New Delhi: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani held a video conference with Union Minister of Jal Shakti Mr. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. They jointly reviewed the planning and implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in Gujarat. The state government has planned to supply pure drinking water to 100% households in the villages of Gandhinagar, Botad, Vadodara, Porbandar and Mehsana in Gujarat through taps.
Rupani expressed confidence of state government to supply pure drinking water through tap to 100% of the houses in the villages of the five districts of the state by 2nd October.
Gujarat is planning 100% coverage by 2022 to provide tap connection to every rural household of the State, instead of by 2024, as envisaged under the Mission, said CM.
Gujarat plans for 100% FHTC (Functional Household Tap Connection) by 2022
CM holds video conference with Union Minister of Jal Shakti
Plans to provide tap connections in 11.15 lakh households during 2020-21
GoG implemented decentralized, demand-driven and community managed drinking water supply programme, which kick-started in 2002 through Water and Sanitation Management Organization (WASMO). These efforts led to provision safe drinking water through tap connections to more than 70% households in the State. By promoting the Gram Panchayat and PaaniSamiti to take the lead to plan, manage, implement, operate and maintain water supply schemes in villages, WASMO became a successful decentralized model of service delivery.
Out of 93 lakh rural household, 69 lakh have tap connection
Out of 93.03 lakh rural households in the State of Gujarat, 68.63 lakh are provided with tap connections. Gujarat plans to provide tap connections in 11.15 lakh households during 2020-21. In 2020-21, Rs. 883.08 Crore have been allocated and including State share there is assured availability of Rs. 1,777.56 Crore. Gujarat has been allocated Rs. 3,195 Crore under 15th Finance Commission Grants to PRIs and 50% of it is to be used mandatorily for water supply and sanitation.
Out of 18,191 villages in the State, 17,899 villages have existing piped water supply systems. Mr. Rupani mentioned that another 6,000 villages will be 100 % compliant with tap connections by December, 2020. Further, 5 districts of the State will be fully compliant with household tap connections by this year-end.
In fact, the State is planning to cover 12 districts with 100% household tap connections in this financial year. It was also mentioned that surface-based water systems have been taken up to provide safe drinking water to remaining villages of the State, which will be completed in next two years. He assured the Union Minister that Finance Commission grants will be dovetailed for works to be taken up for water supply and sanitation in villages.
Sensor-based Pilot project underway in 1,000 villages
Chief Minister stated that Gujarat is planning to implement IoT based sensor monitoring system, for which the pilot is already underway in 1,000 villages of two districts of the State so as to monitor the functionality of water supply i.e. potable water in adequate quantity and of prescribed quality being provided to every rural household on regular and long-term basis. Once the pilot project is successful, it will be adopted for the whole State for online monitoring of status of water supply in villages.
Union Minister Mr. Shekhawat praised the initiatives of the Govt. of Gujarat for overall water management, as Gujarat has set an example for the whole country how a drought-prone State has been able to successfully managed the water resources to meet the needs of different sectors.
Commending the decentralized, demand-driven and community-managed drinking water programme started through WASMO, Union Minister mentioned the pioneering role of Gujarat in decentralized model, which is the precursor of the pan-India flagship programme, Jal Jeevan Mission.
Jal Jeeven Mission’s aim is reach out to every household
Explaining the role of Gram Panchayat/ PaaniSamiti in planning, designing, implementing and operating & maintaining of in-village water supply infrastructure under Jal Jeevan Mission, Mr. Shekhawat emphasized the GPs or PaaniSamitis could be developed as ‘utilities’. He was all praise that in the State PaaniSamitis/ Gram Panchayats recover around 70% of annual O&M expenditure from the community in the form of water service charges.
Jal Jeevan Mission aims at ensuring potable water supply in adequate quantity and of prescribed quality to every rural household on regular and long-term basis.
During the conference Water Supply Secretary Mr. DhananjayDwivedi, Secretary to CM Mr. Ashwini Kumar and senior officials of Water Supply Department were also present.
