The Ministry of Jal Shakti announced that the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) has achieved another milestone of providing tap water connections to 13 crore rural households. Working with ‘speed and scale’, the mission has increased the rural tap connection coverage from 3.23 crore households at the start of the Mission in August 2019 to 13 crore in just 4 years, the ministry said in a press release.
Jal Jeevan Mission was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15th August 2019 as the country celebrated its 73rd Independence Day. As on date, 6 states namely Goa, Telangana, Haryana, Gujarat, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and 3 UTs – Puducherry, D&D & D&NH and A&N Islands, have reported 100% coverage. Bihar at 96.39%, followed by Mizoram at 92.12%, are also poised to achieve saturation in the near future.
Goa, Haryana, Punjab, A&N Islands, Puducherry, D&NH and D&D are ‘Har Ghar Jal’ certified States/ UTs i.e., in these states/ UTs, the villagers have confirmed through Gram Sabhas that all households and public institutions in the village are getting an adequate, safe and regular supply of water. As many as 145 districts and 1,86,818 villages in the country have reported 100% coverage.
The mission is a collaborative effort between governments and development partners, resulting in transformative change. Every second, a new tap water connection is installed, reshaping rural India. Since January 2023, an average of 87,500 tap connections have been provided daily, with Uttar Pradesh leading the way.
The efforts of the Union and State governments have also resulted in ensuring the provision of tap water supply in 9.15 lakh (88.73%) schools and 9.52 lakh (84.69%) Anganwadi centres in the country. In the 112 aspirational districts of the country, at the time of the launch of the Mission, only 21.41 lakh (7.86%) households had access to tap water which has now increased to 1.81 crore (66.48%).
Work under ‘Har Ghar Jal’ is resulting in significant socio-economic benefits for the rural population. Community participation has been central to the success of the mission. More than 5.27 lakh Village Water & Sanitation Committees (VWSC)/ Pani Samitis have been constituted and 5.12 lakh Village Action Plans (VAPs) have been prepared for sustainable water supply.
JJM has also addressed water contamination issues, providing safe drinking water to affected habitations. At the time of the launch of the Jal Jeevan Mission, 22,016 habitations (Arsenic – 14,020, Fluoride- 7,996), having a 1.79 Crore population (Arsenic-1.19 crore, Fluoride-0.59 crore), were affected by Arsenic/ Fluoride contamination in drinking water sources. As reported by States/ UTs, now safe drinking water is available in all the Arsenic/Fluoride-affected habitations.
Jal Jeevan Mission is committed to providing not just water supply but ensuring quality water is supplied every time. In this regard, regular testing of water samples from the source to delivery points is conducted.
