Patna: Around 15 lakh families in Bihar are yet to receive tap water connections, with the majority belonging to Mahadalit communities, the state’s Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) said on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference, PHED minister Sanjay Kumar Singh said the government aimed to provide piped drinking water to all remaining Mahadalit settlements within the next three months.
Tap water coverage reaches 93%
According to the department, tap water supply coverage in Bihar has expanded significantly over the past decade. In 2016, only 2.66 lakh families had access to the facility, while by 2026 the number had risen to 1.87 crore households, covering around 93% of the state’s families.
The department said its overall target was to provide safe drinking water to approximately 2.02 crore families.
Thousands of hand pumps remain defunct
PHED principal secretary Rajesh Kumar said more than 86,000 hand pumps across the state were currently non-functional, with many beyond repair.
He said repair work was underway for pumps that could still be restored. In south Bihar, around 1,000 new hand pumps are being installed using funds provided by the Disaster Management Department.
Officials said the state installs an average of 5,000 hand pumps every year.
Summer arrangements and pending payments
To address water shortages during the summer, the department has arranged 475 water tankers, 15 water ATMs and 15 Jaldoot units.
The department also acknowledged delays in the payment of honorariums to maintenance workers due to pending land registration issues linked to water tanks. Officials said the matter would be discussed in a meeting with the development commissioner on June 3.
Contractors debarred over irregularities
Engineer-in-chief Nityanand Prasad said action had been taken against contractors found negligent in project execution.
According to the department, 468 contractors have been debarred and 25 blacklisted so far.
Multi-village water supply schemes expanded
The state government said large-scale rural water supply schemes using water from the Ganga, Sone and Sursar rivers were already operational in districts including Bhagalpur, Vaishali, Buxar, Begusarai, Bhojpur, Nawada and Nalanda.
These projects are aimed at addressing groundwater contamination caused by arsenic, fluoride and iron in several regions.
Officials said 14 multi-village water supply schemes had become operational, while two projects were under construction. Surveys for two additional schemes have also been completed.
The department added that proposals for new multi-village water supply projects in districts including Supaul, Kaimur, Purnia, Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur had been sent to the central government for approval.
