Seven states, UTs achieve ‘100% piped water connection’ goal

Seven states and Union Territories have achieved 100 per cent household water connections under centrally sponsored Jal Jeevan Mission.

Goa, Telangana, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Puducherry and Haryana are the states that can now boast of 100 per cent household water connections.

Punjab, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar have covered more than 90 per cent households, and are fast progressing towards attaining the 100 per cent coverage, said the Jal Shakti ministry.

However, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Jharkhand still do not have even 25 per cent coverage of functional tap water connection—less than half of the national average of 50 per cent.

As per official data, Uttar Pradesh has the lowest coverage at 13.75 per cent, followed by Jharkhand at 20.01 per cent, Chhattisgarh 23.26 per cent and Rajasthan at 24.58 per cent. According to the ministry, of the 19.13 crore rural households in the country, 9.59 crore have access to functional tap water connections.

When the scheme was launched in 2019, only 3.23 crore households—only 17 per cent—of the rural population had access to drinking water through taps.

The Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide safe piped drinking water to all rural households across the country by 2024. The scheme also ensures coverage to government schools, gram panchayat offices, community health centres and anganwadi centres.