Lok Sabha Question No. 195 (STARRED), answered on 2026-02-12
Subject: Analysis of Potability of Groundwater
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Ashish Dubey

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI

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

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. *195

ANSWERED ON 12.02.2026

## ANALYSIS OF POTABILITY OF GROUNDWATER

| †*195.                                                                                         | SHRI ASHISH DUBEY:                                                                             |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:                                           | Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:                                           |
| (b) whether any efforts are being made to check the impurities present in the groundwater; and | (b) whether any efforts are being made to check the impurities present in the groundwater; and |
| (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?                               | (c) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?                               |
| ANSWER THE MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI                                                              | ANSWER THE MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI                                                              |
| (SHRI C R PAATIL)                                                                              | (SHRI C R PAATIL)                                                                              |
| (a) to (c) : A statement is laid on the Table of the                                           | (a) to (c) : A statement is laid on the Table of the                                           |
| House.                                                                                         | House.                                                                                         |

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF STARRED QUESTION NO. *195  TO  BE  ANSWERED  ON  12.02.2026  IN  LOK  SABHA  REGARDING  'ANALYSIS  OF POTABILITY OF GROUNDWATER'

(a) Ground water quality testing and analysis is conducted by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and  State  Governments  on  a  regular  basis  through  their  established  laboratories  for  various  quality parameters/contaminants like Electrical Conductivity (EC), Fluoride, Nitrate, heavy metals etc.

Further,  under  the  Jal  Jeevan  Mission  (JJM)  being  implemented  by  the  M/o  Jal  Shakti  in partnership with States with an aim to provide safe drinking water to every rural household of the country, Bureau of Indian Standards' BIS:10500 standards have been adopted as benchmark for quality of water being  supplied.  Moreover,  under  JJM, as  reported  by  States/UTs,  as  of  February  2026,  there  are  2,870 Water Quality Testing Laboratories (which covers ground water sources as well) functioning across the country.

Also an online JJM - Water Quality Management Information System (JJM-WQMIS) portal has been developed for  efficient  monitoring  and  reporting  of  sample  collection,  testing  and  surveillance  of drinking water.

Additionally, in order to empower the communities to monitor the water quality, State/ UTs have also  been  advised  to  identify  and  impart  training  to  5  persons,  preferably  women,  in  every  village  to conduct water quality testing using Field Testing Kits (FTKs) at village level. Thus far, around 24.80 lakh women have been trained across the country, out of which around 8 lakh women are actively updating their reports on the WQMIS portal.

(b) & (c) 'Water' is a State subject and the responsibility of taking initiatives to mitigate ground water contamination and to provide safe drinking water to citizens lies primarily with the state  governments. However, to complement the efforts of the state governments, several steps have been taken by the Central Government to address these issues. Some of the important ones for are mentioned below:-

- i. The ground water quality data generated by CGWB is regularly disseminated through Annual Reports, Half-yearly Bulletins and Fortnightly Alerts for quick action by the stakeholders.
- ii. While  taking  up  aquifer  mapping  studies  under  National  Aquifer  Mapping  &  Management Programme  (NAQUIM),  CGWB  is  paying  special  attention  to  ground  water  quality  affected areas  and  proposing  suitable  management  plans  for  checking  contamination  and  aquifer remediation.
- iii. CGWB has also developed techniques for constructing Arsenic and Fluoride safe wells and apart from  taking  up  demonstrative  construction  of  such  wells  in  affected  areas,  is  also  providing technical assistance to state departments for taking up similar constructions.
- iv. Under JJM, priority is being given to quality affected habitations for scheme implementation.

- v. Improvement in ground water quality can also be achieved to some extent by taking up artificial recharge of aquifers, which helps mitigating the contamination, if present. Accordingly, Ministry of Jal Shakti and other central ministries are implementing several programmes towards this end like the annual Jal Shakti Abhiyan campaign, Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) initiative, Atal Bhujal Yojana, PMKSY and MGNREGS schemes etc.
- vi. The ground water pollution also owes its origin to contamination of surface water sources for which various efforts have been made in the country like installing Sewage Treatment Plants, Effluent Treatment Plants, Intervention & Diversion and better system of sewage networks etc. Under  National  Mission  for  Clean  Ganga  (NMCG)  and  National  River  Conservation  Plan (NRCP)  supporting the  States/UTs government  which  has  initiated  above  several  steps  for improving the water quality of rivers in the country.

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