Lok Sabha Question No. 4545 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-19
Subject: Implementation Challenges under Jal Jeevan Mission
Ministry: JAL SHAKTI
Asked by: Shri Suresh Kumar Shetkar

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4545 ANSWERED ON 19/03/2026

## IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES UNDER JAL JEEVAN MISSION

## 4545.  SHRI SURESH KUMAR SHETKAR:

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) whether any adequate water quality testing infrastructure exists uniformly across the country and if  so,  the  details  thereof,  State/UT  and  district-wise  along  with  the  steps  taken  to  address  testing deficiencies in this regard;

(b) whether  any  independent third-party audits are being conducted  nationwide  to verify infrastructure quality and fund utilisation under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and if so, the details and major findings thereof along with the remedial measures taken in this regard;

(c) whether the Government proposes any unified national digital monitoring and grievance redressal system for JJM projects, if so, the details and implementation status thereof along with the financial allocation made in this regard;

(d) whether the ground-level verification studies reveal disparities between reported tap connection coverage and actual water supply across States and if so, the details and findings thereof along with the corrective measures initiated in this regard; and

(e) whether any structural policy reforms are being considered to strengthen long-term operation, maintenance and accountability mechanisms under JJM across the country, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI V. SOMANNA)

(a) to (e) Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) is under implementation since August, 2019, in partnership with States/ UTs to make provision of potable tap water supply in adequate quantity, of prescribed quality and on regular & long-term basis to rural households. 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.  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.

Under  JJM,  to  enable  the  States/  UTs  for  online  reporting  of  water  quality  monitoring  and surveillance  including  test  reports  of  water  samples  for  water  quality,  sample  collection  etc.  for drinking water, an online JJM - Water Quality Management Information System (WQMIS) portal has  been  developed.  The  State-wise  details  of  water  quality  test  reported  through  WQMIS  are available in public domain and can be accessed at:    https://ejalshakti.gov.in/WQMIS/Main/report.

As reported on JJM-WQMIS, as on 18.03.2026, the State Public Health Engineering/ Rural Water Supply Departments operate a network of 2,874 water quality testing laboratories at various levels viz. State, regional, district, sub-division, block, mobile and/ or WTP facility laboratories. State-wise details are annexed .

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.

Government of India has undertaken ground-truthing of JJM schemes across States/UTs through Central Nodal Officers (CNOs) appointed by DoPT, the National JJM Team, and National WASH Experts (NWEs). These visits assessed multiple parameters, including quality of works, functionality of schemes, appropriateness of technical design, implementation progress, effectiveness of ThirdParty Inspection Agencies (TPIAs), and grievance redressal mechanisms. Pursuant to the findings, this  Department  has  advised  all  States/UTs  to  take  appropriate  administrative  and  legal  action, wherever necessary, and to furnish detailed scheme-wise responses through the JJM-IMIS portal.

Ground-level verification of reported tap connection coverage and service delivery under Jal Jeevan Mission is carried out through periodic Functionality Assessment of Household Tap Connections (FHTC) conducted through third-party agencies using statistically representative sampling across all States/UTs. The assessment includes household survey, village-level verification, water quantity and quality testing, and validation with JJM-IMIS data.

Functionality Assessment - 2024 conducted across 19,812 HGJ covering 761 districts in Har Ghar Jal reported villages, reveals that 98.1% reported household had tap connections and out of this 98.1% HH, 87% were found with working tap connections. Results of functionality assessment are shared with States and Union Territories to take corrective measures and ensure functionality.

The Department launched "Jal Seva Aankalan" on 30 December 2025, a Gram Panchayat-led digital drinking water service functionality assessment tool on the JJM portal. The initiative marks a decisive shift from infrastructure creation to sustained service delivery , placing Gram Panchayats and village institutions at the centre of assessing the regularity, adequacy, quality and sustainability of drinking water supply in Har Ghar Jal (HGJ) villages. Under this initiative, the Village Water & Sanitation Committee (VWSC) conducts village-level assessments. Following a Gram Sabha presentation, the Panchayat  Secretary  digitally  submits  the  data  on  the  JJM-IMIS  Dashboard  for  'Har  Ghar  Jal' villages.  District  and  State  authorities  then  review  this  information  to  identify  service  gaps  and formulate effective improvement plans for sustainable water management.

Water being a state subject, grievances/ complaints, etc. under JJM are handled and disposed of at the State/ UT level. Such complaints/ representations as and when received in this department are forwarded to the state government for taking necessary corrective measures. In addition, citizens can also  lodge  their  grievances  on  Centralized  Public  Grievance  Redress  and  Monitoring  System

(CPGRAMS), online portal of Government of India, which are forwarded to concerned States for taking corrective action.

The Union Cabinet has approved the JJM 2.0 with restructure and reorient the JJM from infrastructure creation to a service delivery, supported by drinking water governance and institutional ecosystem for sustainable rural piped water supply. To this end, a uniform national digital framework, namely 'Sujalam Bharat' is being created under which every rural village be assigned a unique Sujal Gaon / Service Area ID, for digitally mapping the complete drinking water supply system from source to tap.

For  ensuring  transparency  and  accountability  the  involvement  of  GPs  and  VWSCs  in  the commissioning  and  formal  handover  of  schemes  through  'Jal  Arpan'  is  envisaged.  A  Gram Panchayat shall certify completion of works and declare itself 'Har Ghar Jal' only upon confirmation that adequate in-village operation and maintenance mechanisms have been established by the State Government. Recognizing that community ownership and participation are critical for operational efficiency  and  source  sustainability,  the  programme  is  promoting  'Jal  Utsav'  as  an  annual, community-led  maintenance  and  review  event,  integrating  local  cultural  ethos  while  reinforcing collective responsibility for drinking water secure future.

Moreover,  aiming  at  Structural  Reforms  for  transforming  the  rural  water  supply  sector  from 'Department  based  approach' to 'service delivery approach' inter alia including 'Source Sustenance'  signing  of  MoUs  with  States  is  also  envisaged  to  adhere  to  timelines,  scheme sustainability and citizen centric service delivery.

Further, to ensure universal coverage through tap water connection, the Department has evolved a comprehensive multi-level and multi-format system of monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of programme, linking AADHAR of the head of household for targeted delivery and monitoring of specific  outcomes,  subject  to  statutory  provisions,  including  geo-tagging  of  assets created, third-party inspections before making payments to ensure the quality of works, measurement and monitoring of water supply in villages through sensor-based IoT solution on pilot basis, etc. Further, to expedite the implementation and strengthening the existing monitoring mechanisms under Jal  Jeevan  Mission  aiming  at  improving  efficiency  and  effectiveness,  steps  like  Village/  District Dashboards and linking Village Level Dashboards to eGramswaraj portal, District Collectors' Peyjal Samvad, Institutionalization of Role of National WASH Experts (NWEs) through IMIS module, Role of TPIAs, strengthened collaboration with line Ministries, Decision Support System for strengthening Source  Sustainability,  Handbook  on  Community  Managed  Piped  Water  Systems,  Unique  ID  for integrated Piped Water System, etc. have recently been taken up under JJM.

Further for urban areas, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has informed that they have published Manual on Water Supply and Treatment Systems (Drink from Tap) in March 2024 for  reference  by  the  States/  ULBs  for  designing,  implementation,  drinking  water  quality  and monitoring of the water supply projects. (https://mohua.gov.in/publication/manual-on-watersupplyandtreatment-systems-drink-from-tap-march-2024.php).

MoHUA  has  issued  an  advisory  "Strengthening  Water  Quality  Monitoring  in  Cities  through Community Participation" under AMRUT 2.0 in November, 2024 to all the States to formulate a Water  Quality  Monitoring  strategy  at  the  State  or  City  level  and  to  strengthen  the  institutional capacity for citywide monitoring of drinking water quality in urban areas along with Digital Display Boards for water quality parameters for public information & awareness.

ULBs/ Parastatal conduct testing of water at Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) and household levels as per applicable norms.

To  ensure  safe  drinking  water  supply  to  the  urban  households,  AMRUT/AMRUT  2.0  supports, rehabilitation  and  upgradation  of  water  supply  network  and  creation/augmentation  of  Water Treatment Plants (WTPs). Under AMRUT/ AMRUT2.0, a total of 93,457.51 km of water pipeline network has been laid/ replaced. So far, 6140 Million Litre per Day (MLD) of WTP capacity has been  approved  under  AMRUT,  of  which,  5,429  MLD  WTP  capacity  has  been  created.  Under AMRUT 2.0, 11,395 MLD WTP capacity has been approved so far. These treatment plants are generally equipped with inhouse lab facilities or have tie up with the Labs for regular water quality testing.

Further, AMRUT 2.0 Mission promotes 24x7 water supply with quality assurance, Drink from Tap (DfT)  quality  water  in  selected  District  Metered  Areas  (DMAs)/wards,  online  water  quality monitoring, sensors  and  Supervisory  Control  and  Data  Acquisition  (SCADA),  community participation, especially Women Self Help Groups (SHGs), in water quality testing. 258 water supply schemes have smart monitoring systems such as SCADA system under AMRUT, and 1,422 water supply projects under AMRUT 2.0 has provision for SCADA system.

For improvement in service delivery, States have taken up DfT projects and States are encouraged to implement at least one DfT project in a DMA or ward within each AMRUT city. 407 projects with 1,153 DMAs benefitting 16.72 lakh Households have been approved in 348 ULBs under AMRUT 2.0.

*****

## Annex referred to in reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4545 answered on 19.03.2026 asked by Shri Suresh Kumar Shetkar.

## State-wise details of water quality testing laboratories as on 18.03.2026

| Sl. No.   | State/UTs         | No. of State Level Labs   | No. of District/Regional Level Labs   | No. of Block/Sub- Divisional Level Labs   | No. of Mobile Level Labs   | No. of WTP Facilities   | Total Labs   |
|-----------|-------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|----------------------------|-------------------------|--------------|
| 1.        | A&N Islands       | 1                         | 3                                     | 7                                         | -                          | -                       | 11           |
| 2.        | Andhra Pradesh    | 1                         | 26                                    | 85                                        | -                          | 26                      | 138          |
| 3.        | Arunachal Pradesh | 1                         | 20                                    | 17                                        | -                          | -                       | 38           |
| 4.        | Assam             | 1                         | 34                                    | 46                                        | 2                          | 3                       | 86           |
| 5.        | Bihar             | 1                         | 38                                    | 75                                        | 9                          | -                       | 123          |
| 6.        | Chhattisgarh      | 1                         | 29                                    | 29                                        | 18                         | 1                       | 78           |
| 7.        | DD&DDNH           | -                         | 2                                     | -                                         | -                          | -                       | 2            |
| 8.        | Goa               | 1                         | 2                                     | 13                                        | -                          | 8                       | 24           |
| 9.        | Gujarat           | 1                         | 33                                    | 46                                        | -                          | 329                     | 409          |
| 10.       | Haryana           | 1                         | 21                                    | 21                                        | 1                          | -                       | 44           |
| 11.       | Himachal Pradesh  | 1                         | 14                                    | 57                                        | 5                          | 8                       | 85           |
| 12.       | Jammu &Kashmir    | 2                         | 20                                    | 76                                        | -                          | -                       | 98           |
| 13.       | Jharkhand         | 1                         | 24                                    | 6                                         | -                          | 8                       | 39           |
| 14.       | Karnataka         | 5                         | 32                                    | 48                                        | -                          | 22                      | 107          |
| 15.       | Kerala            | 4                         | 14                                    | 72                                        | -                          | 7                       | 97           |
| 16.       | Ladakh            | 1                         | 2                                     | 6                                         | -                          | -                       | 9            |
| 17.       | Lakshadweep       | -                         | -                                     | 9                                         | -                          | -                       | 9            |
| 18.       | Madhya Pradesh    | 1                         | 51                                    | 103                                       | -                          | 32                      | 187          |
| 19.       | Maharashtra       | -                         | 34                                    | 144                                       | -                          | 52                      | 230          |
| 20.       | Manipur           | 1                         | 12                                    | -                                         | -                          | 1                       | 14           |
| 21.       | Meghalaya         | 1                         | 11                                    | 18                                        | -                          | 35                      | 65           |
| 22.       | Mizoram           | 1                         | 11                                    | 15                                        | -                          | 1                       | 28           |
| 23.       | Nagaland          | 1                         | 11                                    | -                                         | -                          | -                       | 12           |
| 24.       | Odisha            | 1                         | 30                                    | 46                                        | -                          | 83                      | 160          |
| 25.       | Puducherry        | -                         | 2                                     | -                                         | -                          | -                       | 2            |
| 26.       | Punjab            | 1                         | 23                                    | 7                                         | 2                          | -                       | 33           |
| 27.       | Rajasthan         | 2                         | 32                                    | -                                         | 20                         | 26                      | 80           |
| 28.       | Sikkim            | 1                         | 1                                     | -                                         | -                          | -                       | 2            |
| 29.       | Tamil Nadu        | 1                         | 37                                    | 75                                        | -                          | -                       | 113          |
| 30.       | Telangana         | 1                         | 34                                    | 41                                        | -                          | 40                      | 116          |
| 31.       | Tripura           | 1                         | 8                                     | 12                                        | -                          | -                       | 21           |
| 32.       | Uttar Pradesh     | 1                         | 75                                    | 60                                        | 5                          | 4                       | 145          |
| 33.       | Uttarakhand       | 1                         | 13                                    | 13                                        | -                          | 1                       | 28           |
| 34.       | West Bengal       | 2                         | 23                                    | 207                                       | 7                          | 2                       | 241          |
|           | Total             | 40                        | 722                                   | 1,354                                     | 69                         | 689                     | 2,874        |

Page 5 of 5

Source: JJM-IMIS