Jal Jeevan Mission to provide piped water to rural home

The Government has vowed to provide piped drinking water to every rural household by 2024 – advancing the deadline to do so by six years.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said that the newly-created Union Ministry of Jal Shakti would work with the state governments to implement Jal Jeevan Mission and ensure “Har Ghar Jal” (Water in every home) by providing water through pipelines to all rural households by 2024.

The government had in March 2017 stated that it was committed to making the dream of “Har Ghar Jal” a reality by 2030.

The growing water scarcity across the country apparently prompted it to advance the deadline by six years.

“Ensuring India’s water security and providing access to safe and adequate drinking water to all Indians is a priority of the Government,” Finance Minister said while presenting the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha.

She said that the Jal Jeevan Mission would converge with other Central and state government schemes to achieve its objectives of sustainable water supply management across the country. It would focus on integrated demand and supply management of water at the local level, including the creation of local infrastructure for source sustainability like rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and management of the household.

A Niti Aayog study last year revealed that the country was experiencing its ‘worst’ water crisis in history with nearly 600 million people facing high to extreme water stress.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party had promised the Jal Jeevan Mission in its manifesto released ahead of the Lok Sabha elections held in April-May this year.

Soon after leading the party to win a second term in power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi created the new Ministry of Jal Shakti, integrating the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. It would look at the management of water resources and water supply in an integrated and holistic manner, and would work with States, said Sitharaman.

The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation of the Ministry of Jal Shakti would run the Jal Jeevan Mission.

“The Government has identified 1592 Blocks which are critical and overexploited, spread across 256 District for the Jal Shakti Abhiyan,” Finance Minister said on Friday. “Besides using funds available under various Schemes, the Government will also explore the possibility of using additional funds available under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) for this purpose.”