GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI,
DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES, RIVER DEVELOPMENT & GANGA REJUVENATION
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1683
ANSWERED ON 13.12.2021
GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION
1683 DR. SANTANU SEN
Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) the major contaminants present in groundwater in the country and their sources;

(b) the details of the districts affected by such contamination, State-wise;

(c) the details of steps taken by Government to ensure contamination-free water supply in affected

districts; and

(d) the details of funds allocated to affected States under the Jal Jeevan Mission?

ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI

(SHRI BISHWESWAR TUDU)

(a) & (b) Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) generates ground water quality data of the country on a

regional scale as part of its ground water quality monitoring program and various scientific studies. These

studies indicate the occurrence of contaminants such as Flouride, Arsenic, Nitrate, Iron and Heavy Metals

beyond permissible limits (as per BIS) for human consumption in isolated pockets in various States / UTs.

The ground water contamination reported by CGWB is mostly geogenic in nature and does not show

significant change over the years. However, nitrate contamination is mostly anthropogenic and its spread

has been noticed in some areas, particularly areas adjoining habitations. Nitrate contamination can also be

caused by excessive use of fertilizers. State-wise details of partly affected districts with select

contaminants in Ground Water are given in the URL : http://cgwb.gov.in/contaminated-areas.html.

(c) Water being a State subject, initiatives on water quality is primarily States’ responsibility, however,

various steps have been taken by the Central Government for providing contamination free water in the

country. Some of them are given at Annexure-I. 

(d) Details of State-wise Central funds allocated, released and utilized under the Jal Jeevan Mission

during 2021-22 are given at Annexure-II.

ANNEXURE-I

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION

NO.1683 TO BE ANSWERED IN RAJYA SABHA ON 13.12.2021 REGARDING

“GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION”.

  1. Government of India in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)

since August, 2019 to provide potable tap water supply of prescribed quality to every rural

household in the country by 2024. Under JJM, while planning water supply schemes to

provide tap water supply to house-holds, priority is given to quality-affected habitations.

While allocating the funds to States/ UTs in a particular financial year, 10% weightage is

given to the population residing in habitations affected by chemical contaminants including

Arsenic and Fluoride, as on 31st March of the preceding Financial Year.

  1. Since, planning, implementation and commissioning of piped water supply schemes based on

a safe water source may take time, purely as an interim measure, States/ UTs have been

advised to install community water purification plants (CWPPs) in such habitations, to

provide potable water to every household at the rate of 8–10 litre per capita per day (lpcd) to

meet their drinking and cooking requirements.

  1. Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation had launched a National Water Quality SubMission (NWQSM) on 22nd March, 2017 as a part of National Rural Drinking Water

Programme (NRDWP), which has now been subsumed under JJM, to provide safe drinking

water to 27,544 Arsenic/ Fluoride affected rural habitations in the country.

  1. Under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) was launched on

25th June, 2015 in selected 500 cities of the country with focus on development of urban

infrastructure in various sectors including water supply. States/UTs have the option to take

projects on special water supply arrangements for difficult areas, hill and coastal cities,

including those having water quality problems. 

ANNEXURE II

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (d) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1683

TO BE ANSWERED IN RAJYA SABHA ON 13.12.2021 REGARDING “GROUNDWATER

CONTAMINATION”.

Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM): Central fund allocated, released and reported utilization in 2021-22

(as on 07.12.2021)

 

S. No

 

State/ UT

Central share

Expenditure under State share

Opening Balance

Fund allocated

Fund released

Available fund

Reported utilization

1.

A & N

Islands

0.52

8.26

2.06

2.58

NR

NR

2.

Andhra Pr.

146.65

3,182.88

ND

146.65

46.84

39.28

3.

Arunachal Pr.

9.98

1,013.53

506.77

516.75

277.88

29.57

4.

Assam

123.78

5,601.16

1,400.29

1,532.37

1,099.31

104.52

5.

Bihar

58.95

6,608.25

ND

58.95

1.04

81.90

6.

Chhattisgarh

168.52

1,908.96

453.71

625.38

170.59

173.74

7.

Goa

3.21

45.53

11.38

14.59

4.20

4.20

8.

Gujarat

150.28

3,410.61

1,705.31

1,855.59

1,005.77

1,005.89

9.

Haryana

32.24

1,119.95

256.81

289.05

183.49

223.65

10.

Himachal Pr.

226.42

1,262.78

947.09

1,173.51

762.93

81.24

11.

Jammu &

Kashmir

113.96

2,747.17

ND

113.96

25.97

NR

12.

Jharkhand

137.93

2,479.88

512.22

650.15

99.48

169.85

13.

Karnataka

177.16

5,008.80

1,252.20

1,429.36

658.24

632.71

14.

Kerala

40.07

1,804.59

902.30

943.03

461.86

523.67

15.

Ladakh

66.52

1,429.96

340.68

407.20

41.65

NR

16.

Madhya Pr.

191.61

5,116.79

2,558.39

2,750.00

1,217.31

1,234.04

17.

Maharashtra

268.99

7,064.41

1,666.64

1,935.63

118.73

176.64

18.

Manipur

15.62

481.19

360.89

376.51

240.34

25.36

19.

Meghalaya

15.06

678.39

508.79

523.85

284.82

32.15

20.

Mizoram

27.17

303.89

75.97

103.14

56.07

NR

21.

Nagaland

28.52

444.81

111.20

139.72

97.58

NR

22.

Odisha

10.93

3,323.42

830.85

841.78

538.34

539.13

23.

Puducherry

1.18

30.22

ND

1.19

0.92

NR

24.

Punjab

110.36

1,656.39

402.24

512.60

103.57

94.78

25.

Rajasthan

863.53

10,180.50

2,345.08

3,208.61

382.04

475.84

26.

Sikkim

8.29

124.79

62.39

70.68

34.22

4.63

27.

Tamil Nadu

377.48

3,691.21

614.35

998.83

162.96

184.25

28.

Telangana

55.15

1,653.09

ND

55.15

8.64

23.93

29.

Tripura

61.51

614.09

460.57

522.08

257.75

29.53

30.

Uttar Pr.

466.56

10,870.50

2,398.62

2,865.18

1,919.18

597.69

31.

Uttarakhand

111.22

1,443.80

360.95

472.17

266.94

30.92

32.

West Bengal

757.58

6,998.97

1,404.61

2,162.19

356.72

194.01