Context:

• The Government of India has ensured tap water supply in approximately 89% of schools and 85% of Anganwadi centers under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
• This is a significant step towards increasing access to clean drinking water in rural areas.

Key Points:

• The Government of India, in partnership with states/UTs, is working under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to provide safe drinking water through tap connections to every rural household.
• As of February 1, 2025, JJM has successfully provided tap water connections to an additional 12.20 crore rural households, increasing the total coverage to 15.44 crore households, which is 79.74% of all rural households in India.
• The Union government has allocated ₹67,000 crore for JJM in FY 2025-26, aiming to cover the remaining rural households.
• The mission targets to provide clean and adequate drinking water to every rural household by 2028.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO):

• Once all households receive tap water, it will save 5.5 crore hours daily previously spent on water collection.
• This initiative could prevent around 4 lakh deaths annually caused by waterborne diseases like diarrhea.
• It will add 1.40 crore disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
• According to Nobel Laureate Professor Michael Kremer, access to clean drinking water could reduce under-five child mortality by 30%, saving approximately 1.36 lakh children annually.

Jal Jeevan Mission:

• Launch: By PM Narendra Modi on August 15, 2019.
• Goal: To ensure tap water supply to every rural household by 2024.
• Initial coverage: Only 3.23 crore (17%) rural households had tap water connections at the mission's inception.

Current status (as of February 1, 2025):

• 15.44 crore (79.74%) rural households now have tap water connections.

Har Ghar Jal Initiative:

• 189 districts reported, 108 certified.
• 1,862 blocks reported, 892 certified.
• 1,18,230 panchayats reported, 79,402 certified.
• 2,51,579 villages reported, 1,53,193 certified.
• States/UTs with 100% Tap Water Coverage:
• Goa, Andaman and Nicobar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Haryana, Telangana, Puducherry, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh.

Objectives:

• The broad objectives of the Jal Jeevan Mission include:
• Ensuring Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) for every rural household.
• Prioritizing FHTC provision in quality-affected areas, drought-prone regions, desert areas, and Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) villages.
• Providing tap water connections in schools, Anganwadi centers, gram panchayat buildings, health centers, and community centers.
• Monitoring the functionality of tap water connections.
• Promoting voluntary ownership among local communities through cash, kind, or labor contributions.
• Ensuring sustainability of water supply systems, including water sources, infrastructure, and regular operations and maintenance.
• Developing human resources in the water sector, including construction, plumbing, electrical works, water quality management, treatment, and watershed conservation.
• Increasing awareness about safe drinking water and making water everyone’s responsibility through stakeholder involvement.

Quality Assurance and Monitoring:

Laboratory Testing:

• A network of 2,162 laboratories has tested 66.32 lakh water samples.

Field Testing Kits (FTK):

• 24.80 lakh women have been trained to test water quality using FTKs.
• So far, 85.39 lakh samples have been tested using FTKs.

Benefits:

• Early detection of contamination.
• Enhanced monitoring of water quality in villages.
• Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Rainwater Harvesting:
• Launched: In 2019 as "Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain" (JSA: CTR).
• Objective: To promote water conservation through public participation.
• 2023 Theme: 'Source Sustainability for Drinking Water,' focusing on making water sources sustainable.
• 2024 Theme: 'Nari Shakti Se Jal Shakti,' highlighting the crucial role of women in water conservation.
• 2025 Theme: "People's Action for Water Conservation - Towards Enhanced Community Engagement."

World Water Day:

• Date: Celebrated annually on March 22.
• Objective: To raise awareness about water conservation, the importance of water, and access to clean drinking water.
• Launched: Declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993.
• 2025 Theme: "Glacier Conservation."
• Organizing Bodies: UN-Water and various partner organizations coordinate the observance.