Only close to half of the rural households in India have access to Piped Water Supply (PWS), according to the latest data by the Ministry of Jal Shakti. While over 19 crore (19,27,76,015) rural households are recorded across the country, the data says that only 9,11,37,165 have access to piped water supply as of February this year; that is, a 47.28 per cent of rural households.
At the same time, all the rural households of three states - Goa, Haryana and Telangana, and three Union Territories, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Puducherry have access to running water, according to the government data. The coverage is part of the Jal Jeevan Mission of the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
However, when it comes to the availability of Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC), only 37 per cent of the rural households are covered, as of February. The situation is poor in states like Uttar Pradesh, Mizoram, and Jammu and Kashmir where only 8.2 per cent, 9.2 per cent and 11.4 per cent of rural households respectively have taps with running water.
The states and UTs where all villages have access to piped water in their localities, have functional taps in all houses. The situation is noteworthy, especially in Telangana, where, according to the data, only close to 30 per cent of rural households had tap connections, at the time of announcing JJM.
Resurrecting an underperforming scheme
The Jal Jeevan Mission i was announced on the Independence Day of 2019. It was the revamped 2009 scheme of the National Rural Drinking Water Programme . This mission’s goal is to provide household tap connection to all rural households by 2024.
The ministry data indicates during the inception of JJM, only 18.10 per cent of the rural households had access to piped water supply. The 2018 CAG report also supports the same. “By 2017, NRDWP aimed to achieve certain objectives. However, by December 2017, these objectives were not completely attained,” it says, adding, “It also aimed to provide 50 per cent of rural population potable drinking water (55 litres per capita per day) by piped water supply. Of this, only 18 per cent of the rural population was provided potable drinking water. It also sought to give household connections to 35 per cent of rural households. Of this, only 17 per cent of rural households were given household connections,” the report says.
By the end of FY20, only 21.3 per cent of rural households had access to a water pipeline. . During the next financial year, a 37.99 per cent of the rural households had access. As of February 2022, the coverage is 47.28 per cent. At the same time, the allocation towards this project has increased over the years. While ₹10,998 crore was allocated in FY2121, it rose to ₹45,011 crore in FY22 and ₹60,000 crore in the latest budget.