PATNA, Feb. 12 -- The Bihar legislative assembly on Wednesday witnessed a pointed discussion on the deteriorating state of the Nal-Jal Yojana (rural piped water supply scheme), with members highlighting broken pipelines, poor maintenance and disputes among local representatives that have disrupted water supply in rural areas. Responding to an attention motion moved by BJP MLA Mithilesh Tiwari and others during the question hour, public health engineering department (PHED) minister Sanjay Kumar Singh acknowledged serious lapses in the execution of schemes originally implemented under the panchayati raj department. The minister informed the house that over 70,000 water supply schemes were constructed across more than 58,000 rural wards under the panchayati raj institutions. However, in many cases, pipes were laid only six inches to one foot below the surface instead of the mandated four feet, leading to frequent damage and disruption. "PHED is now rectifying these earlier irregularities to ensure uninterrupted drinking water reaches every household," Singh told the assembly. He further revealed that when the panchayati raj department handed over around 70,000 schemes to PHED in 2023, as many as 23,000 were completely non-functional, a large number were only partially operational, and just 14,000 were running satisfactorily. Additionally, schemes constructed directly by PHED in 56,000 wards were later brought under its operational control. Tiwari described the ground situation as "extremely poor", pointing out broken pipes, acute lack of maintenance, and frequent conflicts between present and former ward members that have hampered the programme. He urged the government to frame a clear policy to guarantee continuous supply and benefits to rural households. The discussion continued for about 20 minutes, reflecting the seriousness of the issue in a state where access to piped drinking water remains a major challenge despite the ambitious Jal Jeevan Mission targets....