Contaminated Drinking Water Sources

The government responded by outlining the Jal Jeevan Mission's progress and providing state-wise testing data.

Asked and answered by: Asked by Shri Balwant Baswant Wankhade; Answered by the Ministry of Jal Shakti (Minister Shri C R Patil).

What the government said

• Drinking water supply is a State subject; the central government provides financial, policy, and technical assistance.
• Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) uses BIS:10500 standards as the benchmark for water quality.
• As of 18.07.2026, 15.89 crore (82.09%) rural households have tap water connections, up from 3.24 crore (16.72%) at the start of the mission.
• A 'Concise Handbook for Monitoring Water Quality' was released in December 2024, recommending remedial actions such as closing contaminated sources within 24 hours and providing safe water via tankers.
• AMRUT and AMRUT 2.0 have provided approximately 270 lakh water tap connections in urban areas.
• State-wise data on water samples tested in laboratories and via Field Testing Kits (FTKs) for FY 2023-24 to 2026-27 is provided in an annex.

Also in the document

• The answer does not provide specific figures for the number of habitations reported to have contaminated sources due to fluoride, arsenic, iron, salinity, or heavy metals, as requested in part (a).
• The answer does not provide specific data on the number of rural and urban households receiving potable tap water that meets BIS standards, as requested in part (b).
• The answer does not provide data on the time taken between detection of contamination and completion of remedial action, as requested in part (d).