Question : Chemical Contamination of Potable Water

(a) whether the arsenic, fluoride, nitrate, lead pesticides, salinity, iron and pollutants relating to microbes in the natural and man-made resources are also polluting the potable water in the rural areas;
(b) if so, whether the Government proposes to have regular chemical analysers of potable water and installation of well equipped water testing laboratories at each district level to control the pollutants and if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government proposes to provide potable water testing kits in the rural areas;
(d) if so, the details thereof; and
(e) whether the Government proposes to conduct any survey to ascertain the purity of potable water across the country and if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI
(SHRI RATTAN LAL KATARIA)

(a) to (d) Yes Sir.Water supply is a State subject. For improving the coverage of safe drinkingwater to rural population, this Ministry supplements the efforts of the States byproviding them with technical and financial assistance through the centrally sponsoredscheme National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP). It is the StateGovernments who plan, design, approve, execute, operate & maintain the schemes forproviding safe drinking water to rural population.

States can utilize up to 5% of funds released to them under NRDWP for water quality monitoring and surveillance, which, inter alia, includes testing of drinking water sources at the Panchayat level by using simple field test kits, upgrading of existing water quality testing laboratories and setting up of new State/district/sub-district / mobile water quality testing laboratories wherever such facility is not available or needed.

(e) No such proposal is currently under consideration of this Ministry.

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