Parliament Question: Urban Water Requirements in Tamil Nadu

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER & SANITATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 736 ANSWERED ON 23.07.2026 URBAN WATER REQUIREMENTS IN TAMIL NADU 736. THIRU THANGA TAMILSELVAN: Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) whether the Union Government is aware of the fact that rapid urbanisation in Theni, Periyakulam, Bodinayakanur and Cumbum in Theni Lok Sabha Constituency has increased water demand and if so, whether any assessment has been undertaken regarding the future urban water requirements in these towns and if so, the details thereof; (b) whether the Union Government is extending any technical and financial assistance to Urban Local Bodies for reduction of transmission losses and non-revenue water and if so, the details thereof; and (c) whether treated wastewater reuse projects are being encouraged in medium-sized towns of Tamil Nadu to reduce pressure on freshwater resources, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI V. SOMANNA) (a) To enable every rural household in the country, including those in the Theni Lok Sabha Constituency, 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, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) - Har Ghar Jal. At the start of the Mission, around 0.55 lakh (29.53%) rural households were reported to have tap water connections in Theni district of Tamil Nadu. So far, as reported by the State, around 1.30 lakh rural households have been provided with tap water connections under JJM. Thus, as on 20.07.2026, all the 1.85 lakh rural households in the district are reported to have tap water supply in their homes. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has informed that Water is a State subject and it provides financial and technical support to the States through its schemes/ Missions such as Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) / AMRUT 2.0 for improvement/ augmentation of basic infrastructure in the sectors of water supply, sewerage Page 1 of 3and septage management, water body rejuvenation and parks and green spaces through approved projects. AMRUT 2.0 is implemented 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. Rejuvenation of water bodies and development of green spaces and parks are other components of the mission. MoHUA has also informed that rapid urbanisation is one of the reasons affecting urban resources including water resources. Under AMRUT 2.0, cities have prepared City Water Balance Plans (CWBPs), which include as-is assessment of water supply systems which help cities/ ULBs to identify gaps. City Water Balance Plan help cities to identify scope for projects focusing on the objectives of Mission. Based on the projects identified in City Water Balance Plans, City Water Action Plan (CWAP) are devised. These CWAPs are aggregated in the form of State Water Action Plans (SWAP). Further, the State High Powered Steering Committee (SHPSC) headed by the Chief Secretary of the State, consider and recommend/ approve the SWAPs under AMRUT 2.0. State Level Technical Committee (SLTC) headed by the Secretary, Urban Development & Housing Department provides technical support to the SHPSC in approving, monitoring and supervising the scheme at the State level. Under AMRUT 2.0, States/ UTs are empowered to select, appraise, prioritise and implement the projects within the broad framework of Mission guidelines. The projects recommended by the SHPSC are approved by the Apex Committee under the Mission at the MoHUA level. The projects taken up by the State of Tamil Nadu in Theni, Periyakulam, Bodinayakanur and Cumbum ULBs are as under: Amount in Rs. Crore ULB Project Type Name of the project Approved Cost Bodinayakanur Parks/ Green Park at Kulaseka rapandiyan Layout in 0.18 Spaces ward No: 22 in Bodinayakanur Development Municipality under AMRUT 2.0 Green Space and park at Ponsen Nagar in 0.18 Bodinayakanur Municipality Cumbum Parks/ Green Park at Nandhagopalasamy nagar Ward 0.18 Spaces No:- 31 in Cumbum Municipality under Development AMRUT 2.0 Parks and Green Space in Gandhiji park 0.20 Ward No.27 in Cumbum Municipality Periyakulam Parks/ Green Park at Koyya thoppu in Periyakulam 0.20 Spaces Municipality Development Page 2 of 3Theni Water Body Water bodies at 0.33 Alinagaram Rejuvenation Bommaiyangavundanpatti Ward No : B , Block No : 16, TS.No : 5 in Theni Allinagaram Municipality Parks/ Green Green Space and park at Lakhsmi Nagar in 0.18 Spaces Theni Allinagaram Municipality Development Green Space and park at Santhom Nagar in 0.18 Theni Allinagaram Municipality (b) For reduction of transmission losses and non-revenue water, AMRUT 2.0 promotes adoption of smart elements like smart metering, SCADA-based monitoring, sensors etc. Further, Mission advocates to adopt District Metered Area (DMA) approach in creation of projects where ever feasible. For addressing non revenue water issues, States have taken up Drink from Tap (DfT) projects and Smart Monitoring Systems such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), meters, pressure valves, etc. under AMRUT 2.0 to strengthen maintenance systems, digital monitoring, energy efficiency, etc. States are encouraged to implement at least one DfT project in a District Metered Area (DMA) or ward within each AMRUT city. 407 projects with 1,285 DMAs benefitting 20.40 lakh Households have been approved under AMRUT 2.0 and 1,473 water supply projects under AMRUT 2.0 has provision for SCADA system. The Ministry of Housing Affairs (MoHUA) has also 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, which includes guidelines for non-revenue water and its management (https://www.mohua.gov.in/static/uploads/2025/10/1086f3271a4a4ff64a70e79669ee4f2b.pd f). (c) AMRUT 2.0 promotes circular economy of water through development of city water balance plan for each city focusing on recycle/ reuse of treated sewage, rejuvenation of water bodies and water conservation, etc. A total of 6,017 MLD sewage treatment capacity have been created under AMRUT/ AMRUT 2.0, of which 1,457 MLD capacity has been developed for recycle/reuse. The approved projects under AMRUT 2.0 include development 6,657 MLD sewage treatment capacity (new/augmentation) of which 1,900 MLD sewage treatment capacity is for recycle/reuse. The State of Tamil Nadu has taken up 29 sewerage / septage management projects under AMRUT 2.0 covering development of 81.51 MLD of sewerage treatment capacity of which 32.65 MLD of used water is for reuse. Earlier under AMRUT, the State has completed 466 MLD of sewerage treatment capacity of which 90 MLD of used water is for reuse. ***** Page 3 of 3