Question : Pure Drinking Water to Every Citizen

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:
(a) the definition of pure drinking water;
(b) whether pure drinking water is not available in several parts of the country which is causing chronic diseases to the people;
(c) if so, the reasons for the Government not being able to provide pure drinking water to the people even after so many years of independence along with the details thereof particularly of Amravati Parliamentary Constituency; and
(d) the details of the efforts being made and the schemes being formulated by the Government to provide pure drinking water to every citizen of the country?

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI
(SHRI PRAHLAD SINGH PATEL)

(a) Bureau of Indian Standards IS–10500: 2012 specifies ‘acceptable limit’ and ‘permissible limit in the absence of alternate source’ for various physio-chemical and bacteriological parameters for drinking water quality as provided in the Annex.
(b) to (d) As reported by States/ UTs, as on 25.07.2022, out of 16.99 lakh rural habitations in the country, 13.08 lakh [77.01%] have provision of potable drinking water with more than 40 litre per capita per day (lpcd) and 3.64 lakh [21.45%] rural habitations with less than 40 lpcd with sources at a reasonable distance. Further, 0.26 lakh [1.54%] rural habitations are reported to have water quality issues in drinking water sources.
As reported by Maharashtra State, as on 25.07.2022, out of 1608 rural habitations in Amravati district, 1,314[81.72%] have provision of potable drinking water with more than 40 litre per capita per day (lpcd) and remaining 294 [18.28% rural habitations with less than 40 lpcd with sources at a reasonable distance. No habitations with water quality issues has been reported in Amravati district.

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, while allocating the funds to States/ UTs, 10% weightage is given to the population residing in habitations affected by chemical contaminants and while planning for potable water supply to household through tap water connection, priority is to be given to quality-affected habitations.
Under Jal Jeevan Mission, as per existing guidelines, IS:10500 is to be adopted for ensuring safe drinking water supply and States/ UTs have been advised to carry out testing of drinking water sources once in year for chemical and physical parameters, and twice in a year for bacteriological parameters. 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) portal has been developed. The State–wise details of water quality test reported through WQMIS is available in public domain on JJM Dashboard and can also be accessed at:
https://neer.icmr.org.in/website/main.php
To encourage water quality testing to ensure potable drinking water supply, States/ UTs have opened water quality testing laboratories to general public for testing of their water samples at a nominal rate.
States/ UTs have been advised to identify and train 5 persons preferably women viz. ASHA workers, health workers, VWSC members, teachers, etc. in each village to conduct water quality tests using FTKs/ bacteriological vials at village level and report the same on the portal.
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