Household tap connectivity coverage in rural households under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) will cross 85% by the end of the government’s term, Minister for Water Resources Roshy Augustine informed the Kerala’s Assembly on Thursday. He was responding to the Opposition UDF charges concerning poor progress of the centrally assisted scheme and Kerala’s place in the bottom of the implementation list at the national level.
What is the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) & its key features?
The JJM, launched in August 2019, is a flagship initiative aimed at providing Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) to every rural household by 2024, ensuring at least 55 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of potable water. The mission was initially planned to be completed by 2024, but the Union Budget 2023-24 extended its timeline to 2028.
Key Features of JJM
| Coverage | Rural areas, later extended to urban areas through AMRUT 2.0 |
| Service Delivery Approach | Focus on service level benchmarks – quantity, quality, regularity, and sustainability. |
| Community Participation | Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs), Gram Panchayats, and User groups are empowered for planning and monitoring. |
| Bottom-Up Planning | Preparation of Village Action Plans (VAPs). |
| Water Quality | Creation of 6,000 water testing laboratories; emphasis on NABL accreditation. |
| Convergence | Works in tandem with MGNREGA, SBM, PMKSY, NRDWP, etc., for source sustainability. |
| Technology Use | IoT, SCADA, GIS mapping, real-time dashboards |
What are the achievements JJM?
1. Expansion of Tap Water Coverage: 16.8% FHTCs in 2019 (3.23 crore households) to 79.74% by February 2025 (15.44 crore households). E.g. Covering ~13 crore out of ~19.4 crore households (≈ 67% coverage).
2. Budgetary Commitment: The Union Budget 2024–25 allocated ₹67,000 crore to JJM, reaffirming its centrality in rural development. Cumulatively, the mission has witnessed over ₹3.6 lakh crore in expenditure since inception.
3. State-Wise Success Stories: Eight states and three UT’s have achieved 100% FHTC coverage. States like Karnataka (38.3%) and Maharashtra (46.6%) have shown impressive progress in rural tap water coverage. Gujarat and Haryana serve as models with full coverage, demonstrating effective implementation strategies.
4. Transparency and Real-Time Monitoring: The JJM Dashboard ensures data transparency, enabling real-time monitoring of FHTC status. Over 3 lakh villages have achieved 100% coverage. Village Gram Sabhas play a key role in verifying connections, reinforcing local accountability.
5. Ensuring Safe Drinking Water: The mission focuses on water quality through infrastructure aligned with BIS:10500 standards. NABL-accredited labs and Community Water Purification Plants (CWPPs) in arsenic and fluoride-affected areas ensure supply of safe, potable water.
6. Focus on Source Sustainability: Mandatory provisions for rainwater harvesting, greywater reuse, aquifer recharge, watershed management. E.g. Kerala, despite low FHTC coverage, leverages private traditional wells effectively, highlighting the importance of preserving local sources.
7. Employment Generation: According to IIM Bangalore-ILO estimates, the mission created ~60 lakh direct jobs and ~2.2 crore indirect jobs during the capital expenditure phase. In the O&M phase, it is expected to generate 13.3 lakh direct employment opportunities, strengthening rural livelihoods.
8. Alignment with SDG Goals: JJM directly contributes to SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation, while indirectly supporting SDG-3 (Health) and SDG-5 (Gender Equality) through improved health outcomes and reduced water-fetching burden on women and girls.
What are the Impacts of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)?
1. Health & Human Development: As per Nobel laureate Prof. Michael Kremer research, safe water access can reduce under-5 child mortality by nearly 30%, potentially saving 1.36 lakh lives annually. It reduces waterborne diseases like diarrhoea and cholera, saves DALYs, and improves nutrition and public health.
2. Gender Empowerment & Ease of Living: By reducing the burden of water collection—traditionally on women and girls—JJM frees up time for education and employment. The 2024 Jal Shakti Abhiyan, themed “Nari Shakti se Jal Shakti,” reflects this focus, with initiatives like Dhamtari’s Jal Jagar campaign involving over 80,000 women.
3. Community-Led Governance: JJM promotes a Jan Andolan approach with 50% Gram Panchayats preparing Village Action Plans and active roles for Village Water & Sanitation Committees, enhancing local ownership, sustainability, and accountability.
4. Ecological & Scientific Water Management: NAQUIM has mapped 25 lakh sq. km of aquifers, while the Bhu-Neer Portal (2024) enables real-time groundwater monitoring. The FloodWatch India App 2.0 provides flood and reservoir data from 592 stations, aiding climate resilience.
5. Localized Innovations: Gujarat’s Jal Sanchay created 24,800 rainwater harvesting structures; Meghalaya’s Mawrah project rejuvenates springs and mine-spoilt land; Varanasi’s India-Denmark Smart Lab combines science and community action for river health.
6. Employment Generation: The mission creates jobs in plumbing, masonry, labs, and monitoring, offering livelihoods during both construction and O&M phases.
7. Behavioral Change: Community awareness on water use, conservation, and greywater reuse has improved water literacy and encouraged sustainable practices.
8. Water as a Right & SDG Enabler: JJM transforms water from a luxury into a public right, contributing directly to SDG-6 and enabling progress on health, gender, education, and poverty goals.
What challenges still remain unaddressed?
1. Slowing Progress and Delays: While JJM achieved rapid progress initially, the rate of FHTC coverage has slowed in recent months. Indicates logistical, infrastructural, and terrain-related challenges in difficult geographies.
2. Regional Disparities: States like Assam (3.7%) and Kerala (20%) lag far behind the national average, highlighting regional disparities and persistent gaps in infrastructure and implementation, particularly in aspirational and remote blocks.
3. Sustainability and Over-Extraction Concerns: The increasing demand for water is outpacing natural recharge in many areas, threatening long-term source sustainability. Over-reliance on groundwater for FHTC’s and piped supply without adequate recharge measures raises concerns, especially in water-stressed regions.
4. Water Quality Issues: Despite progress, many areas still face contamination challenges from fluoride, arsenic, and iron. While NABL-accredited labs are being developed, monitoring and quality assurance remain weak in several rural pockets.
5. Neglect of Traditional Water Sources: The push for FHTCs may inadvertently marginalize traditional, sustainable sources like dug wells, springs, and rainwater harvesting systems. In Kerala, for instance, despite low FHTC coverage, traditional wells meet water needs effectively and sustainably.
6. Infrastructure and O&M Deficits: Difficult geographies, especially hilly and tribal areas, face logistical and technical hurdles in infrastructure creation. Moreover, weak Operation & Maintenance (O&M) frameworks risk long-term service reliability and system breakdowns.
7. Data Discrepancies and Monitoring Challenges: Varying definitions and metrics across JJM, Census, NFHS, and NSS lead to data mismatches, complicating assessment. Ground studies often report inconsistencies between reported and actual coverage, undermining transparency and targeted intervention.
What Should be the Way Forward?
1. Strengthen Operation & Maintenance (O&M): Ensure long-term sustainability by training local youth and women under community-based models like Kerala’s Kudumbashree, which empowers women’s collectives to manage water supply systems efficiently. E.g. Swajal Scheme.
2. Promote Water-Secure Villages: Scale up water budgeting and source sustainability efforts through convergence with MGNREGS and the Atal Bhujal Yojana, similar to Israel’s model of integrated water resource management and reuse, especially in arid zones.
3. Adopt Smart Monitoring Tools: Expand real-time monitoring using IoT and AI for leak detection and quality control, inspired by Singapore’s Smart Water Grid, which integrates sensors and predictive analytics for efficient urban water supply.
4. Leverage Traditional Water Wisdom: Revive indigenous systems like Johads in Rajasthan or Zabo in Nagaland, integrating them with modern technology. This approach echoes Rajasthan’s Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan, which improved groundwater levels through decentralized efforts.
5. Enhance Greywater Management: Implement decentralized greywater reuse for irrigation and recharge, drawing from Germany’s decentralized wastewater treatment (DEWATS) systems, adapted to rural Indian contexts for water-scarce areas.
6. Institutionalize Behavioural Change: Build on the success of Swachh Bharat by creating village-level water literacy campaigns and school-based water clubs, taking cues from Australia’s Waterwise Schools Program, which instills conservation values early.
Conclusion
The JJM has made remarkable progress in providing FHTC’s to rural households, significantly improving access to clean drinking water. However, challenges such as regional disparities, sustainability concerns, and data discrepancies need to be addressed to ensure the mission’s long-term success. By integrating water conservation efforts, improving data collection mechanisms, and fostering community participation, JJM can achieve its goal of Har Ghar Jal while ensuring the sustainable management of India’s water resources.
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