Parliament Question: Uninterrupted Supply of Water in Nashik

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 791 ANSWERED ON 04.12.2025 UNINTERRUPTED SUPPLY OF WATER IN NASHIK

791. SHRI RAJABHAU PARAG PRAKASH WAJE

Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state:

(a) the statistical details of households in Nashik district currently receiving 24x7 tap water supply without any interruptions during the last three years;

(b) the statistical details of third-party inspections conducted in Nashik to check the sustainability and quality of water supply infrastructure under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) before clearing payments to contractors;

(c) the data on the frequency of water sample testing to ensure the quality of drinking water supplied to households in Nashik including irregularities found, if any;

(d) the details of water testing laboratories established in Nashik district including their capacity, operational status and the rates fixed for testing drinking water samples; and

(e) the key challenges and bottlenecks faced in implementing JJM in Nashik along with the specific steps taken by the Government to overcome these, especially in hilly or tribal areas? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI V. SOMANNA)

(a) & (b) Drinking water is a state subject and the power to plan, approve and implement drinking water supply schemes/ projects is vested in the State Government. Government of India, in partnership with States/ UTs is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission, since August, 2019, to make provision of tap water supply to every rural household in the country. Significant progress has been made in the state of Maharashtra 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 48.44 lakh (33%) rural households were reported to have tap water connections. So far, as reported by State, around 83.92 lakh additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections under JJM. Thus, as on 01.12.2025, out of 146.78 lakh rural households in the state, more than 132.36 lakh (90.18%) households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes.

Whereas in Nashik, at the start of Jal Jeevan Mission in August 2019, only 1.71 lakh (23.85%) rural households were reported to have tap water connections. So far, as reported by State, around 5.05 Page 1 of 2lakh additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections under JJM. Thus, as on date, out of 7.18 lakh rural households in the state, more than 6.76 lakh (94.22%) households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes. Further, water supply duration is managed by local authorities.

As per operational guidelines for implementation of JJM, payment for all works executed under JJM are to be made only after Third party Inspection of said works.

Furthermore, an assessment of functionality of tap connection is also done nationally. As per the national functionality assessment 2024 undertaken by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Nashik district 97.9% of Households were found with tap water connection, with 99.9% connections in working condition. Out of which, 63.3% households receive adequate quantity of water, 90.3% receive potable water as per district reports, and 99.2% households get regular supply.

(c) & (d) To ensure the quality of water supply to households, the department has revised the testing protocol for Rural piped water supply system (RPWSS) infrastructure including the delivery points.

As per the protocol, in each village, 2 samples should be collected from different households (delivery points) every month for both chemical and bacteriological parameters.

As per data reported by the State on WQMIS/ IMIS of this department, there are a total of 7 water quality testing laboratories in Nashik district of Maharashtra which have the capability/ facilities to test the for bacteriological and chemical parameters. All these labs can be accessed by the public for water quality testing at nominal rates.

(e) Lack of dependable drinking water sources in water-stressed areas, presence of geo-genic contaminants in ground water, uneven geographical terrain, scattered rural habitations, lack of capacity of the local village communities to manage and operate in-village water supply infrastructure, etc., are few challenges being faced in the implementation of the mission.

To expedite the planning and implementation, as well as monitoring and handhold States/ UTs including Maharashtra, Government of India has taken number of steps to plan and implement JJM in the whole country which inter alia includes discussion and finalization of annual action plan

(AAP) in consultation with States/ UTs, regular review of planning and implementation, workshops/ conferences/ webinars for capacity building and knowledge sharing, field visits by multi-disciplinary team to provide technical support, etc.

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