Parliament Question: Water testing facilities and services in the country

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI DEPARTMENT OF DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1063 ANSWERED ON 09/02/2026 WATER TESTING FACILITIES AND SERVICES IN THE COUNTRY 1063. SMT. SUDHA MURTY Will the Minister of JAL SHAKTI be pleased to state: (a) the number of water quality testing laboratories available in the country at the National, State and district levels, indicating for each State/Union Territory the number of public and private accredited facilities and the key parameters they test for; (b) Government’s assessment of the manner in which these facilities are utilised for monitoring drinking water quality, groundwater contamination and public health protection; and (c) the steps taken or proposed to expand access to easy and affordable water testing services for local communities, including mobile testing units, data transparency and accreditation support? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI (SHRI V. SOMANNA) (a) to (c) Under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), to enable States/ UTs to test water samples for water quality, and for sample collection, reporting, monitoring and surveillance of drinking water, an online JJM – Water Quality Management Information System (JJM-WQMIS) portal has been developed. As reported on JJM-WQMIS, as on 04.02.2026, the State Public Health Engineering/ Rural Water Supply Departments operate a network of 2,870 water quality testing laboratories at various levels viz. State, regional, district, sub-division, block, mobile and/ or WTP facility laboratories. State-wise details are annexed. To encourage water quality testing to the rural community/ public, the States/ UTs have been advised to open their water quality testing laboratories to general public for testing of their water samples at a nominal rate. States/ UTs have also been advised to review the existing network of drinking water quality testing laboratories in the State and to strengthen it by setting up/ exploring Public-Private Partnership for additional labs at various levels in the State. States/UTs have been directed to get their water quality testing laboratories accredited/ recognised to ensure the reliability, accuracy, and credibility of the data they produce. Meetings were also held with States/ UTs and accreditation bodies with the objective of addressing the concerns/ issues face by States/ UTs in accreditation process including shortage of assessors or delays in accreditation slots. A “Citizen Corner” has been placed on the JJM Dashboard. The “Citizen Corner” includes display of village level water quality test results in the public domain to further create awareness and build confidence among people about the quality of water supplies through the PWS in rural areas. Page 1 of 4In 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 (both surface and ground water), treatment plant, storage and distribution points, and remedial action wherever necessary, to ensure that the water supplied to households is of prescribed quality and to enhance public health. ***** Page 2 of 4Annex Annex referred to in reply to Rajya Sabha unstarred Question No. 1063 answered on 09.02.2026 asked by Smt. Sudha Murty. State-wise details of water quality testing laboratories (as on 04.02.2026) No. of drinking water quality testing labs Total No. of accredited/ recognized labs S. WTP WTP No. State District/ Block/Sub- District/ Block/Sub- State facility Total State facility Regional Division/Mobile Regional Division/Mobile Total labs labs 1. A & N Islands 1 3 7 - 11 1 - - - 1 2. Andhra Pradesh 1 26 85 22 134 1 23 57 - 81 3. Arunachal Pradesh 1 20 17 - 38 - - - - - 4. Assam 1 34 48 3 86 1 34 46 - 81 5. Bihar 1 38 84 - 123 1 37 - - 38 6. Chhattisgarh 1 29 47 1 78 1 28 18 - 47 7. D&NH and D&D - 2 - - 2 - 1 - - 1 8. Goa 1 2 13 8 24 1 1 13 - 15 9. Gujarat 1 33 46 329 409 1 33 42 - 76 10. Haryana 1 21 22 - 44 1 21 21 - 43 11. Himachal Pradesh 1 14 62 8 85 - 14 56 - 70 12. Jammu & Kashmir 2 20 76 - 98 2 20 20 - 42 13. Jharkhand 1 24 6 8 39 1 24 6 - 31 14. Karnataka 5 32 48 22 107 4 29 47 - 80 15. Kerala 4 14 72 7 97 1 14 70 - 85 16. Ladakh 1 2 6 - 9 1 1 2 - 4 17. Lakshadweep - - 9 - 9 - - - - - 18. Madhya Pradesh 1 51 103 32 187 1 51 103 - 155 19. Maharashtra - 34 144 52 230 - 34 144 - 178 20. Manipur 1 12 - 1 14 1 12 - - 13 Page 3 of 4No. of drinking water quality testing labs Total No. of accredited/ recognized labs S. WTP WTP No. State District/ Block/Sub- District/ Block/Sub- State facility Total State facility Regional Division/Mobile Regional Division/Mobile Total labs labs 21. Meghalaya 1 11 18 35 65 1 7 - - 8 22. Mizoram 1 11 15 1 28 1 2 - - 3 23. Nagaland 1 11 - - 12 1 11 - - 12 24. Odisha 1 30 46 83 160 1 26 21 - 48 25. Puducherry - 2 - - 2 - 1 - - 1 26. Punjab 1 23 9 - 33 1 23 7 - 31 27. Rajasthan 2 32 20 26 80 1 32 - - 33 28. Sikkim 1 1 - - 2 1 1 - - 2 29. Tamil Nadu 1 37 75 - 113 1 37 75 - 113 30. Telangana 1 35 40 40 116 1 31 - - 32 31. Tripura 1 8 12 - 21 1 8 12 - 21 32. Uttar Pradesh 1 75 65 4 145 1 74 42 1 118 33. Uttarakhand 1 13 13 1 28 1 13 13 - 27 34. West Bengal 2 23 214 2 241 2 23 192 - 217 Total 40 723 1,422 685 2,870 33 666 1,007 1 1,707 Source: JJM-IMIS Page 4 of 4