Functional, permanent tap water is a basic necessity and of late the government has made various strides to reach the target. According to an official communiqué, 14.03 lakh (75%) out of 18.69 lakh rural households have so far been covered under Tap Water Connections by the J&K Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), a flagship programme of national importance aimed to provide each and every rural household with Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) within the premises, capable of supplying water at a minimum service level of 55 liters per capita per day and quality conforming to BIS 10500.
At an estimated cost of Rs. 13000 crore, the programme involves creation of a sustainable water infrastructure and to build the capacities of the local communities and involve them in the management of the water supply assets on a long term and sustainable basis, officials say.
The Mission, it says, has been working overnight to achieve the targets and so far out of 6596 work components, more than 5600 components (85%) like Tube wells, Bore Wells, Rapid Sand Filtration Plants, Over Head Tanks, Ground Service Reservoirs and pipe networks have started with completion of 1376 works as on date.
Also, over 3000 schemes are under execution across all the districts with involvement of about 1700 contractors executing the works. At least 350 Water Supply Schemes have been completed as on date.
Under Water Quality Monitoring & Surveillance, during the current fiscal, about 1.75 lakh tests have been conducted through 98 Water Testing laboratories set up all across the JK to ensure the constant maintenance of quality of the water being supplied to the general public.
Apart from it, about 7500 Field Testing Kits have been distributed among 6630 Panchayat Pani Samitis and more than 33000 Women have been trained for use of FTKs in checking the quality of water and reporting the results online through WQMIS Portal.
While 75% coverage marks an impressive jump in percentage points for three years, the allied departments and other concerned need to ensure that the remaining 25% works are connected within reasonable dispatch and it is hoped that statement made by Chief Secretary that 95% of FHTCs works will be done by year end and full accomplishment of the Mission by March 2024 will come true.
It is important to note that while functional, permanent tap water is a basic necessity, the administration must evaluate the extent of quality and consistent adoption of tap water in rural areas.
