Question : DRINKING WATER RESOURCES

(a) whether the Government has made any assessment with regard to the percentage of population in the country having access to drinking water resources;

(b) if so, the details thereof along with the number of families which do not treat the drinking water available to them;

(c) whether any scheme in this regard is proposed to be implemented during the forthcoming years by the Union Government; and

(d) if so, the year-wise target set for providing drinking water resources to the population along with the percentage of population targeted to be covered under the said scheme?

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION (PROF.SANWAR LAL JAT)

(a)&(b) Water supply being a State subject, State Governments make assessments regarding requirement of drinking water in the State and take necessary action for providing drinking water. Central Government has not made any assessment with regard to the percentage of population in the country having access to drinking water resources or the number of families which do not treat the drinking water available to them.
(c)&(d) State Governments take several measures to plan, design, approve, implement and monitor water supply schemes.

The Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation supplements the efforts of the States by providing them technical and financial assistance under the centrally sponsored National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) for providing safe and adequate drinking water facilities in rural areas of the country. Under the NRDWP, the State Governments are vested with powers to plan, approve and execute drinking water supply schemes. The State Governments, in consultation with the Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation, prepare annual action plans to implement rural water supply schemes and activities under the programme, to cover partially covered and quality affected habitations with safe and adequate drinking water supply.

Further, the Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation has prepared a Strategic Plan for rural drinking water supply for the period 2011-22, covering the two Five Year Plan periods, which stresses on extending the piped water supply to more households in the rural areas. The interim goal till 2017 is to cover 50% of all rural households with piped water supply, and 35% of rural households with household tap connections. By 2022, the goal is to cover 90% rural households with piped water supply and with 80% having household tap connections.

Ministry of Urban Development is supplementing the efforts of State Governments/Urban Local Bodies in providing water supply in Urban areas/Metropolitan cities under the schemes/ programmes such as JawaharLal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, North Eastern Region Urban Development Programme, Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources andUrban Infrastructure Development Scheme in Satellite Towns.