Jal Jeevan Mission: Transforming Rural Water Access in India

Recent developments indicate a potential shift in the financial landscape of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), with reports suggesting a possible 46% reduction in central funding against the Jal Shakti Ministry’s demand for the extended phase until December 2028. The Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) has recommended a release of ₹1.51 lakh crore, significantly lower than the requested ₹2.79 lakh crore, creating a substantial funding gap exceeding ₹1.25 lakh crore. This proposed cut raises concerns about the mission’s capacity to meet its extended deadline of December 2028 for providing tap connections to all rural households, especially with approximately 4 crore households still lacking this essential service. The responsibility for bridging this financial shortfall may increasingly fall upon the states, potentially influencing the mission’s implementation pace and overall effectiveness across the diverse Indian landscape.  

What is the Jal Jeevan Mission?

• The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) is a flagship initiative of the Government of India.
• Launched on August 15, 2019.
• Ambitious goal: providing safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections (Har Ghar Jal) to every rural home across the country.  
• Initial completion target: 2024.
• Timeline extended to 2028 to ensure universal coverage.  
• Core objectives:
  • Providing Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) to all rural households.
  • Ensuring a regular and long-term supply of water.
  • Meeting prescribed quality standards (BIS: 10500).
  • Minimum service level of 55 liters per capita per day (lpcd).  
• Fundamental principle: emphasis on service delivery, prioritizing assured potable water supply over infrastructure creation.  
• Adopts a community-driven approach.
  • Recognizes the crucial role of local participation and ownership.
  • Integrates extensive Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) activities for awareness and behavioral change.  
• Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.
  • Ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.  
• Holistic approach: ensuring quality, sustainability, and active community involvement.

Why was the Jal Jeevan Mission Launched?

• Launched to confront the pervasive issue of rural water scarcity in India.
  • Significant proportion of households lacked access to clean and piped water sources.  
  • In 2019, only 17% (3.23 crore) of rural households had tap water connections.  
• Lack of safe drinking water has severe health implications.
  • Contributes to waterborne diseases.
  • Diarrhea is a leading cause of mortality among children under five years in India.  
  • WHO estimates nearly 400,000 annual deaths from diarrheal diseases could be prevented by ensuring safe drinking water for all households in India.  
• Fetching water is time-consuming and physically demanding.
  • Disproportionately affects women and girls in rural households.  
  • Hindering their access to education and limiting socio-economic opportunities.  
  • Mission aims to alleviate this burden, improving health, education, and overall well-being.  
• Previous water supply schemes often focused solely on infrastructure.
  • Without ensuring long-term functionality and water quality.  
• JJM envisioned as a comprehensive and sustainable solution.
  • To address these multifaceted challenges.  
• Mission’s launch reflects a paradigm shift towards a more holistic and people-centric approach to rural water management.

Where is the Jal Jeevan Mission Being Implemented?

• Has a pan-India coverage.
  • Goal: providing tap water connections to every rural household across all states and Union Territories.  
• Strategically prioritizes:
  • Quality-affected areas: contaminated water sources (arsenic, fluoride).  
  • Drought-prone regions.
  • Desert areas.
  • Villages under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) for FHTCs.  
  • Example: West Bengal and Kerala faced challenges with arsenic and fluoride contamination.  
• Employs a differential cost-sharing model:
  • Himalayan and North-eastern states: Central govt. contributes 90%, states 10%.
  • Union Territories: 100% central funding.
  • Other states: 50:50 funding between central and state governments.  
• Significant progress observed in various states:
  • Andhra Pradesh: 73.82% tap water coverage by April 2025, benefiting 70.5 million rural households. YSR district achieved 100% coverage.  
  • Goa, Telangana, and Haryana: Reported achieving full coverage.  
• Some states still lag behind the national average.  
• Varied progress underscores diverse factors influencing implementation across India.

When was the Jal Jeevan Mission Launched and What is its Timeline?

• Officially launched on August 15, 2019, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  
• Initial target: provide tap water supply to every rural household by 2024.  
• Timeline extended to 2028.
  • Announced during the Union Budget 2025-26.
  • ₹67,000 crore allocated to JJM, reaffirming commitment.  
• Baseline coverage in 2019: 17% (3.23 crore households).  
• Mission aimed to cover nearly 16 crore additional households by 2024.  
• Progress as of March 2025: over 80% (more than 15.52 crore) rural households reported to have tap water supply.  
• Extension reflects practical challenges of large-scale infrastructure projects.
• Progress highlights concerted efforts and impact of the initiative.

Who are the Key Stakeholders in the Jal Jeevan Mission?

• Successful implementation relies on active participation and coordination at various levels.
• National Level:
  • National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM) under the Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti.  
  • Provides policy guidance, allocates funds, monitors progress.  
• State Level:
  • State Water And Sanitation Mission (SWSM), headed by the Chief Secretary.
  • Coordinates efforts, ensures convergence, provides state-specific policy guidance.  
• District Level:
  • District Water and Sanitation Mission (DWSM), led by the Deputy Commissioner or District Collector.  
  • Responsible for overall implementation within the district, oversees planning, execution, and monitoring.  
• Gram Panchayat Level:
  • Gram Panchayat (GP) and/or its sub-committee: Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC), Paani Samiti, or User Group.  
  • Central to mission’s success.
  • Empowered to lead planning, implementation, management, operation, and maintenance of in-village water supply infrastructure.  
  • VWSCs mandated to include at least 50% women members.  
• Implementation Support Agencies (ISAs):
  • NGOs, voluntary organizations, community-based organizations.
  • Facilitate community participation, provide technical assistance, support implementation.  
• Collaborative efforts of diverse stakeholders are essential for achieving JJM’s goals.

How is the Jal Jeevan Mission Being Implemented?

• Employs a decentralized, demand-driven, and community-managed approach.
  • Ensures alignment with local community needs through Gram Sabha resolutions.  
• Structured into distinct phases:
  • Planning and Mobilization Phase:
    • Conducting baseline surveys.
    • Identifying eligible villages.
    • Fostering community engagement and awareness.
    • Constituting Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs).  
    • Preparation of Village Action Plans (VAPs) with community participation.  
  • Implementation Phase:
    • Construction of water supply infrastructure.
    • Augmentation of existing water sources.
    • Rigorous testing of water quality.
    • Implementation of greywater management systems.
    • Installation of individual household tap connections.
  • Post-Implementation Phase:
    • Ensuring sustained functionality of water supply systems.
    • Providing regular water supply to households.
    • Establishing operation and maintenance protocols.
    • Implementing water tariff collection mechanisms (where applicable).
    • Conducting capacity building programs for local communities.  
• Key strategy: convergence with other government programs.
  • MGNREGS, Swachh Bharat Mission.  
  • To optimize utilization of funds and resources.
• Actively leverages technology:
  • Deployment of sensor-based Internet of Things (IoT) devices in over six lakh villages for real-time monitoring of water quantity, quality, and pressure.  
  • User-friendly digital dashboard and mobile application for real-time progress updates.  
  • Encourages adoption of innovative technologies for water treatment and contaminant removal.  
• Multi-faceted implementation strategy designed for long-term success and sustainability.

Benefits & Positive Impacts of the Jal Jeevan Mission

• Significant improvement in public health outcomes.
  • Reduces incidence of waterborne diseases (diarrhea, cholera, dysentery).  
  • Estimated 1.36 lakh lives could be saved annually with universal coverage.  
• Enhances ease of living and promotes dignity for rural populations.
  • Brings water directly to doorsteps, eliminating arduous task of fetching water.  
• Transformative for women.
  • Reduces physical burden and frees up time.  
  • Empowers them to pursue education, skill development, and economic activities.  
• Improved health and increased productivity can stimulate economic growth and development in rural areas.  
• Focus on functional tap connections in schools and Anganwadi centers benefits children.
  • Ensuring access to safe drinking water crucial for health, well-being, and education.  
• Promotes water conservation and source sustainability.
  • Through rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, and greywater management.  
• Acts as a catalyst for holistic rural development.
  • Addressing fundamental need for safe water.
  • Fostering improvements in health, gender equality, economic opportunity, and environmental sustainability.

Challenges & Limitations of the Jal Jeevan Mission

• Ensuring the sustainability of water sources is a critical challenge.
  • Depleting groundwater levels due to over-extraction, pollution, climate change.  
  • Salinity of groundwater in some areas.  
• Maintaining water quality across India’s diverse landscape is a major hurdle.
  • Contamination with fluoride, arsenic, iron, and other pollutants.  
• Significant regional disparities in implementation progress.
  • Some states lag due to infrastructural limitations, logistics, challenging terrain.  
• Infrastructure and logistical hurdles in difficult geographies.
  • Especially in hilly and tribal areas.  
  • Delays in project commencement and completion where existing infrastructure is inadequate.  
• Weak frameworks for Operation & Maintenance (O&M) of installed infrastructure.
  • Risk to long-term reliability and service delivery.  
• Presence of data discrepancies and monitoring challenges.
  • Variations in definitions and metrics across data sources.  
• Issues such as low tender responses and delays in material supply.
  • Impediments to smooth implementation in some regions.  
• Addressing these multifaceted challenges is crucial for achieving JJM’s goals.

Challenges Related to Funding

• Faces potential headwinds due to emerging challenges related to funding.
• Significant 46% cut in the Centre’s funding assistance for the extended phase until 2028.
  • EFC recommended ₹1.51 lakh crore against the demand of ₹2.79 lakh crore.  
  • Funding gap of over ₹1.25 lakh crore.  
• Reduction in central funding likely to burden state governments’ financial resources.
  • States like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh could face severe implications.  
• Government cited concerns over inflated costs and delays as reasons for the cut.
  • Significant increase in cost per tap connection in some areas.  
• Funding constraint has the potential to derail the mission’s goal by 2028.
  • May slow down progress in lagging states.  
• Mission emphasizes the need to source funds from various avenues.
  • Promoting convergence with other government programs, state schemes, CSR, and potential international donations.  
• Navigating these funding constraints is crucial for maintaining momentum and achieving universal access.

Way Forward for the Jal Jeevan Mission

• Continued and enhanced emphasis on long-term sustainability of water supply systems.
  • Source conservation, water harvesting, efficient water use.  
  • Aquifer mapping and integration of dynamic VAPs with GPDPs.  
• Strengthening community participation and ownership.
  • Further empowerment of VWSCs/Pani Samitis.  
  • Capacity building for effective O&M.  
  • Training local youth and women for O&M activities.  
• Leveraging technological advancements.
  • Expanding deployment of IoT-based monitoring systems for real-time data.  
• Addressing existing regional disparities.
  • Developing tailored strategies for states facing specific challenges.  
• Ensuring robust water quality monitoring and surveillance at the local level.
  • Establishing well-equipped testing facilities and training community members.  
• State governments should develop and enforce comprehensive policies.
  • Encompassing sustainability for rural piped water services.  
• Exploring innovative funding mechanisms and ensuring efficient and transparent utilization of resources.
  • Strict accountability in financial management.  
• Strategically focusing on these areas to navigate challenges and continue towards universal safe drinking water access.

Comparison Chart

Conclusion

The Jal Jeevan Mission stands as a transformative initiative with the potential to significantly improve the lives of millions in rural India by ensuring access to safe and adequate drinking water. It has made remarkable progress since its launch in 2019, achieving over 80% coverage of rural households with tap water connections by early 2025. The mission’s focus on service delivery, community participation, and the integration of technology distinguishes it from previous efforts. However, challenges related to water source sustainability, water quality, regional disparities, and now, potential funding constraints, remain significant hurdles. The way forward necessitates a continued emphasis on long-term sustainability, empowering local communities, leveraging technological advancements, and ensuring efficient financial management. The potential reduction in central funding presents a critical challenge that requires careful consideration and proactive strategies to mitigate its impact on the mission’s ambitious goals. Ultimately, the success of the Jal Jeevan Mission will not only depend on the physical infrastructure created but also on the sustained functionality, equitable access, and the active involvement of the communities it aims to serve.

Practice Question

Assess the implications of the proposed reduction in central funding for the Jal Jeevan Mission on its timeline and equitable implementation across states. (250 words)