New Delhi (The Hawk): Since August 2019, Government of India, in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) for making provision of potable tap water supply to every rural household, including those in arid and water scarce districts, by 2024. The estimated outlay of the mission is Rs. 3.60 lakh Crore, out of which Central share is Rs. 2.08 lakh Crore.
At the time of announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission, 3.23 Crore households were reported to have tap water connections. So far, more than 6.61 Crore rural households have been provided with tap water connections in last 35 months. Thus, as of date, out of 19.13 Crore rural households in the country, 9.84 Crore (51.43%) households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes. Under the mission, 30% weightage is assigned for difficult terrains which inter alia include areas under Desert Development Programme (DDP) and Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP) while allocating the fund, to prioritize the coverage in these areas. Further, provisions have been made in the operational guidelines for planning and implementation of bulk water transfer from long distances and regional water supply schemes for ensuring tap water supply in drought-prone & water-scarce areas/ areas with inadequate rainfall or dependable ground water sources. In addition, provisions have also been made for source recharging, viz. dedicated bore well recharge structures, rain water recharge, rejuvenation of existing water bodies, etc., in convergence with other schemes such as MGNREGS, Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), 15th Finance Commission tied grants to RLBs/ PRIs, State schemes, CSR funds, etc.
For villages in water-scarce areas, in order to save the precious fresh water, States are also being encouraged to plan new water supply scheme with dual piped water supply system, i.e. supply of fresh water in one and treated grey/ waste water in another pipe for non-potable/ gardening/ toilet flushing use. Moreover, the households in these areas are to be encouraged to use the faucet aerators that save a significant amount of water, in multiple taps they may be using inside their house. This information was given by the Minister of State, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.