(a) whether the Government is planning to start periodic water quality assessments to check the potability;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has waterborne disease surveillance cell to predict outbreaks; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT AND GANGA REJUVENATION (PROF.SANWAR LAL JAT)
(a)&(b) Uniform Protocol on Water Quality Monitoring (UPWQM, order 2005) notified by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change specifies periodic monitoring of surface water and ground water. The water quality monitoring stations for surface water are classified as Baseline, Trend and Flux (or Impact) stations. As per the protocol, the Baseline stations shall be monitored 4 times a year for perennial rivers and lakes and 3 to 4 times during flow period for seasonal rivers. The Trend and Flux stations shall be monitored once in a month i.e. twelve times a year. The water quality monitoring stations for ground water are classified as Baseline and Trend stations. The Baseline and Trend stations shall be monitored twice a year (i.e. pre and post monsoon). The protocol has been circulated to all the concerned agencies both at Central as well as State level for implementation.
Furthermore, the Guidelines of National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) circulated by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MoDW&S) also refer to Uniform Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Protocol for guidance to states for rural drinking water supply. As per the Protocol, states have to test drinking water sources in rural areas atleast once a year for chemical contamination and twice for bacteriological contamination.
(c)&(d) As per the information received from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there is no such cell. However, Government of India has initiated Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) to detect and respond to disease outbreaks including those of water borne diseases at the earliest. Under IDSP, the districts and States have been strengthened by providing additional manpower, training of identified Rapid Response Team (RRT) members for outbreak investigations, strengthening of laboratories for detection of epidemic prone diseases, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) equipment for data entry, analysis and data transfer. Funds have also been provided for operationalisation of RRTs.