150 million rural homes connected to tap water supply, West Bengal, Rajasthan lag

New Delhi: About 150 million of the country’s 193 million rural households are connected to tap water supply, according to data from the Union ministry of jal shakti.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, minister of state for jal shakti V. Somanna said the remaining 43 million households are likely to be covered by states as per their respective plans.

“At the time of announcement of Jal Jeevan Mission, 32.3 million (17%) rural households were reported to have tap water connections. So far, as reported by states/UTs as on 25.07.2024, around 117.8 million additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections. Thus, as on 25.07.2024, out of 193.2 million rural households in the country, around 150 million (77.69%) households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes and the remaining 43 million households are likely to be covered by the states as per their plans,” the minister said.

States lagging behind

According to data provided by the union government on Monday, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Kerala and Jharkhand lagged the most with only about 51-53% their rural households connected to tap water. In West Bengal, 50.92% households have tap water connection, the data showed, while Rajasthan, Kerala and Jharkhand, respectively have 51.58%, 53.31% and 53.97% households supplied with tap water.

Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Punjab and Telangana have recorded 100% rural tap water connection.

In Bihar, Uttarakhand, Nagaland over 90% households in rural areas have been connected with tap water supplies. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh have 86.37%, 84.96% and 84.37% rural households connected to tap water respectively.

The Jal Jeevan Mission was launched in 2019 with an aim to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India.

Under the mission, states need to source funds from different sources and for different programmes. It aims at development of in-village piped water supply infrastructure to provide tap water connection to every rural household, development of reliable drinking water sources and augmentation of existing sources to provide long-term sustainability of water supply system.

Wherever necessary, bulk water transfer, treatment plants and distribution network is expected to be developed to cater to every rural household. The scheme also aims to provide technological interventions for removal of contaminants where water quality is an issue.