Lok Sabha Question No. 160 (STARRED), answered on 2024-08-01
Subject: Jal Jeevan Mission in Assam
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Gaurav Gogoi

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

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO - 160

ANSWERED ON 01/08/2024

## JAL JEEVAN MISSION IN ASSAM

## *160.   SHRI GAURAV GOGI:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to State:

- (a) the current status of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in terms of household tap connections provided in Assam;
- (b) the number of villages which have achieved 100% Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) under the JJM in Assam;
- (c) the steps being taken to address water quality issues under the JJM in rural areas of Assam; and
- (d) whether the Government has taken any specific steps to ensure the progress of the JJM in the flood-prone areas of Assam and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI (SHRI C R PATIL)

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

## Statement referred to in reply to parts (a) to (d) in respect of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. *160 for reply on 01.08.2024 regarding Jal Jeevan Mission in Assam asked by Shri Gaurav Gogoi

(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. Drinking Water is a State subject, and hence, the responsibility of planning, approval, implementation, operation, and maintenance of drinking water supply schemes, including those under the Jal Jeevan Mission, lies with State/ UT Governments. The Government of India supports the States by  providing  technical  and  financial  assistance.  Significant  progress  has  been  made  in  the country since the launch of Jal Jeevan Mission, towards enhancing access to tap water to rural households. At the start of Jal Jeevan Mission in August 2019, only 3.23 Crore rural households were reported to have tap water connections. So far, as reported by States/ UTs as on 29.07.2024, around 11.78 Crore additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections under JJM. Thus, as on 29.07.2024, out of 19.32 Crore rural households in the country, around 15.02 Crore (77.76%) rural households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes.

As reported by the State Government of Assam, at the time of launch of Jal Jeevan Mission in the State on 15.08.2019, only 1.11 lakh rural households had tap water connections. Since then, 56.31 lakhs additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections. Thus, as on 29.07.2024, out of 71.59 lakhs rural households in state, the provision of tap water supply is available to around 57.43 lakhs (80.22%) rural households.

(b)  Out  of  24,151  villages  in  the  state  of  Assam,  7,319  villages  are  reported  to  have  100% functional household tap connections.

(c) Under JJM, in allocating the funds to States/ UTs, including Assam, 10% weightage is given to  the  population  residing  in  habitations  affected  by  chemical  contaminants.  Further,  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  29.07.2024,  there  are  2,163  drinking  water  quality  testing  laboratories  at different levels viz. State, District, sub-division and/ or block level in the country including 83 in state of Assam. 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.

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. So far, about 24.60 lakh women have been trained in the country including 1.13 lakh in Assam. As reported by States/UTs on WQMIS, more than 24.13 lakh water samples have been tested in the water testing laboratories and 51.16 lakh water samples using Field Testing Kits, during 2024-25.

Further, as informed by state government of Assam, all arsenic and fluoride affected habitations have  been  covered  either  in  short  term  mitigation  measure  by  installing  community  water purification plant (CWPP) for making provision of 8-10 lpcd of water for drinking and cooking purpose only or through piped water supply scheme with surface water source. Further iron contaminated  habitations  are  being  covered  through  piped  water  supply  schemes  with  iron treatment plants. Further, as on 01.04.2020, there were 19,949 iron contaminated habitations in the state out of which 17,445 have been covered with FHTCs and remaining 2,504 habitations are planned to be covered by December, 2024.

Assam has also initiated an innovative programme titled Jaldoot to sensitise school students about various aspects of drinking water including quality.

(d) There is a provision under JJM, in consonance with guidelines of Ministry of Finance dated 06.09.2016 on Flexi Fund for Centrally Sponsored Schemes, wherein upto 25% of the fund available with the States, can be set aside by States, including Assam inter-alia , for undertaking mitigation/ restoration activities in case of natural calamities, including flood.

As  informed  by  the  state  government,  an  initiative  was  taken  to  install  piped  water  supply schemes above 1 meter of high flood level so that water is provided during flood also.

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