Reviews Preventive Measures to Protect Drinking Water Sources
Emphasizing that access to clean drinking water is fundamental to public health and environmental sustainability, Secretary, Jal Shakti, Dr. Abhishek Jain on Tuesday called for a decisive shift from a “fix it later” mindset to a culture of proactive water stewardship. He was chairing a detailed review meeting with senior officers of the Jal Shakti Vibhag to assess preventive measures for safeguarding drinking water sources and ensuring the efficient functioning of sewerage treatment plants across the State.
During the meeting, the Secretary underlined that long-term water security can only be ensured through early intervention, strict monitoring and community participation. The discussions focused on protecting drinking water supply schemes, improving source protection and strengthening oversight of Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs).
It was informed that tap water connections have been provided to every household in 17,632 villages in rural areas. To maintain water quality, the department is operating a comprehensive testing system through 72 laboratories, including 14 district-level labs, 57 sub-division-level labs and one State-level laboratory dedicated to advanced water quality analysis using household samples.
Dr. Jain directed all field officers, from Executive Engineers to Junior Engineers, to mandatorily inspect water sources, including storage tanks, at least once every ten days. He instructed that these inspections must be properly documented and reported to his office regularly. He also stressed the active involvement of Village Water Sanitation Committees in inspecting surface water sources such as khuds, nallahs, streams and spring-based sources.
The Secretary further directed the activation of Block Resource Persons and field staff to conduct regular water quality checks using Field Test Kits already distributed. He instructed that cleaning and corrective measures at water sources must be completed within 15 days wherever deficiencies are found.
Appealing for greater public participation, Dr. Jain urged citizens to voluntarily contribute to the protection of water sources. He said residents are free to submit water samples directly to laboratories if they are dissatisfied with sample collection procedures. He emphasized the need for strict waste management practices, infrastructure modernization and sustained community awareness to prevent contamination.
He also instructed officials to regularly collect samples from water treatment plants to ensure their efficient functioning. Inspections of Sewerage Treatment Plants are to be conducted frequently and uploaded on the designated portal for real-time monitoring and data consolidation at the departmental level.
Highlighting the importance of source protection, Dr. Jain said preventing contamination at the source is far more cost-effective than large-scale purification and remains the only sustainable way to protect ecosystems in the long run. Taking serious note of pipeline leakages, he issued strict directions for their immediate repair, warning that negligence would invite action.
Dr. Jain observed that society must reassess how it values water and move towards collective responsibility and proactive management. He also noted that Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri is closely monitoring issues related to water cleanliness.
Engineer-in-Chief, Jal Shakti Vibhag, Anju Sharma informed that up to December, 2,16,382 water samples were tested in departmental laboratories, of which only five were found unsuitable and were immediately addressed with corrective measures. Additionally, 1,71,250 samples were tested using Field Test Kits, covering 21,392 drinking water sources across 15,611 villages. A total of 18,784 sanitary surveys of drinking water sources were conducted in rural areas through Block Resource Coordinators, grassroots field teams and Village Water Sanitation Committees, reflecting the department’s sustained efforts to ensure safe and reliable drinking water for all.
