Team Herald
PANJIM: While speaking about the Jal Jeevan Mission that is aimed at addressing the problem of water contamination, Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Rattan Lal Kataria informed the parliament about the performance of the mission in various States.
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He announced that every rural home in Goa has been provided with clean tap water supply since the start of Jal Jeevan Mission. Besides Goa, the only other State, which can boast of such a feat, is Telangana while the same can be said of the Union Territory of Andaman & Nicobar Island.
Kataria added that it is the endeavor of the Central Government to provide potable water of adequate quality to the quality-affected habitations, for which top-most priority is given under Jal Jeevan Mission and that States are making efforts to ensure piped water supply in these areas.
The Union Ministry also gave updates from the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), which generates ground water quality data on a regional scale through ground water quality monitoring throughout the country. This monitoring indicates the occurrence of Fluoride, Arsenic, Nitrate, Iron and Heavy Metals beyond the BIS permissible limits for human consumption in isolated pockets in various parts of the country.
A state-wide list was released in which it was stated that iron contamination was found in both the district of Goa that is above 1mg per litre. Fluoride, Nitrate, Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium, Chromium and extremely high salinity were not found.
The ministry also informed that the latest guidelines (with pan-India applicability) for regulation and control of groundwater extraction in the country have been notified on September 24, 2020. As per the guidelines all new/ existing industries and industries seeking expansion, infrastructure projects and mining projects extracting groundwater shall be required to seek NOC from CGWA or, the concerned State/ UT Ground Water Authority.
