Tap water to 6 crore rural households: How ‘Har Ghar Jal’ Yojana is benefiting people in villages

New Delhi: The Jal Jeevan Mission is one of the flagship schemes of Modi government under which tap water connections are provided to urban as well as rural households. The objective of the scheme is to reach out to every household in the country and equip them with tap water connection, so that people have easy and seamless to one of basic human needs i.e. potable water.

The scheme has achieved considerable success within years of its roll-out. Till August 15, 2019, 278 lakh Households (HHs) have been provided tap water connections under Jal Jeevan Mission. At present, 6.01 crore rural households are getting potable water in their households through taps. There are 18 districts which have provided tap connections to all households and states are competing with each other to ensure tap water supply to every home.

A dashboard indicating the progress of the Mission is available at Ministry’s website.

Tap connection to every home in villages by 2024

The Ministry of Jal Shakti has been implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), in partnership with States with an aim to provide potable water in adequate quantity of prescribed quality on regular and long-term basis through tap connections to every rural home in the country by 2024.

According to official figures, there are about 19.04 crore rural households in the country, out of which 3.23 crore households have already been provided tap connections, remaining 15.81 crore households will be provided with tap connections. Thus, the objective is to cover approx. 16 Crore households in a time-bound manner while ensuring the functionality of already provided connections. States/ UTs are making all out efforts to provide tap water connections in rural areas.

In 2020-21, a sum of Rs 23,500 Crore has been allocated for the implementation of JJM. This will help in better planning, implementation, management, operation and maintenance of drinking water supply systems in villages so as people continue to get potable water on regular and long-term basis.

The mission is exploring partnerships with reputed national and international agencies including UN agencies, NGOs/ CBOs, CSR organizations, trusts, foundations, etc.

278 lakh households provided tap water connections under @jaljeevan_

?At present 6.01 Crore rural households are getting potable water in their households through taps.

Details here: https://t.co/Q4udomXnH7 pic.twitter.com/2KncfqtG1v

— PIB India (@PIB_India) December 16, 2020

Goa becomes first ‘Har Ghar Jal’ state

Various States/ UTs have committed to achieve the goal of the Mission well before 2024. Goa has already ensured tap water supply to all households.
In 2021, Bihar, Pudduchery and Telangana have planned to provide tap water connection to all households.

Similarly, States/ UTs of Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Meghalaya, Punjab, Sikkimhave planned for 2022.WhileArunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Chhattisgarh have planned for 100% coverage in 2023. States like Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal have planned for 2024.

Potable water supply to water quality-affected habitations is a top priority under JJM. States have to ensure piped water supply to all households in Arsenic and Fluoride affected habitations before December, 2020.

PM Modi called for ‘ease of living’ in rural areas

Being a decentralized programme, Village Water & Sanitation Committees (VWSCs)/ Paani Samiti as sub-committee of Gram Panchayat, with minimum 50% women members, are being formed at village level which is responsible for preparing the 5-year Village Action Plan (VAP) considering the water-sources development, supply, grey-water management and operation and maintenance. JJM also aims at the capacity building of members of Gram Panchayat and/ or its sub-committeeto develop responsive’ and ‘responsible’ leadership at village level, who can manage, plan, operate and maintain in-village water supply infrastructure.

‘Skilling’ of villagers on masonry, plumbing, electrical-aspects, motor-repairing, etc. are also given impetus under the mission to have trained human resources at village level.

Monitoring quality of water supplied through drinking water testing laboratories is an important aspect and lot of emphasis is given on strengthening these labs and getting them accredited by NABL. States to open water quality laboratory facilities to general public, so that village lady can come and test the quality of water supplied to her household.

Communities are being enabled to take up surveillance for quality of water-supplied, for which in villages by training five villagers, preferably women, is encouraged so that water supplied in villages could be tested locally. The idea is to make it a reliable and trustworthy arrangement of potable supply.

In line with the appeal of the Prime Minister to ensure ‘ease of living’ in rural areas by providing facilities like financial inclusion, houses, road, clean fuel, electricity, toilets, Jal Jeevan Mission is providing drinking water in every rural household, which will go a long way in improving the lives of rural population.