Parliament Question: Third party audit of JJM project

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 322 ANSWERED ON 23/03/2026 THIRD PARTY AUDIT OF JJM PROJECT *322. SHRI ANIL KUMAR YADAV MANDADI: Will the Minister of Jal Shakti be pleased to state: (a) whether instances of non-compliance to Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) quality of water supply to house holds under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) has been reported; (b) if so, the details thereof; (c) whether Government has undertaken a third party audit of JJM project implemented across the country; (d) if so, the details thereof; and (e) if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF JAL SHAKTI (SHRI C R PATIL) (a) to (e): A Statement of reply is laid on the table of the House. Page 1 of 3Statement referred to in reply to parts (a) to (e) of Rajya Sabha Starred Question no. 322 answered on 23/03/2026 regarding “Third party audit of JJM project” asked by Shri Anil Kumar Yadav Mandadi. (a) to (e) Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) is under implementation since August, 2019, in partnership with States/ UTs to make provision of potable tap water supply in adequate quantity, of prescribed quality and on regular & long-term basis to rural households. Drinking Water being a State subject, the responsibility of Planning, Designing, Approval, Implementation, Operation & Maintenance of drinking water supply schemes, including those under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), is vested with State/UT Governments. The Government of India supplements the efforts of the States/ UTs by providing financial, policy guidance and technical assistance. 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. BIS specifies ‘acceptable limit’ and ‘permissible limit in the absence of alternate source’ for various physio-chemical and bacteriological parameters for drinking water quality. Under JJM, to enable the States/ UTs for online reporting of water quality monitoring and surveillance including test reports of water samples for water quality, sample collection etc. for drinking water, an online JJM – Water Quality Management Information System (WQMIS) portal has been developed. As reported by States/ UTs on JJM-WQMIS, as on 18.03.2026, the State Public Health Engineering/ Rural Water Supply Departments operate a network of 2,874 water quality testing laboratories at various levels viz. State, regional, district, sub-division, block, mobile and/ or WTP facility laboratories. 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. 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 (BIS:10500). To ensure the quality of the work under the operational guideline for the implementation of the JJM, third party inspection and certification before payment is mandatory. For the purpose, States have been empowered to empanel third party inspection agencies (TPIA) to check the quality of work executed by the agencies, quality of materials used for construction and quality of machinery installed in each of the scheme. The criteria for selection and Terms of References (ToR) of TPIAs to be empanelled by the States, is laid down in JJM Operational Guidelines. The details of quality checks done by TPIAs are maintained at State Level. Government of India has undertaken ground-truthing of JJM schemes across States/UTs through Central Nodal Officers (CNOs) appointed by DoPT, the National JJM Team, and National WASH Experts (NWEs). These visits assessed multiple parameters, including quality of works, functionality of schemes, appropriateness of technical design, implementation progress, effectiveness of Third- Party Inspection Agencies (TPIAs), and grievance redressal mechanisms. Pursuant to the findings, this Department has advised all States/UTs to take appropriate administrative and legal action, wherever necessary, and to furnish detailed scheme-wise responses through the JJM-IMIS portal. Page 2 of 3The Department launched "Jal Seva Aankalan" on 30 December 2025, a Gram Panchayat-led digital drinking water service functionality assessment tool on the JJM portal. The initiative marks a decisive shift from infrastructure creation to sustained service delivery, placing Gram Panchayats and village institutions at the centre of assessing the regularity, adequacy, quality and sustainability of drinking water supply in Har Ghar Jal (HGJ) villages. Under this initiative, the Village Water & Sanitation Committee (VWSC) conducts village-level assessments. Following a Gram Sabha presentation, the Panchayat Secretary digitally submits the data on the JJM-IMIS Dashboard for ‘Har Ghar Jal’ villages. District and State authorities then review this information to identify service gaps and formulate effective improvement plans for sustainable water management. ***** Page 3 of 3