As the country celebrates Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, to mark 75 years of India’s Independence, Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) achieves a new milestone by providing 10 crore rural households with safe and clean drinking water through taps. When the JJM was launched by Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, on 15 August 2019, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, only 3.23 Crore households in villages had access to a piped water connection. The country achieved the landmark of 10 crore functional household tap connection on 19 August 2022. As on date, three states (Goa, Telangana and Haryana) and three union territories (Puducherry, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Andaman and Nicobar Islands), have reported 100% coverage. Punjab at 99.93%, followed by Gujarat at 97.03%, Bihar at 95.51% and Himachal Pradesh at 94.88% are also poised to achieve 100% coverage. On 17 August, 2022 Goa and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu were the first ‘Her Ghar Jal’ certified state and UT, in the country respectively, where people in all villages confirmed availability of adequate, safe and regular supply of water for all households in their villages, through Gram Sabhas.The objective of the JJM is to provide every rural household with drinking water, in
Adequate quantity, of prescribed quality, on regular and long-term basis. Despite various disruptions and challenges like the CoVID-19 pandemic, states/UTs are working relentlessly overcoming the challenges like harsh weather conditions, remoteness, and tough terrain and so on to ensure tap water in every rural home. On many occasions, pipes and other equipment are transported on helicopters, boats, camels, elephants and horses. The efforts of the Union and State governments have also resulted in ensuring provision of tap water supply in 8.67 lakh schools and 8.96 lakh anganwadi centres, in the country. In the 117 aspirational districts of our country, at the time of launch of
The Mission, only 24.32 lakh household had access to tap water which has now increased to 1.54 crore. Three aspirational districts from Telangana (Kumaran Beam Saidabad, Jaya Shankar Bhupalpally and Bhadrabri Kothagudem) and 1 district each in Punjab (Mega), Haryana (Mewat) and Himachal Pradesh (Chambal) have reported 100% tap water coverage. JJM has brought huge socio-economic benefits to the rural population. Regular tap water supply relieves people, especially women and young girls, from carrying heavy bucket loads of water to meet their daily household needs thereby reducing age-old drudgery. The time so saved can be used for income generation activities, learning new skills and supporting children’s education. In order to achieve long term sustainability of the schemes, community participation from the very beginning has been at the heart of planning, implementation, operations and maintenance of Rural Piped Water Supply schemes. A total of 5.08 lakh Village Water & Sanitation Committees (VWSC)/ Pane Simitis have been constituted in the country. Also, 4.78 lakh VAPs have been prepared which detail out the plans for drinking water source augmentation, greywater treatment and its reuse, and regular operation and maintenance of in-village water supply systems. Water Quality under this mission is a very important aspect. A total of 2,070 water testing laboratories have been developed, strengthened and empaneled in the country during the Mission period. As on date, more than 64 lakh water quality tests have been conducted in 4.51 lakh villages through water testing laboratories. Water quality testing labs of states/ UTs are now open for the public for testing water samples at nominal rates. Till now, 10.8 lakh rural women have also been trained to use Field Testing Kits (FTKs). Over, 58 lake water quality tests have been conducted by trained women in 1.7 lakh villages using FTKs.
