Tap water connections

According to an assessment report released by the Jal Shakti Ministry, only 62% rural households in the country were found to have functional Tap water connections. This survey was commissioned to assess the functioning of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

Key highlights –

• Functional Tap water connections —
  • • Only 62% rural households in the country were found to have functional Tap water connections. A fully functional tap water connection is defined as a household getting at least “55 litres of per capita per day” of “potable water” all through the “year”.
    • 38% of the total assessed households unable to reach the functionality levels in terms of meeting all 3 parameters of adequate quantity, fully regular supply and quality (potable).
    • Overall functionality of household tap connection in the country increased by 14% in 2021-22 over the previous assessment in 2020-21.
• Top performers — The findings show Puducherry at the top with 88% functionality score followed by Tamil Nadu (86%), Himachal Pradesh (82%), Goa (81%) and Telangana (80%).
• Worst performers —
  • • Rajasthan is at the bottom with the lowest 38% of functionality score.
    • Kerala, Manipur and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (40% each), Tripura (41%), Maharashtra (43%) and Madhya Pradesh (47%) appeared as second, third, fourth and fifth worst state.
• Water quality —
  • • The survey revealed 95% of households to have within acceptable limits of pH values.
    • However, the report mentions a concerning problem of chlorine contamination.

About the ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ –

• Jal Jeevan Mission is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking water through Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) by 2024 to all households in rural India. It was launched on August 15, 2019.
• The focus of this mission is on assured and regular potable water service delivery at household level, i.e., water supply in adequate quantity (55 litres per person per day).
• Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti is the nodal institution responsible for implementation of this mission.
• JJM is a decentralised, demand-driven, and community-managed programme that aims to instil a ‘sense of ownership’ among the local community.
• The programme also implements source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, such as — recharge and reuse through grey water management, water conservation, rain water harvesting.
• The mission is based on a community approach to water and will include extensive Information, Education and communication (IEC) as a key component of the mission.
• JJM looks to create a jan andolan for water, thereby making it everyone’s priority.

Performance of JJM –

• Goa, Telangana and Haryana have achieved 100% tap connectivity to all households.
• Union Territories like Puducherry, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu, have also provided 100% of their households with tap water connections.