Parliament Question: Tap Water Supply in Bhiwandi under JJM

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3155 ANSWERED ON 18.12.2025 TAP WATER SUPPLY IN BHIWANDI UNDER JJM †3155. SHRI BALYA MAMA SURESH GOPINATH MHATRE: Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) whether the tap water supply to various rural and semi-urban households has not been completed so far in Bhiwandi Lok Sabha Constituency under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM); (b) if so, the number of villages households provided with tap water connections so far along with the number of villages and households deprived of tap water connection in the said Constituency; (c) whether the Government has received any report highlighting water quality issues including industrial pollution, bacterial contamination and heavy metal concentrations in groundwater in the said Constituency and if so, the details thereof; (d) whether any specific financial and technical assistance is being provided by the Union Government for water conservation, water quality test and treatment in the said Constituency; and (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI V. SOMANNA) (a) to (e) Drinking water is a State subject. The power to plan, design, approve and implement drinking water supply schemes/projects lies with State Government. Government of India supplements the efforts of the States by providing technical and financial assistance. Significant progress has been made in the Thane district covering Bhiwandi Lok Sabha Constituency, since the launch of Jal Jeevan Mission, towards enhancing access to tap water to rural households. At the start of Jal Jeevan Mission in August 2019, only 66,075 (25.29%) rural households were reported to have tap water connections. So far, as reported by State, around 1.32 lakh additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections under JJM. Thus, as on 15.12.2025, out of 2.61 lakh rural households in the Thane district, around 1.98 lakh (75.77%) households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes. Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) launched in the year 2015 in selected 500 cities (now 485 cities including 15 merged cities) and towns across the country was focused on development of basic infrastructure in urban areas, in the sectors of water supply, Page 1 of 3sewerage and septage management, etc. AMRUT 2.0 is 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 and septage management in 500 AMRUT cities is one of the major focus areas of AMRUT 2.0. Under AMRUT, 04 water supply projects worth ₹ 430.86 crore were taken up in Bhiwandi Lok Sabha Constituency. 7.2 MLD water treatment plant capacity has been developed and 49,708 tap connections have been provided through AMRUT & Convergence. Under AMRUT 2.0 so far, 14 water supply projects worth ₹2,483.28 crore and 23 water body rejuvenation projects worth ₹ 189.76 crore have been approved by MoHUA in Bhiwandi Lok Sabha Constituency. Approved projects cover 3.83 lakh new water tap connection and development of 489 MLD water treatment capacity. The following mechanisms are in place under JJM to ensure quality of piped water supplied to households, including regular testing for contaminants: i) Under Jal Jeevan Mission, as per existing guidelines, Bureau of Indian Standards’ BIS:10500 standards are adopted as benchmarks for quality of water being supplied through the piped water supply schemes. ii) To enable States/ UTs to test water samples for water quality, and for sample collection, reporting, monitoring and surveillance of drinking water sources, an online JJM–Water Quality Management Information System (WQMIS) portal has been developed. The State– wise details of water quality test reported through WQMIS are available in public domain and can be accessed at: https://ejalshakti.gov.in/WQMIS/Main/report iii) As per the Operational Guidelines, States/ UTs have strengthened Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance (WQM&S) activities, which inter-alia includes setting up and strengthening of water quality testing laboratories & surveillance by community using field test kits (FTKs), awareness generation, educational programmes on water quality, accreditation/ recognition of laboratories, etc. iv) In order to empower the communities to monitor the water quality, States/ UTs have also been advised to identify and train 5 persons, preferably women, in every village to conduct water quality testing using Field Testing Kits (FTKs)/ bacteriological vials at village level and report the same on the WQMIS portal. v) To encourage water quality testing to ensure potable drinking water supply, States/ UTs have opened water quality testing laboratories to general public for testing of their water samples at a nominal rate Further, Water being a State subject, steps for augmentation, conservation and efficient management of water resources are primarily undertaken by the respective State Governments. Under JJM, provisions have been made for drinking water source development/ strengthening/ augmentation; and infrastructure for bulk transfer of water, treatment and distribution systems in water deficit drought-prone and desert areas without dependable ground water sources, apart from creation of in-village water supply infrastructure. Page 2 of 3To achieve drinking water security, every village has to prepare a 5-year Village Action Plan under Jal Jeevan Mission which inter alia includes augmentation and strengthening of drinking water sources to be taken up in convergence with other schemes at village level viz. MGNREGS, 15th Finance Commission tied grants to Rural Local Bodies (RLBs)/ PRIs, Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), State schemes, District Mineral Development Fund, CSR funds, community contribution, etc. ***** Page 3 of 3