Drinking Water being a state subject, the responsibility of planning, approval, implementation, operation, and maintenance of drinking water supply schemes, including those under the JJM, lies 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.

Under JJM, while planning water supply schemes to provide tap water supply to households, priority is given to habitations affected by chemical contaminants. States/ UTs have been advised to plan and implement piped water supply schemes based on alternative safe water sources for the villages with water quality issues. Further, 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 to meet their drinking and cooking requirements (to the tune of 8-10 litres per capita per day) till the commissioning of piped water supply schemes compliant to JJM standards.

As per the Operational Guidelines, States/ UTs can utilize JJM funds 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.

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

In consultation with various stakeholders 'Concise Handbook for Monitoring Water Quality of Piped Drinking Water Supply to Rural Households’ was released in December 2024 for guidance to States/ UTs. This handbook recommended for a comprehensive testing of drinking water samples at various testing points such as source, treatment plant, storage and distribution points, and remedial action wherever necessary, to ensure that the water supplied to households is of prescribed quality (BIS:10500).

Another Handbook on Drinking Water Treatment Technologies was released in March 2023 to disseminate information regarding technologies available amongst all stakeholders to understand and implement the new technologies that address local issues and challenges faced in water-quality affected villages. The States may take up appropriate numbers of water treatment system of one or a combination of technologies depending upon techno-economic feasibility.

States/ UTs have been advised to plan and implement piped water supply schemes based on alternative safe water sources/ bulk water transfer for the villages with water quality issues. Moreover, any water supply scheme undertaken under JJM is approved only after the recommendation of a Source Finding Committee of the respective State Government, to the effect that the identified water source through which the scheme is planned, has sufficient yield for sustaining water supply as per required norm, for the scheme design period.

The information was provided by THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI SHRI V. SOMANNA in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

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PS/AK

(LS USQ 1983)

 

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