Tannuka Juneja
Under Jal Jeevan Mission, India has reached the milestone of providing tap water to 50 percent of rural households, according to an official statement by PIB.
Goa, Telangana, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadar & Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Pondicherry and Haryana have already reached 100 percent water tap connectivity. Punjab, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar have more than 90 percent coverage and are fast moving towards Har Ghar Jal status.
To achieve Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of “Gram Swaraj”, Jal Jeevan Mission aims to empower Panchayati Raj institutions and communities by involving them in water supply projects from the very beginning. More than 9.59 million rural households in the state/UT have access to water in their facilities. The women and girls of these houses are now free from the old hassle of travelling long distances in search of water in the scorching heat, rain and snow. “Har Ghar Jal” is a flagship programme of the Central Government, implemented by the Water Life Mission in partnership with the state/UTs under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, to ensure piped water connection to all rural households by 2024.
When the Jal Jeevan Mission was launched in 2019, only 3.23 million households or 17 percent of the rural population had access to drinking water through taps. The burden of water supply for daily household needs falls mainly on women and girls. There is ample evidence that girls’ school attendance was significantly lower in the summer when multiple visits were required in high water conditions. Since launching the Jal Jeevan Mission and improving access to piped water connections on their campus, there has been a significant improvement in this area. As of May 27, 2022, 108 districts, 1,222 blocks, 71,667-gram panchayats and 151,171 villages have become “Har Ghar Jal”, where pure water has been supplied to all rural households through taps.
This year, special village meetings have been convened across the country to discuss and discuss drinking water related issues with the aim of achieving WASH Prabudh Gaon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed and contacted the Sarpanch and members of the Water Committee on several occasions in the past, encouraging them to run the programme as they are concerned about the water supply infrastructure under ‘Har Ghar Jal’. Under the JJM, panchayats are assisted by the state government through implementation support agencies (ISAs) for community engagement, water committee capacity building and O&M activities.
