Is Jal Jeevan Mission coming to an end-Mission Director replied

Guwahati: The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Assam has been temporarily halted due to quality control issues and project timeline delays. The state government is committed to delivering safe drinking water to every village and household through piped water, but faces challenges due to project delays and quality issues, particularly due to contractor capacity in some regions. 

Speaking to Business North East, Mission Director of JJM Kailash Karthik N, stated “ This is a temporary standstill. So that we can look at quality of scheme independently”.

As of October 6, the Jal Shakti Ministry reported that the mission has provided tap water connections to 15.19 crore rural households nationwide, ensuring 78.58% of rural homes now have access to potable water. At the launch of JJM in 2019, only 1.6% of Assam's rural population had access to Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs), equating to just 1.1 lakh connections.

ALSO READ: Cultivating Change: How Dr. Saumen Bharatiya’s Byatikram Is Redefining Socio-Cultural Engagement

The JJM is set to achieve its targets by 2024 in Assam, marking a significant milestone in the state's development. Post-completion, the focus will shift towards sustainability, water conservation, and continuous monitoring and evaluation to address emerging issues and improve the efficiency of the water supply systems.

The Jal Jeevan Mission aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water to all households in rural India by 2024. The program includes source sustainability measures such as recharge and reuse through grey water management, water conservation, and rain water harvesting. The Jal Jeevan Mission is based on a community approach and includes information, education, and communication. The mission aims to create a Jan Andolan for water, making it everyone's priority. 

The key objectives include ensuring every household has a functional household tap connection by 2024, assured tap water supply of adequate quantity and quality, and expected outcomes including reduced drudgery for women and girls, improved quality of life, ease of living, and dignity of life for rural communities. The mission emphasizes service delivery and functionality, community participation and ownership, and water quality surveillance by the local community, involving women. JJM ensures that the poorest and marginalized are provided with assured tap water supply.