81 per cent rural households getting BIS standard tap water: MoS Somanna

New Delhi, Aug 18 Reasserting adherence to the BIS water quality standard, Minister of State for Jal Shakti V. Somanna on Monday said that out of 19.36 crore rural households, more than 15.68 crore or 81 per cent are reported to have a tap water supply.

In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, Somanna said that, as reported by States/ UTs till August 14, around 12.45 crore additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections.

He said that since August 2019, the Central government, in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal, under which special attention is paid to the quality of water supply.

At the time of announcement of JJM, 3.23 crore (17 per cent) rural households were reported to have tap water connections, he said.

Somanna said under the JJM, as per existing guidelines, Bureau of Indian Standards’ BIS:10500 standards are adopted as a benchmark for the quality of water being supplied through the piped water supply schemes.

“BIS specifies ‘acceptable limit’ and ‘permissible limit in the absence of alternate source’ for various physico-chemical and bacteriological parameters for drinking water quality,” he said.

In consultation with various stakeholders 'Concise Handbook for Monitoring Water Quality of Piped Drinking Water Supply to Rural Households’ has been released in December 2024 for guidance to States/UTs, he said.

This handbook recommends a comprehensive testing of drinking water samples at various testing points such as source, treatment plant, storage and distribution points, and remedial action wherever necessary, to ensure that the water supplied to households is of prescribed quality.

The recommended remedial action includes cleaning of overhead tanks in case of contamination, he said.

He said citizens can submit complaints/grievances through the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) at pgportal.gov.in, the department’s website at jalshakti-ddws.gov.in, and other physical channels.

A ‘Citizen Corner’ was also developed on the JJM Dashboard. The corner included a display of village-level water quality test results in the public domain to further create awareness and build confidence among people about the quality of water supplies through the piped water supply in rural areas.

--IANS

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