In the UT of Jammu and Kashmir every household in Ganderbal and Srinagar districts has got tap water connections and every family is getting potable piped water in their homes.  The UT is planning 100% coverage by 2022 to accomplish the ambitious target of providing tap water connection to every rural household of J&K. This kind of work in these difficult terrains speak volumes of the commitment of the people and Govt. to provide basic facilities in rural areas. Out of 18.17 lakh rural households in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir, 8.66 lakh (48%) are provided with tap water connections. Jammu & Kashmir plans to provide tap connections in 2.32 lakh households during 2020-21.

Union Government’s flagship programme, Jal Jeevan Mission, being implemented in partnership with States, aims to provide tap water connections to every rural household of the country by 2024. The objective of the mission is to ensure every household in every village/ habitation gets a functional tap connection and ‘none is left behind’. With the undivided focus of the Union Government to provide basic amenities in remote areas, aspirational districts, border areas, etc., this mission strives for provision of the basic amenity of safe drinking water in every rural household.

Since the soul of this decentralized and demand-driven programme is community participation, focus is on the planning of the water supply schemes in the village to its operation and maintenance. Every village is taken up as a unit and Village Action Plan (VAP) for five years is being prepared for each village by participation of local community with mandatory components viz. strengthening of local drinking water sources; in-village water supply infrastructure to provide tap water connections; grey water treatment and reuse; and operation & maintenance of water supply systems so as every family gets assured supply of potable water on regular and long-term basis. Village action plans for all 6,877 villages in the UT have been prepared.

In all villages, IEC campaign along with community mobilization are being taken up to make Jal Jeevan Mission, truly a people’s movement.  Out of 98 water testing laboratories, the UT plans NABL accreditation of 20 labs during current year. Field Testing Kits will be provided at community level for testing of water quality for taking corrective measures.

In less than a year, actual implementation of the mission that started on 25th December, 2019, despite Covid 19 pandemic and lockdown as well as restrictions, about 2.80 Crore households in the country have been provided with tap water connections. With this, as of now 6.03 Crore households (32%) of the country are getting tap water supply into their homes. Every year, more than 3 Crore households are to be given tap water connections. This is the speed and scale on which Jal Jeevan mission is being implemented.

So far, one State i.e. Goa, 18 districts including difficult areas of Srinagar and Ganderbal in Jammu & Kashmir and Lahaul&Spiti in Himachal Pradesh, and more than 423 Blocks, 33 thousand Gram Panchayats, and 60 thousand villages have achieved 100% household coverage. This shows the commitment to all-inclusive development and no one is left out.

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BY/MG/AS