To make provision of potable tap water supply in adequate quantity, of prescribed quality and on regular & long-term basis to every rural household by 2024, since August, 2019, Government of India in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal.

  Under JJM, States/ UTs can utilize upto 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.

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) has been developed in partnerships with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which is in public domain and can also be accessed at:https://neer.icmr.org.in/website/main.php

This portal also provides automated alerts to concerned authorities in States/ UTs, if the water sample tested is contaminated, to initiate remedial actions. On this portal an individual can also register his sample and choose nearby water quality testing laboratory to get the water sample tested. Thus, testing of water samples and reporting in rural areas, has been made accessible and easy.

States/ UTs have been advised to identify and train 5 persons preferably women in each village from local community viz. ASHA workers, health workers, VWSC members, teachers, etc. to conduct water quality tests using FTKs/ bacteriological vials at village level and report the same on the portal. As reported by States/ UTs, 8.45 lakh women have been trained to conduct water quality testing using FTKs/ bacteriological vials at village level.

To encourage water quality testing to ensure potable drinking water supply, States/ UTs have been advised to open water quality testing laboratories to general public for testing of their water samples at a nominal rate.

As reported by States/UTs, so far 2012 drinking water quality testing laboratories at different levels viz. State, district, sub-division and/or block level, has been set up in the country, which includes 142 laboratories set up since 2019-20.

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

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