The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has flagged significant deficiencies in the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Chhattisgarh, pointing to shortcomings in planning, fund management, execution of water supply schemes, water quality monitoring and achievement of programme objectives. The findings are contained in the Performance Audit Report on Jal Jeevan Mission in Chhattisgarh for the period ended March 2024, which was tabled in the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.

Launched by the Government of India in August 2019, the Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide a Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to every rural household. At the launch of the mission, only 3.20 lakh rural households (6 per cent) in Chhattisgarh had Functional Household Tap Connections. As of March 2024, the State reported providing 38.97 lakh Functional Household Tap Connections, covering 78 per cent of rural households, including 1.48 lakh private connections. With an expenditure of ₹11,034.26 crore, Chhattisgarh ranked 23rd in the country in terms of Functional Household Tap Connection coverage.

The audit found slow progress in the execution of water supply schemes. Of the 29,153 Single Village Schemes and 70 Multi Village Schemes sanctioned under the mission, only 172 Single Village Schemes had been completed by March 2024, while just 32 schemes had been handed over to Gram Panchayats or community institutions for operation and maintenance.

The report further noted that the State fell significantly short of the target of certifying all 19,656 villages as 'Har Ghar Jal' by March 2024. Against the target of 100 per cent certification, only 716 villages (3.64 per cent) had been certified. The audit also identified instances where villages were certified as 'Har Ghar Jal' despite incomplete works or unfinished water supply schemes.

According to the audit, none of the 33 districts or 146 development blocks in Chhattisgarh had achieved complete saturation in providing Functional Household Tap Connections to all rural households as of March 2024. Coverage in 18 districts ranged between 76 and 98 per cent, with Dhamtari recording the highest coverage at 98 per cent and Balodabazar 76 per cent, while the remaining 15 districts reported coverage between 56 and 74 per cent.

The audit observed that the prescribed bottom-up planning process was not followed. Village Action Plans were either not prepared or were bypassed while preparing District Action Plans, and no State Action Plan was formulated. It further noted that Implementing Support Agencies were engaged only after Village Action Plans had been prepared, limiting community participation and weakening planning for long-term drinking water security. The absence of a State-level Water Security Plan also affected source sustainability and long-term monitoring.

The report highlighted delays during the initial phase of the mission, which prevented the State from mobilising ₹6,480.04 crore, comprising ₹3,285.38 crore from the Central Government and ₹3,194.66 crore as the State's matching contribution. It also noted that the absence of a State Annual Plan prevented effective convergence of water conservation activities required for ensuring long-term water security.

The audit also found that several Solar Photovoltaic-based water supply schemes failed to meet the prescribed minimum drinking water service levels for 28,984 households, primarily because Functional Household Tap Connection coverage exceeded the designed capacity of the installed solar systems.

Reviewing water quality monitoring infrastructure, the Comptroller and Auditor General observed a significant shortfall in laboratory capacity. Of the 75 water testing laboratories in the State, only four laboratories were equipped to test all the prescribed 13 water quality parameters, while 37 per cent of the laboratories lacked accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).

The report concludes with recommendations to strengthen planning, financial management, execution of water supply schemes, water quality monitoring and institutional mechanisms to ensure effective implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission and achievement of its objective of providing safe and sustainable drinking water to every rural household in the State.

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RDJ

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