Page 2 - Jal Shakti Ministry

Arsenic found in groundwater in 25 states, fluoride in 27 states: Govt

Arsenic has been detected in groundwater in parts of 230 districts in 25 states and fluoride in 469 districts in 27 states, Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Bishweswar Tudu informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday. In a written reply, the minister said that the ground water contamination reported by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) is mostly geogenic in nature and does not show significant change over the years. The CGWB under the Ministry of Jal Shakti conducts regular monitoring and assessment of groundwater quality including ground water contamination of Arsenic and Fluoride. The board has carried out various studies in collaboration with other institutions, he said. These studies indicate the occurrence of arsenic and fluoride in ground water beyond permissible limits -- set by the Bureau of Indian Standards -- for human consumption in isolated pockets in various states and Union Territories, he said. Arsenic has been reported in parts of 230 districts in 25 states and ...

Shekhawat slams K'taka CM for spreading falsehood over water projects

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Monday hit out at Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah accusing him of spreading falsehood and misinformation with regard to the various water projects including the Mekedatu balancing reservoir across the Cauvery river. Shekhawat reacted to Siddaramaiah's statement on Saturday alleging that the Narendra Modi-led government did not address Karnataka's water issues despite scanty rainfall. Alleging that projects like Mekedatu and the Mahadayi River are pending Centre's approval, Siddaramaiah charged, "Do you want to inflict more thirst on Kannadigas, dear Prime Minister?" Lashing out at Siddaramaiah, Shekhawat said in a statement on 'X': "We know it is tradition for Congress to spread false rumour & misinformation. But it isn't becoming of a CM to wreak havoc in people's lives by doing so." Regarding the Mekedatu project, the Minister said the discussion on the Detailed Project Report (DPR) was included as an agenda item during

Telangana was first to give potable water connection to all residents: KTR

He said that the NDA government in the centre had taken inspiration from Telangana's scheme to launch 'Har ghar jal'

Swachh Bharat Mission: 100% of UP villages declared open-defecation-free

95,767 villages in Uttar Pradesh have received their open defecation-free (ODF) status under Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen

75% villages have been declared ODF Plus, says Jal Shakti minister

About 4.4 lakh or 75 per cent of India's villages have achieved the open defecation free-plus status, Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said on Saturday. An 'ODF Plus' village is one which has sustained its Open Defecation Free (ODF) status along with implementing either solid or liquid waste management systems. Addressing media persons, Shekhawat said over 4.43 lakh villages so far have declared themselves ODF Plus, which is a significant step towards achieving the goals of the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin by 2024-25. He added that all villages in 14 states and Union Territories (UT) have achieved ODF Plus Status, of which four have been declared 'ODF Plus Model'. The top performing states and UTs which have 100 per cent ODF Plus villages are Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra Nagar Haveli, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Ladakh, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Tripura. Of these, Andaman and ...

Court rejects Ashok Gehlot's acquittal plea in defamation case by Shekhawat

Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat had filed a criminal defamation lawsuit against the chief minister for allegedly claiming Shakawat was involved in the Sanjeevani scam

Water level in 75% reservoirs in India below 40% their capacity: Report

As of June 30, the water level in reservoirs of 10 states was lower than the 30-year average

Over 50,000 water bodies rejuvenated under Mission Amrit Sarovar: Ministry

More than 50,000 water bodies have been rejuvenated under the Mission Amrit Sarovar, Rural Development Ministry said on Wednesday. The mission, launched as a part of the celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 24 last year, aimed at rejuvenating at least 75 water bodies in every district of the country with the target to build 50,000 'Amrit Sarovar' by August 15, 2023. The ministry said the target has been achieved ahead of schedule, adding, "So far, 50,071 'Amrit Sarovar' have been completed". To achieve the resolution of rainwater conservation and harvesting through Mission Amrit Sarovar, the Rural Development Ministry worked as the nodal ministry. From renovating the water bodies which had reached the verge of extinction to the construction of new water bodies, a detailed action plan was prepared, it said. "The target of 50,000 'Amrit Sarovar' could be achieved ahead of time because of the efforts made through 'whole of government' approac

Half of India's villages attain ODF plus status: Ministry of Jal Shakti

According to the release, to date, over 296,000 villages have declared themselves ODF Plus

Delhi Jal Board plans to hire experts to train staff in customer services

The Delhi Jal Board (DJB) said on Monday that it plans to hire experts to train its staff on providing better customer services. The utility will also conduct a special drive to disconnect connections of commercial and government consumers who have defaulted on their bills. During a meeting with senior officials, DJB Vice Chairman Somnath Bharti emphasised the need for DJB officers and employees to provide better customer satisfaction. He suggested that they undergo training on the lines of multinational firms to improve the way they interact with consumers. "The DJB will avail the services of experts for training the employees. In the training, the DJB employees will be taught ways to behave better with customers," a statement said. Bharti also directed officers to take strict action against commercial and government users who have defaulted on bills. The defaulting consumers with commercial connections owe Rs 18,000 crore to the DJB. Bharti also said that centralised monitoring

62 water supply schemes affected due to mining, crisis looms over Bilapsur

Sixty-two out of the total 278 drinking water supply schemes in Bilaspur district have been affected due to legal and illegal mining activities in the area, with officials saying reports of water shortage have started pouring in from different localities. The water level in small wells -- where the water is stored and lifted using motors to supply to households -- has gone by about one-and-a-half metre due to the mining activities in the district and the residents apprehend they would face shortages during the the coming summer months. The Jal Shakti Department here has prepared a detailed Project Report (DPR) on restoring the water level by erecting checkdams and sent it to the higher authorities. The proposal has been approved by the district level committee headed by deputy commissioner of Bilaspur, and sent to the state level committee for approval. Officials said as soon the state government's approval is received, the proposal will be sent to the Jal Jeevan Mission for ...

CBI seizes Rs 20 cr in cash from premises of former CMD of WAPCOS Limited

Gupta was booked recently for amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income

Water management authority for Northeast soon: Jal Shakti Minister

Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Monday said a body for water resource management of the northeastern region will be formed as soon as it gets the Parliament's approval. It will work for holistic solutions to water-related problems of the region with coordination between the states and the Centre, he said. "To give a new direction with a holistic approach, the North Eastern Water Management Authority was proposed. There has mostly been consensus between the states and the proposal has been sent to the Union cabinet," Shekhawat said at a press conference here. "I am confident that the Authority will be approved in the next Parliament session," he said. He pointed out that the northeastern states face a "critical situation of either too much or too little water". "For holistic solutions to such problems and other water resource utilisation issues, the states will work with more participation with the Centre through this body," the Union minister added. Shekhawat, who

Reclaiming water bodies

Govt agencies need better coordination

Over 19,000 water bodies in Odisha drying up of 'no use': Jal Shakti min

Out of 'in use' water bodies, a major proportion of water bodies are used in pisciculture followed by irrigation

Maharashtra tops Jal Shakti Ministry's national water bodies census

From the total reservoirs in the state, 99.7 per cent (96,767) are of public ownership type and the rest 0.3 per cent (295) are privately owned

Monitoring dam safety

Decommissioning should be a policy option

Water charges collected belong solely to the community: Drinking water secy

In a Q&A, Vini Mahajan says the Jal Jeevan Mission is now moving at a frenetic pace that they are taking it one day at a time

40 pc villages have achieved ODF+ status till now: Jal Shakti minister

About 40 per cent villages in the country have been declared ODF-plus till now, with 33 per cent villages achieving the status in the last one year, Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said on Friday. In the next financial year, the target is to bring more than 50,000 villages in the ODF-plus category, he told reporters. The top performing states are Telangana (100 per cent), Tamil Nadu (95 per cent) and Karnataka (93.5 per cent), the minister said. The ODF-plus status is given to states that sustain their open defecation free status, ensure solid and liquid waste management, and are visually clean. Among the fast growing states are Himachal Pradesh that grew from 18 per cent in April 1 last year to 80 per cent by March 31, Madhya Pradesh from six per cent to 62 per cent in the same period and Uttar Pradesh from 2 per cent to nearly 50 per cent, Shekhawat said. About 40 per cent villages in the country have been declared ODF-plus till now and 33 per cent villages achieved

As govt supply doubles, 11.5 cr families have tap water connections

As many as 11.49 crore households now have tap water connections and over 1.53 lakh villages have potable water supply as the government doubles down on its efforts to make drinking water available to all, according to latest official data. The data as of March 21 showed massive jumps in piped water supply to schools, anganwadi centres and aspirational districts after the government allocated Rs 70,000 crore for the purpose in the current financial year ending March 31, (2022-23). This was 12 times more than the Rs 5,500 crore allotted in 2018-19. The statistics came on a day that is marked as World Water Day with the UN World Water Development Report 2023 saying 26 per cent of the world's population do not have access to safe drinking water and 46 per cent lack access to basic sanitation. The government is implementing various schemes including Jal Jeevan Mission, Atal Bhujal Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, Namami Gange and National Aquifer Mapping and Managing ...