Lok Sabha Question No. 239 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-02-25
Subject: Drinking Water Crisis
Ministry: DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION
Asked by: NANABHAU FALGUNRAO PATOLE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DRINKING WATER & SANITATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 239 TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.02.2016

## Drinking Water Crisis

## †239. SHRI NANA PATOLE:

Will the Minister of DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether drought  affected  districts/areas of several States  including Maharashtra are facing drinking water crisis, if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise;
- (b)  the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  for  solution of drinking water crisis in these districts  /  areas  along  with  the  funds  allocated  on    priority    basis    to    these affected  areas during each of the last three years and the current  year,  State/UTwise;  and
- (c)  the  details  of  the  concrete  measures  taken    by    the    Government    to    find    a permanent solution of drinking water crisis in the country?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION (SHRI RAM KRIPAL YADAV)

(a) to (c) The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) releases its first predictions for  Southwest  Monsoon  in  the  month  of  April  every  year.  The  Ministry  takes immediate  steps  to  tackle  the  drought  like  situation  and  scarcity  of  drinking  water arising out of deficient monsoon if there is a forecast regarding the same by IMD as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) prepared by the Ministry for responding to Natural Disasters in Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation. The States are requested to prepare contingency plan as per the SOP and execute the same. In case of drought, Government of India deputes an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), and based on its report, the High level Committee (HLC) headed by Union Home Minister, decides the  financial  assistance  to  be  provided  under  Calamities  sub-component  of  the National  Rural  Drinking  Water  Programme  (NRDWP).  During  2015-16,  IMCT  has been  sent  to  the  States  of  Andhra  Pradesh,  Jharkhand,  Maharashtra,  Rajasthan, Telangana,  Chhattisgarh,  Karnataka,  Madhya  Pradesh,  Odisha  and  Uttar  Pradesh  in order to assess the situation of drought in these States, however, the recommendation of HLC in respect of these States are yet to be received. Under NRDWP, 2% Natural Calamity  component  of  the  total  allocation  is  earmarked  and  set  apart  for  meeting drinking water needs of the rural areas in the wake of natural disasters which inter alia include droughts. Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation releases funds to drought affected States only on the recommendation of HLC. During the year 2015-16, as no recommendation of HLC has been received for drought, no funds have been released to  any  State.    The  details  of  funds  provided  under  2%  Calamity  components  of NRDWP for drought affected States during the last three years are as under:-

| (Rs in Crores)   | (Rs in Crores)   | (Rs in Crores)   | (Rs in Crores)   | (Rs in Crores)   | (Rs in Crores)                                        |
|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
| S. No.           | State            | 2012-13          | 2013-14          | 2014-15          | 2015-16                                               |
| 1                | HARYANA          |                  |                  | 5.05             | No release till 22.02.2016 for drought affected areas |
| 2                | KARNATAKA        | 38.20            |                  | 9.00             | No release till 22.02.2016 for drought affected areas |
| 3                | MAHARASHTRA      | 15.00            |                  |                  | No release till 22.02.2016 for drought affected areas |
| 4                | RAJASTHAN        | 11.00            |                  |                  | No release till 22.02.2016 for drought affected areas |
| 5                | TAMIL NADU       |                  | 31.00            |                  | No release till 22.02.2016 for drought affected areas |
| 6                | UTTAR PRADESH    |                  |                  | 44.00            | No release till 22.02.2016 for drought affected areas |
| Total            | Total            | 64.20            | 31.00            | 58.05            | No release till 22.02.2016 for drought affected areas |

Moreover,  there  is  a  provision  of  Flexi-fund  equivalent  to  10%  of  releases  of programme fund under NRDWP which can be used by States by mitigate the situation of natural calamity including drought.

The focus of the Ministry now is to move towards rural water supply schemes based on  safe  and  perennial  surface  water  sources  to  ensure  long  term  sustainability  of source  and  drinking  water  security  in  the  event  of  crisis  including  drought.  This Ministry has been asking all the State Governments to make optimum use of available water  while  implementing  rural  drinking  water  supply  schemes.  To  increase  the availability of drinking  water,  the  Ministry  has  suggested  all  States  including Maharashtra to adopt water conservation measures like roof top rainwater harvesting, erecting sustainability structures for water  conservation  etc. For  creating  such sustainability structures 10% of NRDWP Programme allocation is provided on 60:40 basis  by  the  Ministry  to  the  States  except  North  Eastern  (NE)  and  03  Hilly  States namely  Himachal  Pradesh,  Jammu  and  Kashmir  and  Uttarakhand.  These  States  are provided sustainability funds on 90:10 Centre-State ratio.  From sustainability funds, States  can  prepare  sustainability  structures  like  Pits  and  Trenches,  Check  Dams, Percolation Tanks, Point Source Recharging Structures, Dug Wells/Injection Skimming  Wells,  Ooranies  /  Village  Ponds  /  Traditional  Water  Bodies,  Roof  Top Rainwater  Harvesting  Structures  and  other  structures  in  order  to  meet  drought  like situations.  Moreover  Hydro  Geomorphological  Maps  (HGM)  are  being  used  for accurately locating new drinking water sources in the field.