HYDERABAD: Telangana is among the best-performing states in drinking water quality monitoring, recording very low contamination despite large-scale testing under the Union government’s Jal Jeevan Mission.
The state tested over 2.59 lakh samples in 2025–26 (till March 11), with only two chemically contaminated samples and negligible bacteriological presence, down from 508 in 2021–22.
Andhra Pradesh, which tested over 6.73 lakh samples in 2025–26, also improved, reducing chemical contamination from over 14,000 in 2021–22 to 16. Telangana, however, remains among the lowest in contamination nationally.
Robotic tech in use
Water Board MD K Ashok Reddy told TNIE: “We are using robotic technology to detect and prevent pollution in pipelines. Earlier, it was difficult to identify pollution due to ageing pipelines, but now, wherever a contamination issue is reported, robot teams are deployed immediately to fix it. In the meantime, we ensure uninterrupted supply through tankers until the issue is rectified.”
He added, “We have our own teams taking a large number of samples, and besides that, we are also collecting samples through third-party quality agencies. At the community level too, samples are being collected. So, monitoring is happening at three levels — departmental, third-party, and community. Every day, all these samples are analysed, and if any issue is detected, teams are immediately sent to the field to address it. Because of this continuous monitoring and quick response, we have not reported any kind of incidents in the city for the last two years.”
A model for other states
Across India, over 65 lakh samples have been tested in 2025–26 so far, with more than 1 lakh chemically contaminated and over 67,000 bacteriological cases, indicating continuing challenges.
Experts caution that seasonal variation, groundwater depletion and urbanisation remain risks.Telangana’s multi-layered testing, rapid response and use of technology offer a model for other states.