New Delhi, March 20 : Nearly 15.53 crore or 80.20 per cent of the country's rural households are reported to have tap water supply while eight states and three Union Territories have made the facility available to all their households, according to official data.

Minister of Jal Shakti C.R. Patil told Lok Sabha in a reply on Thursday that at the time of announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in August 2019, 3.23 crore (16.71 per cent) rural households were reported to have tap water connections.

'So far, as reported by States/UTs as on March 18, 2025, around 12.29 crore additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections under the Mission. Thus, as on March 18, out of 19.36 crore rural households, approximately 15.53 crore (80.20 per cent) are reported to have tap water supply,' he said.

He said eight states -- Goa, Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram, and three UTs -- Puducherry, Daman and Diu (D&D) and Dadra and Nagar Haveli (DNH), and Andaman and Nicobar Islands -- have become 'Har Ghar Jal' States/ UTs as all their households have tap water supply.

Responding to a question on river pollution, particularly in the Ganga and the Yamuna rivers, the Minister said the issue is being tackled primarily by CPCB under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and National Mission for Clean Ganga and other associated offices of Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Ministry of Jal Shakti.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in association with State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) /PCCs has established a National Water Quality Monitoring Network (NWMP) for assessment of water quality of aquatic bodies, including rivers in the country.

At present, the CPCB has Nationwide Water Quality Network comprising 4,736 locations spread in 28 states and 7 Union Territories across the country, which include 2,155 locations on various rivers.

Water quality of the Ganga and the Yamuna is assessed by CPCB at 112 locations (bi-monthly) and 33 locations (monthly), respectively, under National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP) in association with concerned SPCBs/ PCC, he said.

The Minister said the Ganga is monitored under NWMP, by the CPCB in association with 5 SPCBs, namely, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, which carry out manual water quality monitoring of the river at 112 locations on bimonthly basis.

Considering the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) concentration exceeding 3 mg/L, the CPCB has identified 351 polluted river stretches (PRS) during the year 2018 (based on water quality data of year 2016 and 2017) whereas 311 polluted river stretches (PRS) were identified in the year 2022 (based on water quality data of year 2109 and 2021).

/IANS