Parliament Question: Contamination of Water in Urban Areas

O.I.H. GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3235 TO BE ANSWERED ON MARCH 12, 2026 CONTAMINATION OF WATER IN URBAN AREAS NO. 3235. SHRI KULDEEP INDORA: Will the Minister of HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has taken cognizance of incidents of water contamination caused due to the old water supply pipelines and sewer lines being in close proximity in various areas including Haryana, Delhi and Indore and if so, the details thereof; (b) whether it is a fact that in many urban and semi-urban areas, decades-old drinking water pipelines run parallel to or through sewer lines, thereby increasing the risk of leakage and cross-contamination and if so, the details thereof; (c) whether any national audit/mapping has been conducted to identify such deteriorated networks and if so, the details thereof; and (d) the time-bound action plan and financial provisions made for the replacement of old pipelines and separation of sewer and drinking water pipelines? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS (SHRI TOKHAN SAHU) (a) to (d): Water and sanitation is a State subject; and repair of outdated pipelines, drainage/sewage system is the responsibility of the State Governments and concerned Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)/Urban Development Authorities. Government of India supplements the efforts of the States through schematic interventions/ advisories. It provides financial and technical support to the States through various Mission/ Schemes such as Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)/ AMRUT 2.0. As informed by the State of Madhya Pradesh, on 28.12.2025, incidents of vomiting and diarrhoea were reported in the Bhagirathpura area which falls under Ward No. 11, Zone-4, Assembly Constituency Indore. The State Government has informed that 22 deaths were reported due to acute diarrheal disease in this area. Total 459 persons were hospitalized. The State Government has provided ex-gratia financial assistance to the families of the deceased as per prevailing State norms. Compensation amount of Rs. 2 lakhs were provided to dependents of each deceased. Medical treatment to affected persons was provided free of cost in …2/--2- Government/ Private hospitals. The area has old pipelines dating 1997 and some of it is damaged. Municipal administration has identified the old stretches of pipeline in Bhagirathpura area and 9.5 km of pipelines has been laid before the incident. Thereafter, new contract for laying of 5.8 km pipeline has been awarded. The State Government has also informed that upon receiving information of the incidents of vomiting and diarrhoea in Bhagirath Pura, Indore, the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) along with the Health Department and Public Health Engineering Department initiated a joint and prompt response. First and foremost, all sick patients were attended to and the ones who were serious, were hospitalized in super-specialty Medical College and Private hospital of repute. Not so sick were attended to by Health and Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) workers with door-to-door survey and distribution of Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) packets and Chlorine tablets for Water disinfection. Water Supply through pipelines and borewells were completely stopped and water tankers were forced into service. Samples were taken from multiple supply points at user end to ascertain the type of contamination and sent to National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited labs. Standard Operating Procedures have been issued by the State Government to Urban Local Bodies to avoid contamination of water. The "Swaccha Jal Abhiyan" has been launched in the state of Madhya Pradesh from January 10, 2026 with the objective to ensure water security, water conservation and hearing of complains related to water. The matter of drinking water contamination incident of Indore is sub judice vide Writ Petition no. 247 of 2026 and others in the Hon’ble High Court of Madhya Pradesh at Indore. Hon’ble High Court in their order dated 27.01.2026 appointed Justice Sushil Kumar Gupta, former Judge of Madhya Pradesh High Court, a one-man commission of inquiry into the issues relating to water contamination in Bhagirath Pura, Indore. The terms of reference of the Commission include submission of report on the cause of contamination and provide its inputs on public health on matters such as number of actual deaths of affected residents on account of contaminated water, nature of disease reported, adequacy of medical response and preventive measures, immediate steps required to ensure safe drinking water, long-term infrastructural and monitoring reforms, and identification and fixing responsibility upon the officers and officials found prima facie responsible for the Bhagirathpura water contamination incident and suggest guidelines for compensation to affected residents, particularly vulnerable sections. …3/--3- The Delhi Jal Board has informed that it has taken cognizance of the reports of water contamination in Delhi. Necessary remedial measures such as repair/replacement of the damaged pipelines, flushing of pipelines, chlorination of water supply and coordination with sewerage agencies are undertaken to prevent occurrence. In certain old and densely populated areas, water supply pipelines and sewer lines run parallel due to historical urban development. Delhi Jal Board carries out regular inspections, leak detection and repair works to minimize the risk of contamination. It has also informed that the work of preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for water supply improvement and replacement of old pipelines in the West (04 nos. Assembly Constituencies) and South- West zone (09 nos. Assembly Constituencies) has been taken up by Delhi Jal Board. Further, for the remaining zones of Delhi, initial preliminary report have been prepared so far. In Haryana, an incident was reported in a private colony in sector 70- 70A, Gurugram in December, 2025. The master supply of water is provided by Gurugram Municipal Development Authority (GMDA). After enquiry by the coloniser, the water storage tanks of individual house owners were found unclean and the same were cleaned and issue resolved. Drinking water contamination in urban areas is a multi-factor issue and is generally attributable to distribution system vulnerabilities and interface issues with sewerage and sanitation infrastructure. Drinking water supplied in urban areas is required to conform to BIS IS 10500 standards; however, deterioration in quality may occur due to infrastructure-related, operational, environmental and maintenance factors across transmission, storage and distribution systems. The key reasons for contamination in drinking water supply includes leakages, pipe bursts and defective joints, cross-connections with Sewerage and Drainage Systems, ageing infrastructure and corrosion, intermittent water supply and negative pressure, stagnation and prolonged retention of water, poor maintenance of storage and associated infrastructure, inadequate sewerage and septage management, etc. The Ministry of Housing Affairs (MoHUA) has published Manual on Water Supply and Treatment Systems (Drink from Tap) in March 2024 for reference by the States/ ULBs for designing, implementation, drinking water quality and monitoring of the water supply projects. (https://mohua.gov.in/publication/manual-on-water-supplyandtreatment - systems---drink-from-tap---march-2024.php). …4/--4- MoHUA has issued an advisory "Strengthening Water Quality Monitoring in Cities through Community Participation" under AMRUT 2.0 in November, 2024 to all the States to formulate a Water Quality Monitoring strategy at the State or City level and to strengthen the institutional capacity for citywide monitoring of drinking water quality in urban areas along with Digital Display Boards for water quality parameters for public information & awareness. MoHUA has issued an advisory in January, 2026 to all the States to carry out comprehensive assessments of vulnerable areas & ageing infrastructure and to identify the crossing of sewer lines in close proximity to water supply lines and to conduct digital mapping of the existing water and sewer network using geo-spatial database created under AMRUT/AMRUT 2.0 in order to prevent health hazards. AMRUT/AMRUT 2.0 guidelines allows for replacement of legacy infrastructure, vulnerable crossings and pressure-managed systems to reduce contamination risks as per priority of State. Further, AMRUT 2.0 Mission promotes 24x7 water supply with quality assurance, Drink from Tap (DfT) quality water in selected District Metered Areas (DMAs)/wards, online water quality monitoring, sensors and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), community participation, especially Women Self Help Groups (SHGs), in water quality testing. Under AMRUT, 1403 water supply projects worth ₹43,378.59 crore and 889 sewerage/ septage management projects worth ₹34,471.1 crore were taken up by the States/ Union Territories. Under AMRUT 2.0, 3,531 water supply projects worth ₹1,19,670.51 crore (including Operation & Maintenance cost) and 584 sewerage/ septage management projects worth ₹65,624.98 crore have been approved so far. Through AMRUT/ AMRUT 2.0 and in convergence with the States, 246 lakh water tap connections in the urban areas have been provided so far, 182 lakh sewer connections (including households covered through Fecal Sludge and Septage Management) have been provided through AMRUT/ AMRUT 2.0 and in convergence in AMRUT Cities. 93,457.51 km of water pipeline network has been laid/ replaced and 26,995.61 km of sewer network has been laid/ replaced. Under AMRUT, 258 water supply schemes have smart monitoring systems such as SCADA system and 1,422 water supply projects under AMRUT 2.0 has provision for SCADA system. Mission advocates ease of getting connections to minimize illegal connections. Mission has provision of ₹3,000 per connection to enhance last mile connectivity. Mission advocated to use of smart elements, flow meters, pressure valves, etc. to strengthen maintenance systems, digital monitoring, energy efficiency, etc. …5/--5- For improvement in service delivery, States have taken up DfT projects and States are encouraged to implement at least one DfT project in a DMA or ward within each AMRUT city. 407 projects with 1,153 DMAs benefitting 16.72 lakh Households have been approved in 348 ULBs under AMRUT 2.0. Through AMRUT Mitra initiative, Women SHGs have been engaged in water quality testing, Operation & Maintenance support, bill distribution and awareness. *****