ANSWERED ON 20.03.2025

## CLEAN DRINKING WATER TO ALL BY 2025

*286.  SHRI PUSHPENDRA SAROJ:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to State:

- (a) the measures taken/being taken by the Government to ensure availability of clean drinking water for all by 2025; and

- (b) the manner in which the river pollution is being tackled, particularly in the Ganga and the Yamuna rivers?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI (SHRI C R PATIL)

- (a) to (b): A Statement is laid on the table of the House.

*****

Statement referred to in reply to parts (a) to (b) in respect of Lok Sabha Starred question no. 286  answered  on  20.03.2025  regarding  clean  drinking  water  to  all  by  2025  asked  by  Shri Pushpendra Saroj.

(a) The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) - Har Ghar Jal, is being implemented 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 rural households. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, as  per  existing  guidelines,  Bureau  of  Indian  Standards'  BIS:10500  standards  are  adopted  as benchmark for quality of water being supplied through the piped water supply schemes. Drinking Water being a State subject, the responsibility of Planning, Approval, Implementation, Operation & Maintenance of drinking water supply schemes,  including those under the Jal  Jeevan  Mission,  is vested  with  State/UT  Governments.  The  Government  of  India  supports  the  States  by  providing technical and financial assistance.

Significant progress has been made since the launch of Jal Jeevan Mission, towards enhancing access to tap water to rural households. At the time of announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission in August 2019, 3.23 Crore (16.71%) rural households were reported to have tap water connections in the country. So far, as reported by States/ UTs as on 18.03.2025, around 12.29 Crore additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections under JJM. Thus, as on 18.03.2025, out of 19.36 Crore rural households, approximately 15.53 Crore (80.20%) households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes. As on date, 8 States viz. Goa, Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram and 3 UTs viz. Puducherry, D&D and D&NH, and A&N Islands have become 'Har Ghar Jal' States/ UTs i.e. 100% households are having tap water supply.

(b) The river pollution, particularly in the Ganga and the Yamuna rivers, is being tackled primarily by CPCB under M/o Environment, Forest and Climate Change and National Mission for Clean Ganga and  other  associated  offices  of  DoWR,  RD  and  GR  under  M/o  Jal  Shakti.  The  Central  Pollution Control  Board  (CPCB)  in  association  with  State  Pollution  Control  Boards  (SPCBs)  /PCCs  has established a National Water Quality Monitoring Network (NWMP) for assessment of water quality of aquatic bodies including rivers in the country. At present, CPCB has Nationwide Water Quality Network comprising 4,736 locations spread in 28 States and 7 Union Territories across the country, which include 2,155 locations on various rivers.

Water quality of river Ganga and Yamuna is assessed by CPCB at 112 locations (bi-monthly) and 33 locations (monthly) respectively under National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP) in association with concerned SPCBs/ PCC.

River  Ganga  is  monitored  under  NWMP,  by  CPCB  in  association  with  5  SPCBs,  namely, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, which carry out manual water quality monitoring of River Ganga at 112 locations on bimonthly basis.

Considering  the  BOD  concentration  exceeding  3  mg/L,  CPCB  has  identified  351  polluted  river stretches (PRS) during the year 2018 (based on water quality data of year 2016 & 2017) whereas 311 polluted river stretches (PRS) were identified in the year 2022 (based on water quality data of year 2109 and 2021).  The detail of the polluted river stretches on river Ganga and Yamuna identified during 2022 is at annex-I .

For the purpose of rejuvenation of the Polluted River Stretches identified in the year 2018, all State Governments and UT Administrations have formed River Rejuvenation Committees (RRCs) of the concerned  state/  UTs;  the  RRC  functions  under  the  overall  supervision  and  coordination  of  the Administrative Secretary, Environment.

The  RRCs  were  responsible  for  developing  action  plans  for  the  rejuvenation  of  these  351  PRS identified by CPCB during the year 2018 for their respective states/ UTs. Progress of implementation of action plans is reviewed by the RRCs at state level and by the Central Monitoring Committee (CMC) constituted under the Chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti, at Central Level.

In addition to curb water pollution in river Ganga and Yamuna following measures are being taken:

- i.) Annual inspection of grossly polluting industries (GPIs) operating in the Ganga main stem states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand & West Bengal has been carried out under the Namami Gange Programme since 2017. Year 2020 onwards, GPIs operating in the Yamuna main stem states of Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi & Uttar Pradesh were also included for annual inspection.
- ii.) Industry-specific discharge standards for various types of industrial categories have been notified under the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986. The industries are required to provide adequate treatment to the effluent through an effluent treatment plant (ETP) so as to meet the notified effluent discharge standards.
- iii.) The physical verification, sealing and power disconnection of non-complying GPIs which are issued closure directions are enforced through District Magistrates.
- iv.) Voluntary Charter of upgradation of process technology and ETP  system, were implemented in major industrial  sectors  like  pulp  &  paper,  sugar,  distillery,  textile  and tannery  resulting  in  reduction  in  fresh  water  consumption,  waste  water  discharge  & pollution load and improvement in compliance.
- v.) Real-time data transmission from GPIs through an online continuous effluent monitoring system (OCEMS) was established for self-monitoring.
- vi.) Monitoring of 716 drains discharging into river Ganga and its Tributaries is being carried out on a half-yearly basis.
- vii.) Monitoring of 147 sewage treatment plants (STPs) in river Ganga-front towns in the Ganga main stem states.
- viii.) Manual water quality monitoring of river Ganga at 112 locations in five Ganga main stem states.
- ix.) CPCB has prepared action plans for rejuvenation/restoration of water quality of six tributary rivers.
- x.) Government of India vide Gazette notification dated 9th October, 2018 has notified the minimum environmental flow for river Ganga that has to be maintained at various locations on the river (https://nmcg.nic.in/writereaddata/fileupload/28\_190717.pdf ).

The National Mission for Clean Ganga has launched the Namami Gange Programme (NGP) in 201415 for the rejuvenation of river Ganga and its tributaries for five years, up to March 2021 and has been further extended to March 2026. Under the Namami Gange Programme, a diverse and holistic set of interventions for cleaning and rejuvenation of river Ganga and its tributaries (including Yamuna) have been taken up, that includes wastewater treatment, solid waste management, riverfront management (ghats  and  crematoria),  ensuring  e-  flow,  rural  sanitation,  afforestation,  biodiversity  conservation, public participation, etc. As of January 2025, a total of 492 projects have been taken up at an estimated cost of ₹ 40,121.48 Crore, out of which 307 projects have been completed and made operational.

The achievements of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for improving the water quality along the river Ganga and its tributaries are as under:

- i.) A total of 206 number of sewerage infrastructure projects costing ₹ 33,004 crores have been taken up for remediation of polluted river areas with treatment capacity of 6,335 Million

Liters  per  Day  (MLD).  127  STP  projects  with  a  capacity  of  3,446  MLD  have  been completed and made operational;

- ii.) For industrial pollution abatement, 3 nos. of Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) have  been  sanctioned,  i.e.,  Jajmau  CETP  (20  MLD),  Banther  CETP  (4.5  MLD),  and Mathura CETP (6.25 MLD). Two projects, Mathura CETP (6.25 MLD) and Jajmau CETP (20 MLD) have been completed;
- iii.) At  NMCG,  an  on-line  dashboard  'PRAYAG'  has  been  operationalized  for  continuous monitoring of river water quality; the performance of Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs); etc. on the Ganga and Yamuna River;
- iv.) A total no. of 139 District Ganga Committees (DGC)have been constituted which conducts 4M (Monthly, Mandated, Minuted, and Monitored) meetings regularly. As of December 2024, more than 3,781 meetings have been conducted;
- v.) Biodiversity Conservation: Seven  Biodiversity Parks in seven districts (Mirzapur, Bulandshahar, Hapur, Budaun, Ayodhya, Bijnore and Pratapgarh) of Uttar Pradesh and 4 priority wetlands in Uttar Pradesh (3), and Jharkhand (1) have been sanctioned;
- vi.) NMCG, through  the  State  Forest  Department,  has  implemented  a  forestry  intervention project along the main stem of river Ganga. 33,024 hectares area have been afforested with an expenditure of about ₹ 398 crores;
- vii.) A total of 143.8 lakhs of Indian Major Carp (IMC) fingerlings have been ranched in the Ganga since 2017 to conserve fish biodiversity and prey base for river Dolphins, and ensure the  livelihood  of  fishers  in  the  Ganga  basin  under  the  special  project  implemented  by Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI);
- viii.) Science-based species restoration  programme,  rescue,  and  rehabilitation  programme  for aquatic species like Dolphins, Otters, Hilsa, Turtles, and Ghariyal in collaboration with Wild Life Institute of  India (WII), Dehradun and State Forest Department, have shown marked improvements in biodiversity with increased sightings of Dolphins, Otters, Hilsa, Turtles, and other riverine species;
- ix.) 'Ganga Knowledge Portal' is a pioneering initiative developed in-house by the National Mission for Clean Ganga, serving as a centralized repository for comprehensive resources on water resource management. This platform is engineered to facilitate access for students, research scholars, stakeholders, and the general public to a vast array of materials (716 documents), including journals,  publications,  books,  technical  articles,  research  reports; data sets (District River Maps, STP performance and river atlas) and coffee table books. By concentrating on the intricacies of water resource challenges, Ganga Knowledge portal aims to enhance awareness and foster informed decision-making in this critical sector;
- x.) Ganga  Task  Force  (GTF)  was  raised  in  the  state  of  Uttar  Pradesh  to  assist  NMCG  in carrying out its mandated tasks, such as (a) Plantation of trees to check soil erosion; (b) Management of Public Awareness / Participation campaigns; (c) Patrolling of Sensitive Rivers Areas for Biodiversity protection; (d) Patrolling of Ghats, etc.;
- xi.) A cadre of Ganga Doots (45,000 nos.), Ganga Praharis (2,900 nos.) and Ganga Mitra (700 nos.) are involved in public participatory activities;
- xii.) Comprehensive public  awareness  campaigns  have  been  undertaken  to  instill  a  sense  of responsibility and engagement among the public in efforts to clean and conserve the Ganga River. These include - Ganga Utsav, Nadi Utsav, regular cleanathons and plantation drives, Ghat Par Yoga, Ganga Aartis, etc. The efforts are also supported by dedicated cadres of Ganga saviours, such as Ganga Praharis, Ganga VicharManch, Ganga Doots, etc.

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## Annex-I referred to in Statement referred in reply of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 286 answered on 20.03.2025

## The details of the polluted river stretches on river Ganga and Yamuna identified during 2022

| River Ganga   | River Ganga                                   | River Ganga          | River Ganga   |
|---------------|-----------------------------------------------|----------------------|---------------|
| State         | Stretch Identified                            | BOD Value Max (mg/l) | Priority      |
| Uttar Pradesh | Farrukabad to Allahabad, Mirzapur to Ghazipur | 6.0                  | V             |
| Bihar         | Along Buxar, Patna, Fatwah and Bhagalpur      | 7.9                  | IV            |
| West Bengal   | Behrampur to Haldia                           | 8.0                  | IV            |

| River Yamuna   | River Yamuna                                 | River Yamuna   | River Yamuna   |
|----------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------|----------------|
| State          | Identified polluted river stretch            | BOD value      | Priority Class |
| Delhi          | Palla to Okhla D/s                           | 83.0           | I              |
| Haryana        | Hathnikund to Palla &Palwal to Hasanpur      | 43.0           | I              |
| Uttar pradesh  | Along Asgarpur, NOIDA, Vrindavan to Hamirpur | 127            | I              |