Question : CONTAMINATED DRINKING WATER

(a) whether arsenic fluoride and other chemicals have been found in drinking water in various parts of the country;

(b) if so, the details of the affected areas, State/UT-wise including Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh;

(c) the details of the health problems caused by the contaminated drinking water and steps taken by the Government to spread awareness among the people in this regard;

(d) the remedial steps taken including financial assistance provided during the last two years and the current year along with the success achieved in this regard, State/ UT-wise; and

(e) whether the Government has launched/proposes to launch a new scheme to address the issue of chemical contaminants in the drinking water and if so, the salient features thereof?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF DRINKING WATERJk SANITATION (SHRI RAM KR1PAL YADAV):

(a) and (b) As per data provided by the State Governments on the Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry, as on 1.4.2014, a total of 78,506 habitations are affected with Fluoride, Arsenic, Iron, Salinity and Nitrate in one or more drinking water sources in the rural areas of the country and the people at risk of drinking contaminated water from these sources is about 4.77 crore. The State-wise list of affected habitations along with people at risk wherein safe drinking water is yet to be provided as on 1/4/2014 including Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh is given in the enclosed statement.

(c) Prolonged consumption of drinking water with arsenic in excess of permissible limits may lead to arsenecosis

(Keratosis and / melanosis) disease. Similarly, prolonged consumption of drinking water with fluoride in excess of permissible limits may lead to dental, skeletal and/or non-skeletal fluorosis disease. Excess iron and/or salinity in drinking water are unacceptable to people because of unaesthetic, taste and/or odour. Prolonged consumption of drinking water with excess nitrate may lead to methemoglobinemia (blue baby syndrome) especially in infants.

Under National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP), 5% of the funds are allocated towards support activities which is 100% central grant which inter alia includes provision towards awareness generation and capacity building activities. State Governments utilizes this provision to make the rural population aware of hazards from consumption of contaminated water.

(d) Rural water supply is a State subject. This Ministry supplements the efforts of the Sta.es by providing them with 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. Up to 67 per cent of the NRDWP funds allocated to States can be utilized for tackling water quality problems in rural areas of the country. Further, 5% of NRDWP funds are earmarked and allocated to those States facing problems of chemical contamination in drinking water and with Japanese Encephalitis and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome affected high priority districts. In addition to this, Government of India provides 3 per cent NRDWP funds on 100 per cent Central assistance basis to States for water quality monitoring and surveillance, which inter alia include taking up works relating to setting up of new or up-gradation of district/ sub-district water quality testing laboratories, providing chemicals and consumables to laboratories, providing field test kits/ refills to Gram Panchayats etc. Further up to 10 per cent of NRDWP funds allocated to States could be utilized for sustainability of drinking water sources through artificial recharge of ground water and other methods, which inter alia may also dilute the level of contamination in aquifers in situ. Details of State-wise allocation, release and expenditure incurred under NRDWJFf during the last two years and the current year are at Annexure 14-while the physical performance (success achieved in terms of coverage of water quality affected habitations with safe drinking water) during the last two years and the current year are given in enclosed statement III,IV and V.