Around 1.28 lakh villages certified as ‘Har Ghar Jal’: Ministry of Jal Shakti

New Delhi [India], August 6 (ANI): The Government of India, in collaboration with state governments, is implementing the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)-Har Ghar Jal, aiming to ensure tap water supply to every rural household.

At the inception of the mission in August 2019, only 3.23 crore (16.8 per cent) rural households had access to tap water connections, according to Jal Shakti Ministry.

So far, as reported by States/ UTs as on 01.08.2024, around 11.80 crore additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections. Thus, as on 01.08.2024, out of 19.32 Crore rural households in the country, more than 15.03 Crore (77.83%) households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes, the Ministry further said.

As of date, 11 states and UTs have become ‘Har Ghar Jal’ states, i.e., 100 per cent of households have tap water supplies, and the remaining states and UTs are at various stages of achieving the objectives of the mission. The state- and UT-wise status of tap water connections provided under the Mission in rural areas is also in the public domain, the Jal Shakti ministry said.

The states have informed that lack of dependable drinking water sources in water-stressed, drought prone and desert areas, presence of geo-genic contaminants in groundwater, uneven geographical terrain, scattered rural habitations, delay in release of the matching State share in some States, lack of technical capacity with implementing agencies, Gramme Panchayats and local communities to plan, manage, operate & maintain the water supply schemes, rising price of raw materials, delay in obtaining statutory or other clearances, etc. are few of problems being faced in the implementation of the Mission.

To address the challenges holistically and overcome them, the Government of India has taken a number of steps, including the implementation of Special Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure through M/o Finance for financial assistance as 50-year interest free loan for capital investment projects; nomination of a nodal officer in the Department for coordinating with Central nodal Ministries, Departments, and agencies to facilitate the States in obtaining Statutory or other clearances; setting up of State Programme Management Units (SPMUs) and District Programme Management Units (DPMUs) and implementation of ‘Nal Jal Mitra Programme’ for ensuring availability of skilled local persons at village level to bridge the gap in availability of technical skill sets and of HR for programme management.

Under the mission, States have been advised for source recharging, viz., dedicated bore well recharge structures, rainwater recharge, rejuvenation of existing water bodies, reuse of greywater, etc., in convergence with other schemes such as MGNREGS, Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), 15th Finance Commission tied grants to RLBs and PRIs, State schemes, CSR funds, etc.

As reported by the state, as on 01.08.2024, out of around 2.31 lakh villages reported as ‘Har Ghar Jal’, around 1.28 lakh villages have been certified by the respective Gram Sabha.