Question : Water Treatment Plants

(a) whether hazardous chemicals toxins including fluoride have been found in excessive quantity in drinking water in various parts of the country, if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise;
(b) the number and percentage of people/habitations/households reported to be affected therefrom along with the remedial steps taken/being taken by the Government in this regard, State/UT-wise during the last three years and the current year and the time by which all the habitations are likely to be provided with safe drinking water;
(c) the financial and technical assistance provided by the Government to improve the quality of water during the above period, State/UT-wise;
(d) whether the Government has taken steps to spread awareness among rural people to check the quality of drinking water on their own and if so, the details thereof and the outcome thereof; and
(e) the number of overhead water tanks/ water towers constructed in rural areas of the country during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise?

MINISTER OF STATE
IN THE MINISTRY OF DRINKING WATER & SANITATION
(SHRI RAM KRIPAL YADAV)

(a) & (b) The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation monitors primarily monitors five major chemical contamination viz., arsenic, fluoride, iron, salinity and nitrate in rural drinking water sources, which are fairly widespread across the country. Further, the Ministry also started monitoring emerging chemical contaminations like heavy and toxic metals including uranium in the rural drinking water sources in the country. This data on heavy and toxic metals is reported by the State Government from their laboratory records.The number of rural habitations affected with arsenic, fluoride, iron, salinity and nitrate in one or more drinking water sources and which are yet to be provided safe drinking water as on 1/4/2013, 1/4/2014, 1/4/2015,and as on date (28/2/2016) along with population affected is at Annexure-I, II, III and IV respectively, as reported by the State Governments into the online Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) of the Ministry. The number of heavy and toxic metals reported from laboratory records during the last years and current year as 28/2/2016 is at Annexure-V, VI, VII and VIII respectively, as reported by the State Governments into the online IMIS of the Ministry.
(c) The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India assists the State Governments technically and financially for supplying safe drinking water in adequate quantity to the rural population of the country through the centrally sponsored National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP). The State/UT-wise allocation and release made to the States under NRDWP during the last 3 years and the current year 2015-16 till 28/2/2016 is at Annexure-IX. The Ministry has published and circulated Manual for Preparation of Detailed Project Report for Piped Water Supply Schemes, Operation & Maintenance Manual, Implementation Manual on Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance, Uniform Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Protocol, Handbook on Drinking Water Treatment Technologies, Manual on Artificial ground water recharge to the States as part of technical assistance.
(d) Along with generating awareness on drinking only good quality water, upto 5 grass root workers in each Gram Panchayat have been trained in using Chemical Filed Test Kits (FTK) and Bacteriological vials for testing the quality of water in their jurisdiction for major chemical and bacteriological parameters. Since inception of the Water Quality Monitoring and Surveillance Programme in 2006 and till 28/2/2016, a total of 32.05 lakh people have been trained for using chemical field test kits and bacteriological vials to test their local drinking water sources, which include 28.39 lakhs grass root people in the Gram Panchayats of the Country. As reported into the online IMIS by the States, during the current financial year 2015-016, 8.36 lakh water sources have been tested and 1.45 lakh sources have been reports contaminated.
(e) Overhead water tanks are constructed in piped water supply schemes only when water is to be distributed through pipelines by gravity. The number of piped water supply schemes commissioned and reported by the State Governments into the online IMIS of the Ministry during the last 3 years and the current year till 28/2/2016 is at Annexure-X. Many of the piped water supply schemes have overhead water tanks. The exact number of such overhead water tanks is maintained is maintained by the respective State Governments and not by the Ministry.
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