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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI
DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER & SANITATION
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3435
ANSWERED ON 23/03/2026
SHORTAGE OF DRINKING WATER ACROSS THE COUNTRY
3435. SHRI I.S. INBADURAI:
Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:
(a) whether Government has conducted any recent nationwide assessment regarding shortage of
drinking water in rural and urban areas particularly in the State of Tamil Nadu, if so, State-wise
details thereof and steps taken to address the identified gaps and fund allocation;
(b) whether climate variability, groundwater depletion, and delayed monsoon have contributed to
drinking water scarcity in certain regions, if so, the details thereof and mitigation measures
adopted by Government; and
(c) whether funds allocated under ongoing schemes have been fully utilized by the States to ensure
adequate drinking water supply, if so, the details thereof and monitoring mechanisms in place to
prevent delays?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI
(SHRI V. SOMANNA)
(a) Water being a State subject, the responsibility for planning, design, approval, implementation,
operation and maintenance of drinking water supply schemes lies with the respective State
Governments/UT Administrations. However, the Government of India supplements the efforts of
States through technical and financial assistance under various programmes, including Jal Jeevan
Mission (JJM) for rural areas and AMRUT/other schemes for urban areas.
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/ UTs, is implementing Jal Jeevan
Mission (JJM) - Har Ghar Jal. As reported by the State of Tamil Nadu on JJM-IMIS, at the start
of JJM on 15.08.2019, only 21.76 lakh (17.37%) rural households had tap water connections.
Since then, around 90.46 lakh additional rural households have been provided with tap water
connections. Thus, as on 08.03.2026, out of 125.26 lakh rural households in state, the provision
of tap water connections is available to 112.22 lakh (89.59%) rural households.
As informed by Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, AMRUT was launched in 2015 to ensure
basic infrastructure, in the sectors of water supply, sewerage and septage management, etc. in
selected urban areas. AMRUT 2.0 was launched in 2021 and covers all Urban Local Bodies
Page 1 of 2(ULBs)/ cities, enabling the cities to become 'self-reliant' and 'water secure'. Under the Missions,
States/UTs are empowered to select, appraise, prioritize and implement projects.
(b) As informed by Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), it is strengthening its groundwater
monitoring network to assess stress arising from climate variability, delayed monsoon, declining
recharge and depletion, and to study climate change impacts. Digital Water Level Recorders
(DWLRs) with telemetry have been installed at 5,260 stations for high-frequency, near real-time
monitoring, improving the accuracy of groundwater assessment and supporting studies on
recharge, seawater ingress, land subsidence and impacts of natural events.
CGWB also undertakes annual groundwater resource assessments to analyse recharge and
extraction trends. In coastal areas, to monitor salinity due to sea-level rise, a network of 60
piezometers has been established in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
The data generated supports identification of groundwater stress and evidence-based planning,
including aquifer mapping, resource assessment and management plans. Under National Aquifer
Mapping (NAQUIM), aquifer maps and plans have been shared with States for interventions such
as artificial recharge, rainwater harvesting, water-use efficiency and demand management.
NAQUIM 2.0 has also been initiated for detailed mapping in prioritized areas.
(c) In August 2019, Union Cabinet had approved the implementation of JJM from 2019-20 to 2023-
24 with Central outlay of Rs. 2,08,652 crore. Against the allocated fund, almost entire fund has
been utilized. A number of steps have been taken to plan and implement JJM in the whole country
with speed, inter alia, including joint discussions and finalization of saturation plans and annual
action plans (AAP) of States/ UTs, regular review of implementation, workshops/ conferences/
webinars for capacity building, training, knowledge sharing, field visits by multi-disciplinary
team to provide technical support, etc. A detailed Operational Guideline for the implementation
of JJM have been shared with States/ UTs to facilitate planning and implementation of Jal Jeevan
Mission. For online monitoring, JJM–Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) and
JJM–Dashboard has been put in place. Provision has also been made for transparent online
financial management through Public Financial Management System (PFMS).
As informed by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA), under AMRUT, against
Central share of ₹36,036 crore for projects, ₹34,901 crore have been released against which
utilisation certificate worth ₹32,847 crore have been received. Under AMRUT 2.0, against
Central share of ₹66,750 crore for projects, ₹18,984.42 crore have been released/Mother Sanction
issued against which utilisation certificate received/ expenditure incurred from Mother Sanction
worth ₹15,642.89 crore.
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