Parliament Question: Budgetary provisions for water security

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER & SANITATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3502 ANSWERED ON 23/03/2026 BUDGETARY PROVISIONS FOR WATER SECURITY 3502 DR. M. DHANAPAL: Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has examined the adequacy of Budget provisions for water security in addressing groundwater depletion, urban water stress and long-term sustainability of drinking water systems; (b) the details of outcome-monitoring mechanisms adopted by Government to assess water availability, quality and maintenance beyond physical completion of projects; and (c) the measures proposed to be taken by Government to ensure that water-related investments deliver durable outcomes and reduce regional disparities in access to safe drinking water? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI V. SOMANNA) (a) to (c) To enable every rural household in the country to have assured potable water, in adequate quantity of prescribed quality on regular and long-term basis, through tap water connection, since August 2019, Government of India, in partnership with states, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) - Har Ghar Jal. At the start the Mission, only 3.23 Crore (16.7%) rural households were reported to have tap water connections. So far, as reported by States/ UTs as on 03.03.2026, under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal more than 12.58 Crore additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections. Thus, as on 03.03.2026, out of around 19.36 Crore rural households in the country, around 15.82 Crore (81.71%) households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes. The extended phase of JJM will focus on the quality of infrastructure and O&M of rural piped water supply schemes through “Jan Bhagidhari”. Separate MoUs are being signed with States/UTs, to ensure sustainability and citizen-centric water service delivery. For the implementation of JJM an amount of Rs. 67,670 Crore has been proposed as BE for 2026-27. The State/ UT-wise, District-wise and Village-wise status of tap water connection provided under the Mission in rural areas is in public domain and available on JJM dashboard at: https://ejalshakti.gov.in/jjmreport/JJMIndia.aspx As drinking water being a state subject, under JJM, responsibilities for planning, approval, implementation, operation and maintenance of drinking water supply schemes lie with State/ UT Page 1 of 3governments. Government of India supplements the efforts of the State/ UT government by providing technical and financial assistance. JJM follows a universal approach for coverage of rural households. Since 2019, 30% weightage has been assigned for difficult terrains which inter alia include areas under Desert Development Programme (DDP) and Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP) while allocating the funds under JJM, to prioritize the coverage in these areas. Provisions have also been made for planning and implementation of bulk water transfer from long distances and regional water supply schemes for ensuring tap water supply in drought-prone & water- scarce areas/ areas with inadequate rainfall or dependable ground water sources. In addition, provisions have been made for source recharging, viz. dedicated bore well recharge structures, rain water recharge, rejuvenation of existing water bodies, etc., in convergence with other schemes such as VB-G RAM G, Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), 15th Finance Commission tied grants to RLBs/ PRIs, State schemes, CSR funds, etc. Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) under the Ground Water Management & Regulation (GWM&R) Scheme, has adopted a comprehensive and scientific strategy to ensure long term sustainability of groundwater. The Scheme emphasizes systematic monitoring, scientific assessment, regulation of groundwater abstraction, and implementation of appropriate recharge and conservation measures to arrest groundwater depletion, enhance recharge, improve water-use efficiency, and promote long-term sustainability of groundwater resources across the country. Funds under the Scheme are allocated to the field offices of CGWB for implementation of these activities. To assess the availability of groundwater, Dynamic Ground Water Resources of the country are being assessed every year from 2022 jointly by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and State Governments. As per the 2025 assessment, the Total Annual Ground Water Recharge is 448.52 Billion Cubic Meter (BCM) and the Annual Extractable Ground Water Resource is 407.75 BCM. The Total Annual Ground Water Extraction of the entire country for the year 2025 has been estimated as 247.22 BCM. The Stage of Ground Water Extraction, which is a measure of Annual Ground Water Extraction for all uses (irrigation, industrial and domestic uses) over Annual Extractable Ground Water Resource is 60.63% for the country as a whole. Further, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, has informed that Government of India provides financial and technical support to the States through various schemes/ Missions such as Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and AMRUT 2.0. The Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) was launched by the Central Government on June 25, 2015, for 500 cities (485 cities including 15 merged cities) across all States/UTs in the country with a total mission outlay of ₹1,00,000 crore which included committed Central Assistance (CA) of ₹36,036 crore to address the challenges of infrastructure deficit in cities. The major thrust areas of the Mission were water supply, sewerage & septage management, storm water drainage, green spaces & parks, non-motorized urban transport. In the water supply sector, State/UTs have taken up 1,403 water supply projects worth ₹43,378 crore. AMRUT 2.0 scheme was launched in the year 2021 in all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)/ cities, enabling the cities to become 'self-reliant' and 'water secure'. Providing universal coverage of sewerage & septage management in 500 AMRUT cities is one of the major focus areas of AMRUT 2.0. Rejuvenation of water bodies and development of green spaces and parks are other components of the mission. Total indicative outlay for AMRUT 2.0 is ₹2,77,000 crore including central share of ₹76,760 crore. Under AMRUT 2.0, the State Water Action Plans (SWAPs) comprising of 3,531 water supply Page 2 of 3projects worth ₹1,19,670.51 crore, 2,991 water body rejuvenation projects worth ₹6,083.32 crore and 1,665 parks projects worth ₹1,103.71 crore have been approved to address long term sustainability of drinking water systems in urban areas, ground water depletion and source sustainability. Through AMRUT/ AMRUT 2.0 and in convergence with the States, 246 lakh water tap connections have been provided so far in the urban areas of the country, around 93,457 km of water network laid/ replaced and total Water treatment capacity of 5,178 MLD has been created. Further, 11,395 MLD water treatment plant capacity has been planned in approved projects under AMRUT 2.0 across all States/ UTs. Moreover, under JJM, as per existing guidelines, Bureau of Indian Standards’ BIS:10500 standards are adopted as benchmark for quality of water being supplied through the piped water supply schemes. As per the Operational Guidelines, States/ UTs can utilize up to 2% of their annual allocation of funds under JJM for Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance (WQM&S) activities, inter-alia, which includes setting up and strengthening of water quality testing laboratories, procurement of equipment, instruments, chemicals, glassware, consumables, hiring of skilled manpower, surveillance by community using field test kits (FTKs), awareness generation, educational programmes on water quality, accreditation/recognition of laboratories, etc. 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/ UT’s. This handbook recommended for 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. To ensure universal coverage through tap water connection, the Department has evolved a comprehensive multi-level and multi-format system of monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of programme, linking AADHAR of the head of household for targeted delivery and monitoring of specific outcomes, subject to statutory provisions, including geo-tagging of assets created, third-party inspections before making payments, measurement and monitoring of water supply in villages through sensor-based IoT solution on pilot basis, etc. Further, to expedite the implementation and strengthening the existing monitoring mechanisms under Jal Jeevan Mission aiming at improving efficiency and effectiveness, steps like Village/ District Dashboards and linking Village Level Dashboards to eGramswaraj portal, District Collectors’ Peyjal Samvad, Institutionalization of Role of National WASH Experts (NWEs) through IMIS module, Role of TPIAs, strengthened collaboration with line Ministries, Decision Support System for strengthening Source Sustainability, Handbook on Community Managed Piped Water Systems, Unique ID for integrated Piped Water System, etc. have recently been taken up under JJM. ***** Page 3 of 3