Question : Contaminants in Drinking Water

(a) whether the level of the fluoride, arsenic and other contaminants in drinking water supplied to the metropolitan cities is under the prescribed standard limits;

(b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the level of contamination above the prescribed minimum limit;
(c) whether the Government examines the quantity of the supplied drinking water in town areas and the quality of it regularly;
(d) if so, the details thereof; and
(e) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to supply safe drinking water in the metropolitan cities along with the towns?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI
(SHRI RATTAN LAL KATARIA)

(a) & (e): Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation are State Subjects and it is the responsibility of the State Govt. to plan, design, execute, operate and maintain water supply system. The Central Government supplements the State Governments in their efforts by way of framing broad policies and guidelines on water supply system as well as by providing central assistance under programs/missions launched from time to time.
According to Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, as per the Manual on Water Supply and Treatment, 1999, recommended maximum level of water supply to be supplied to citizens is 150 liters per capita per day for metropolitan & Mega cities and 135 liters per capita per day for other cities. Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)/Water Boards in States/ Union Territories (UTs) should mandatorily follows IS code 10500: 2012 "Drinking Water - Specification" (Second revision) published by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for maintaining the quality of drinking water supplied to the citizens.
Government of India has launched Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) on 25 June, 2015 in 500 selected Mission cities. Under the Mission, water supply is the one of the thrust areas and Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs Ministry has approved State Annual Action Plans (SAAPs) amounting to Rs. 77,640 crore including projects costing Rs. 39,011 crore for providing drinking water in the selected Mission cities.
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