Question : Financial and Technical Assistance

(a) whether the Government providesfinancial and technical assistance to theStates including Uttar Pradesh to test andmonitor the quality of water as well ascleanliness of the drinking water;
(b) if so, the amount provided andutilised during each of the last three yearsand the current year, State-wise;
(c) the number of Water QualityTesting Laboratories (WQTL) established/upgraded at different levels during the saidperiod, State/UT-wise; and
(d) the details of the alternatearrangements made or being made to testthe quality of water in those areas whereWQTL have not been established at thedistrict level?

MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI
(SHRI RATTAN LAL KATARIA)

(a) & (b) Yes Sir,States including Uttar Pradesh can utilize up to 5% of funds released to them under NRDWP for water quality monitoring and surveillance, which, inter alia, includes testing of drinking water sources at the Panchayat level by using simple field test kits, upgrading of existing water quality testing laboratories and setting up of new State/district/sub-district / mobile water quality testing laboratories wherever such facility is not available or needed.
State/ UT wise funds released under the Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance(WQMS)component for the year 2016-17 and total fund released under National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) (up to 5 % of fund released can be utilised for WQMS) during the year 2017-18 and 2018-19 is at Annexure-I. No release has been made during the current year 2019-20 so far.
(c) The number of Water QualityTesting Laboratories (WQTL) established/upgraded at different levels during the last three years is placed at Annexure-II.
(d)As per ‘Uniform Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Protocol’ published by this department, the States/UTs may also takehelp of any reputed Institute/ Government orprivate NABL accredited laboratory for exchangeof information/capacity building and water qualitytesting and are also free to explore Public Partnership or Public PrivatePartnership (PPP) model. The States may take up water quality testing through inter-departmental laboratories under the State Government departments e.g. health, ground water, pollution control board etc.