Parliament Question: Rising incidents of drinking water contamination.

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1830 ANSWERED ON 09/03/2026 RISING INCIDENTS OF DRINKING WATER CONTAMINATION 1830. SHRI DIGVIJAYA SINGH: Will the Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs be pleased to state: (a) whether Government is aware of rising incidents of drinking water contamination due to corroded pipelines and illegal sewage mixing in urban clusters like Indore; (b) the steps taken to mandate scientific mapping and real-time leak detection of underground water infrastructure; (c) whether there are specific guidelines to penalize industrial units discharging untreated effluents into domestic water networks; and (d) the measures initiated to ensure transparency in public disclosure of water quality data at the municipal level? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS (SHRI TOKHAN SAHU) (a) to (d): 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. Water is a State subject. The State Governments are responsible for monitoring, enforcement, and corrective action for drinking water safety. The operation, maintenance and replacement of old deteriorated pipelines is the responsibility of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)/ parastatals. Government of India supplements the efforts of the States through schematic interventions/ advisories. It 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 for approved infrastructure projects. 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). …2/--2- 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. 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 FSSM) 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. 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. The regulation of industrial effluent discharge and imposition of penal action against industrial units for releasing untreated effluents are governed under the statutory framework administered by the concerned Pollution Control Authorities of respective State/UT under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 as amended from time to time. 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. *****