(a) the details of various sources of drinking water including wells and hand
pumps in rural areas of the country, State-wise;
(b) whether a majority of rural population of the country are still dependent on
wells for drinking water;
(c) if so, the details thereof; and
(d) the steps taken by the Government to check contamination in drinking water?
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION
(SHRI BHARATSINH SOLANKI)
(a): The details of various sources from which rural households access drinking water
including wells and hand pumps, and the percentage of rural population accessing these sources,
State-wise is at Annexure I.
(b) & (c): No, Madam. As per the Census 2011, only 13.30% of the rural population of the country
use wells as the major source of drinking water. Details are at Annexure I
(d): Rural water supply is a State subject. This Ministry supplements the efforts of the
States 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 like handpumps and piped water supply systems in rural areas of the country. A
budgetary allocation of Rs.10,500 crore has been made for the NRDWP in 2012-13. Up to 67 per
cent of the NRDWP funds allocated to States can be utilized for tackling drinking water
contamination 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 or with
Japanese Encephalitis or Acute Encephalitis Syndrome affected high priority districts.
Technical assistance is provided to States through sharing information on technologies for
treatment of contaminated water in Conferences, exhibitions, meetings, Handbooks and visits
of Technical officers. The Ministry has advised the States on adopting a two-pronged strategy
viz., in the short-term to adopt in-situ treatment technologies for removal of specific
contaminants and as a long term sustainable solution to provide safe drinking water from
alternate safe surface/ groundwater sources. 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, hiring of trained manpower for the laboratories and
providing field test kits/ refills for testing of drinking water quality to Gram Panchayats.
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.