India’s Jal Jeevan Mission: Bringing Tap Water to Rural Homes
The Government of India, along with state governments, is working on the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)-Har Ghar Jal to provide tap water to every rural household. When the mission started in August 2019, only 3.23 crore (16.8%) rural households had tap water. As of August 1, 2024, about 11.80 crore more rural households now have tap water, making it 15.03 crore (77.83%) out of 19.32 crore rural households.
So far, 11 states and union territories have achieved 100% tap water supply in households. The rest are working towards this goal. The JJM dashboard shows detailed progress for each state and UT.
Challenges and Solutions
Several challenges affect the mission, such as lack of reliable water sources in dry areas, contaminants in groundwater, difficult terrains, scattered villages, delays in state funding, and lack of technical skills. Rising costs and delays in clearances also pose problems.
To tackle these, the government has introduced measures like the Special Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure, offering 50-year interest-free loans. Nodal officers help with clearances, and State and District Programme Management Units support the mission. The ‘Nal Jal Mitra Programme’ ensures skilled local workers are available in villages.
Water Conservation Efforts
States are encouraged to recharge water sources through borewell structures, rainwater harvesting, and rejuvenating water bodies, in collaboration with other schemes like MGNREGS and the Integrated Watershed Management Programme. The Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain campaign, started in 2019, focuses on grassroots water conservation. In 2023, it emphasized ‘Source Sustainability for Drinking Water,’ and in 2024, it highlights the role of women in water conservation with the theme ‘Nari Shakti se Jal Shakti.’
Certification Process
According to JJM guidelines, once all rural households in a village have tap connections, the implementing department gives a completion certificate to the Gram Panchayat. The Gram Panchayat then certifies the village as ‘Har Ghar Jal’ in a Gram Sabha meeting. This involves reading the completion report, passing a resolution, and recording a video of the meeting, all of which are shown on the JJM dashboard.
As of August 1, 2024, out of about 2.31 lakh villages reported as ‘Har Ghar Jal,’ around 1.28 lakh villages have been certified by their Gram Sabhas. This information was shared by Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, V. Somanna, in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
Doubts Revealed
Jal Jeevan Mission -: Jal Jeevan Mission is a program by the Indian government to make sure every rural home gets clean tap water.
rural household -: A rural household is a home located in the countryside or village areas, not in cities.
tap water access -: Tap water access means having clean water that comes directly from a tap or faucet in your home.
water scarcity -: Water scarcity means there is not enough water available for everyone to use.
interest-free loans -: Interest-free loans are loans where you don’t have to pay extra money (interest) on the amount you borrowed.
local programs -: Local programs are activities or plans organized by people in a specific area to solve problems or improve their community.
Har Ghar Jal -: Har Ghar Jal means ‘water in every home’ in Hindi, indicating that every house in a village has tap water.
1.28 lakh villages -: 1.28 lakh villages means 128,000 villages. ‘Lakh’ is a term used in India to represent 100,000.
