A/HRC/45/10/Add.2 fluoride problem existed in 276 districts in 2019, with the States of Rajasthan and Telangana demonstrating especially high levels.42 58. The Special Rapporteur notes that the efforts to increase monitoring of drinking water quality by expanding testing capabilities through laboratories and field-testing kits, and planning for community-led testing will strengthen the water quality testing framework in India. 43 Particularly for rural areas, the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) operational guidelines state that communities affected by arsenic or fluoride contamination are suggested to implement Community Water Purification Plant schemes as a short-term solution, until the establishment of household tap connections under the JJM.44 Under the JJM, water quality monitoring is carried out by tests in laboratory and by field testing by the water supplier, the results of which are uploaded on the IMIS, to be supplemented by community-led testing.45 59. As for urban areas, the Bureau of Indian Standards – an autonomous body of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution that sets standard for water quality in urban areas – monitored water quality in 2019, testing water samples at point of consumption from state capital cities. The only city with no samples failing to meet national water quality standards was Mumbai. In 14 out of the 21 cities, all water samples failed to meet water quality standards. 46 Efforts to address problems with water quality in piped connections must be increased. In addition, the Special Rapporteur looks forward to clarification on how the water quality monitoring under the Jal Jeevan MissionJJM – which focuses on water provision in rural areas – will be integrated with water quality in urban areas. PROGRESS LIMITED: The Special Rapporteur reiterates that the identification of persisting problems related to drinking water quality and assessment of measures effectiveness should be a continuous effort by the Government. Regarding the recent guidelines, he recommends that the Government monitor closely the efficacy of community-based testing and the accuracy of the self-reporting by water providers. 2. Recommendation on access to information about drinking water quality RECOMMENDATION 16: “Strengthen access to information, including by making information related to drinking water quality available to the public in a user-friendly manner;” (A/HRC/39/55, Add.1, para. 71(p)) 60. During the visit, the Special Rapporteur learned of India’s robust information management system and dashboards that, among others, provide information on drinking water status in rural areas. Noting that those platforms were often targeted at technical experts, he emphasized the importance that members of the public have access to up-to-date information, presented in an accessible and understandable manner (A/HRC/39/55/Add.1, para. 44). 61. The monitoring information for water and sanitation policies across the country remains the main source of information for the general public. Both the Clean India Mission (rural component) and Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) require local officials to upload their management plans and monitoring data to respective IMIS. The Special Rapporteur notes that those systems still target technical experts as opposed to the general public and the information available to the public on these platforms is complex to navigate, however, and often presented in large table formats.47 42 43 44 45 46 47 Government of India, “Central Ground Water Board Contaminated Areas” (2019). Ibid. Jal Jeevan Mission Operational Guidelines (2020), 24. Jal Jeevan Mission Operational Guidelines (2019), 5 and 61. Bureau of Indian Standards, Report of Testing of Piped Drinking Water Samples from 20 Capital Cities and Delhi, November 2019. Government of India, “IMIS - Water Quality”. 15