Since August 2019, Government of India, in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal to make provision of tap water supply to every rural household and public institutions in villages like schools, anganwadi centres, ashramshalas (tribal residential schools), health centres, Gram Panchayat building, etc., across the country of the country.  At the time of announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission, 3.23 Crore (17%) households were reported to have tap water connections. Since then, more than 8.41 Crore rural households have been provided with tap water connection. As a result, today more than 11.64 Crore (59.9%) rural households have provision of tap water connection. The State-wise status of the rural households with tap water connections including Uttar Pradesh is annexed.   

As reported by States/ UTs as on 04.04.2023, out of 16.96 lakh habitations in the country, 16.77 lakh habitations having 99.25% population have access to potable water supply with drinking water sources at reasonable distance.

Under Jal Jeevan Mission, as per existing guidelines, Bureau of Indian Standards’ IS:10500 standard is to be adopted for ensuring safe drinking water supply. 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.

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 on WQMIS, 61.01 lakh water samples have been tested in the water testing laboratories and 103.81 lakh water samples using Field Testing Kits, during 2022-23. The State–wise details of water quality test reported through WQMIS are available in public domain on JJM Dashboard and can also be accessed at:

https://ejalshakti.gov.in/WQMIS/Main/report

As reported by States/UTs, as on date, there are 2,078 drinking water quality testing laboratories at different levels viz. State, district, sub-division and/ or block level in the country. 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.

States/ UTs have been advised to identify and train 5 persons preferably women from every village to conduct water quality testing using FTKs/ bacteriological vials at village level and report the same on the WQMIS portal. So far, as reported by states/UTs, about 21.45 lakh women have been trained.

Under JJM, while allocating the funds to States/ UTs, 10% weightage is given to the population residing in habitations affected by chemical contaminants. States/ UTs have been advised to plan and implement piped water supply schemes of bulk water transfer based on safe water sources such as surface water sources or alternative safe ground water sources for the villages with water quality issues.

Since, planning, implementation and commissioning of piped water supply scheme based on a safe water source may take time, purely as an interim measure, States/ UTs have been advised to install community water purification plants (CWPPs) especially in Arsenic and Fluoride affected habitations to provide potable water to every household at the rate of 8–10 litre per capita per day (lpcd) to meet their drinking and cooking requirements.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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AS