Parliamentary Standing Committee Report on AMRUT

Parliamentary Standing Committee Report on AMRUT

Context

A report by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs highlighted severe implementation delays and critical wastewater management gaps under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and AMRUT 2.0. The panel expressed grave concern over slow physical progress, underutilized financial outlays, and widespread reliance on decentralized, unmonitored on-site sanitation across urban India.

Key Highlights & Observations

Urban Sewerage & Septage Deficit

• Limited Underground Network: Only 30% of India's 11.32 crore urban households have formal underground sewer connections.
   
• High Reliance on On-Site Systems: Approximately 2.84 crore households (over 40%) continue to depend on decentralized septic tanks and non-sewered sanitation systems.
   
• State-Level Reliance: States such as Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, and Bihar exhibit heavy dependency on septic tanks over formal, networked sewerage systems.
   

Project Completion & Infrastructure Delays

• Low Project Completion: Out of 594 approved sewerage and septage management projects under AMRUT 2.0, only 104 (17.51%) have been completed in five years, while 67% remain under active implementation and 6% remain stalled at the tender stage.
   
• Pipeline Lying Bottlenecks: Less than half of the sanctioned 59,261.67 km sewage trunk and lateral distribution network has been laid on the ground.
   
• Treatment Capacity Deficit: Under AMRUT 2.0, of the 6,815.03 MLD approved Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) capacity, only 658.07 MLD (~9.6%) has been operationalized.
   

Implementation Bottlenecks

• Structural friction across tendering, slow procurement, land acquisition hurdles, inter-departmental clearance delays, contractor non-performance, frequent scope changes, and integration issues with legacy municipal networks.
   
• Institutional weakness and limited technical capacity within Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to execute large-scale engineering works.
   

About AMRUT & AMRUT 2.0

Scheme Overview

• Nodal Ministry: Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
• Core Objective: Ensure universal coverage of water supply and augment sewerage/septage management to improve the quality of life for urban citizens.

Phase Evolution

• AMRUT 1.0 (2015–2021): Focused on 500 major cities (primarily with populations exceeding 1 lakh), funding water supply, sewerage, storm water drainage, urban green spaces, and non-motorized transport.
   
• AMRUT 2.0 (2021–March 2027): Expanded to cover all ~4,700 statutory towns to achieve urban water security, 100% sewage/septage management, wastewater recycling, and a circular water economy.
   

Key Recommendations of the Committee

Outcome-Based Financing & Monitoring

• Shift Funding Tranches: Transition central fund releases from process milestones (such as tender awards) to verified, last-mile household sewer connections and functional STP operations.
   
• Real-Time Digital Tracking: Establish a unified, real-time dashboard to monitor pipeline laying, STP operationalization, and household connection status.
   

Fecal Sludge & Septage Management (FSSM)

• Standardize septic tank construction, mandate scheduled desludging, enforce GPS tracking of desludging vehicles, and build dedicated Fecal Sludge Treatment Plants (FSTPs) to manage the vast non-sewered urban population.
   The Policy Edge

Financial Sustainability & Wastewater Reuse

• Ring-Fenced O&M Funds: Mandate ULBs to create dedicated, ring-fenced Operation and Maintenance (O&M) funds to ensure long-term functionality of sewerage assets.
   
• National Wastewater Reuse Policy: Formulate binding state-level treated wastewater reuse policies targeting industrial, cooling, and non-potable municipal applications to foster a circular water economy.
   

Conclusion

The Parliamentary Standing Committee's report underscores that expanding urban infrastructure must move beyond capital expenditure to focus on operational effectiveness and last-mile connectivity. Meeting the extended deadline of AMRUT 2.0 requires addressing institutional ULB deficits, enforcing mandatory treated wastewater reuse, and strengthening fecal sludge management across unsewered urban areas.