Lok Sabha Question No. 293 (STARRED), answered on 2026-03-12
Subject: Testing of Potability of Groundwater
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Ajendra Singh Lodhi

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

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *293

ANSWERED ON 12/03/2026

## TESTING OF POTABILITY OF GROUNDWATER

## †*293. SHRI AJENDRA SINGH LODHI:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

- (a) whether regular testing is being conducted at the local level in the districts of Hamirpur and Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh to ensure potability of groundwater;
- (b) if so, the details of the tests conducted recently along with the key findings thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  specific  measures  for  prevention  and  control  of impurities such as fluoride, arsenic, nitrate etc. found in groundwater in the said districts; and

(d) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI (SHRI C R PATIL)

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

## Statement referred to in reply to parts (a) to (d) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 293 answered on 12/03/2026 regarding 'Testing of Potability of Groundwater' asked by Shri Ajendra Singh Lodhi

(a)  to  (d)  Drinking  Water  being  a  State  subject,  the  responsibility  of  Planning,  Designing, Approval,  Implementation,  Operation  &  Maintenance  of  drinking  water  supply  schemes, including those under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), is vested with State/UT Governments. The Government of India supplements the efforts of the States/ UTs by providing financial, policy guidance  and  technical  assistance.  Jal  Jeevan  Mission  is  under  implementation  since  August, 2019, to make provision of tap water supply to every rural household. Under JJM, 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. As per the Operational Guidelines, States/ UTs can utilize up to 2% of their annual allocation of funds under JJM for Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance (WQM&S) activities, inter-alia, which includes setting up and strengthening of water quality testing laboratories, procurement of equipment, instruments, chemicals, glassware, consumables, hiring of skilled manpower, surveillance by community using field  test  kits  (FTKs),  awareness  generation,  educational  programmes  on  water  quality, accreditation/recognition of laboratories, etc.

The State Water and Sanitation Mission (SWSM), the Namami Gange and Rural Water Supply Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh has informed that regular testing is being conducted by the district laboratories at the local level in the districts of Hamirpur and Mahoba in the State of Uttar Pradesh to ensure the potability of ground water. The frequency of testing for ground water source is half yearly and details of testing of groundwater done by labs is as given below:

|   S. No. | Districts   |   Total No. of Ground water sources |   Tested in H1 (April, 2025 - Sep, 2025) |   Tested in H2 (Oct, 2025- March, 2026) |
|----------|-------------|-------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|
|        1 | Hamirpur    |                                 154 |                                      157 |                                     135 |
|        2 | Mahoba      |                                  99 |                                       97 |                                      78 |

State has also informed that all the ground water based sources of these two districts are found safe from impurities such as Fluoride, Arsenic, Nitrate etc. after testing by labs. Apart from testing done by labs, the testing of FHTC, Schools, Aanganwadi Centres (AWC) etc. is being carried out by the FTK trained women using FTKs at village level.

Further, the State has informed that to prevent and control impurities such as Fluoride, Arsenic, Nitrate etc., deep tube wells/bore wells have been constructed in all the ground water based pipe water supply schemes. State has also mentioned that almost all villages in the districts of Mahoba and Hamirpur are covered under surface water-based water supply schemes, and the water is being properly treated through designated Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) before distribution.

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