Concerns over safe drinking water are escalating in Madhya Pradesh, as the state government's own performance data reveals a severe lag in completing critical urban infrastructure projects under the national AMRUT 2.0 scheme.
Alarming Data Points to Severe Delays
According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), as of November 2025, the state's progress is among the lowest for major states. Only 21% of grounded water supply works and a mere 6% of sewerage works have been completed. The Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 was launched nationwide in October 2021 to enhance urban livability.
The financial snapshot is equally stark. For water supply projects, Madhya Pradesh had grounded works worth Rs 5,965.19 crore, but the value of completed work stands at just Rs 1,256.01 crore. In the sewerage sector, projects worth Rs 2,849.57 crore have been initiated, yet only Rs 164.26 crore worth of work has been delivered.
How Madhya Pradesh Compares to Other States
The state's slow pace becomes glaring when compared to peers. Uttar Pradesh has achieved 44% completion in water supply and 46% in sewerage. Tamil Nadu leads the pack with 72% water supply completion and 45% in sewerage. Gujarat reports robust progress with 55% and 56% completion rates, respectively. This places Madhya Pradesh far behind in the race to secure urban water and sanitation.
Indore and Major Cities at Risk
The delays raise serious fears for cities like Indore, the state's largest urban centre. Rapid population growth has already strained existing supply networks. The holdup in AMRUT 2.0 projects now risks exacerbating water shortages and increasing contamination threats, leaving millions of urban residents vulnerable.
This slowdown is particularly striking because Madhya Pradesh had an exemplary record under the first phase of AMRUT. That phase, covering 34 statutory towns including Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain, Sagar, Dewas, and Satna, saw nearly all water supply and drainage works completed, with sewerage projects achieving 95% completion.
Wider Scope, Slower Delivery
The contrast with AMRUT 2.0 is sharp. While the mission's coverage was expanded ambitiously to include all 400-plus statutory towns in the state, this wider scope has not translated into timely execution. The expansion appears to have overwhelmed implementation capacities, leaving even major cities exposed to drinking water security risks.
With AMRUT 2.0 entering its final year in 2026, the Madhya Pradesh government is under immense pressure to bridge the massive completion gap. Unless project execution accelerates dramatically, the current fears over water access could quickly spiral into a full-blown public health and supply crisis across the state's urban landscape.
