Smooth Flow: Water woes in rural areas to be washed away through Central Mission

Despite several problems that still need ironing out, cities have been fortunate enough to get water supply through taps in their homes. But rural areas are still dependent on water from handpumps, wells, ponds, and other natural depressions where water gets collected during the rainy season.

MASSIVE TRANSFORMATION

Going by the figures provided by the Indian Government, in 2019, out of 19.32 crore families in rural areas, only 3.23 crore (about 17%) had tap water connections in their homes. As a result, the only source of “running drinking water” for about 16 crore families was by fetching water on foot from an outside resource. In water-stressed regions, especially during summers, people face difficulty in procuring adequate potable water, which affects their daily lives adversely, and water tankers have to be put in operation by the government or local administration.

On the 73^rd Independence Day, on August 15, 2019, the problem of water crisis was addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech from the ramparts of Red Fort where he announced the Jal Jeevan Mission: Har Ghar Jal with an aim to ensure tap water supply to every rural home. Under the programme, every rural household is expected to have a functional tap water connection by 2024.

The results seem promising as out of the total 19,43,58,243 rural households across India, 11,64,82,887 (59.93%) have tap connections (as on March 23, 2023). If one travels along the countryside, large concrete water tanks, which earlier could only be found dotting the skyline of urban or suburban areas, can be seen adorning the premises of Panchayat Bhawans. Piped water is subsequently provided from these tanks to village households.

Providing potable drinking water in the taps of households in the hilly terrains of the Northeastern states is a humongous task. On January 4, 2022, while laying down the foundation stone of various drinking water projects in Manipur, the PM stated that only 6% people of Manipur had piped water supply in their homes till a few years ago. But that number has reached over 60% under the Jal Jeevan Mission. In March 2023, Arunachal Pradesh crossed 75% coverage under the scheme, providing drinking water to 1.73 lakh rural households.

Jal Jeevan Mission has a budget outlay of Rs 3.6 lakh crore for a period of five years. The ambitious project, once complete, is expected to give a boost to manufacturing and create job opportunities, which, in turn, will lift the rural economy.

Observing the project from a social angle, assured piped water supply in rural homes will reduce the drudgery of women as they will no longer have to waste a considerable part of the day fetching water from a distance. This will help them complete their household chores much earlier and the time saved can be utilised in doing something constructive, which will provide them earning potential, thus, providing them empowerment and dignity.

The core principle of the Jal Jeevan Mission is a “decentralised, demand-driven community managed water supply programme”. The Gram Panchayat, or a committee formed by it to play the role of a public utility, will have the central role in planning, implementation, management, operation and maintenance of the village water supply system. When a community gets together, it leads to the development of a responsible and responsive leadership at the village level.