With concerted efforts made under ADP, 117 districts in remote locations with low human development indicators and basic facilities, have experienced faster development. Jal Jeevan Mission has played a key role to make it possible. On August 15, 2019, when Jal Jeevan Mission was announced, only 24.58 lakh (7%) households in Aspirational Districts had a tap water supply.
In a short span of 22 months, tap water connections have been provided to additional 84 lakh households in these districts and thus now 31.37% of household have assured tap water supply. This 24% increase in coverage in aspirational districts is more than a 22.72% increase in tap water supply across the country during these 22 months.
At the start of Jal Jeevan Mission in 2019, out of a total of 19.20 Crore rural households in the country, only 3.23 Crore (17%) had a tap water supply. During the last 22 months, despite COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown disruptions, Jal Jeevan Mission, has been implemented with speed and 4.36 Crore households have been provided with piped connections.
With the increase in coverage by about 23%, presently 7.59 Crore (39.58%) rural households across the country have tap water supply. Goa, Telangana, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry have achieved 100% household connection in rural areas and has become ‘Har Ghar Jal’. Translating PM Modi’s vision of providing clean tap water to every household, at present, every household in 63 districts and about 94 thousand villages has tap water supply.
All 3 Aspirational Districts of Telangana have become ‘Har Ghar Jal.’ It is expected that all households in villages of Aspirational Districts in Bihar in 2021, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Punjab and Sikkim in 2022 will get tap water connections.
Among the States, Bihar has done a lot of good work in Aspirational Districts. Now, 72% of households in 13 Aspirational Districts in the State have a tap water supply.
In Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, which is an Aspirational District, 82% rural households have been provided with tap water connection under Jal Jeevan Mission.
Similarly, 77% households in Narmada, an Aspirational District in Gujarat, has tap water supply. Villages in this hilly region with rocky aquifer and low groundwater lever had no reliable source of drinking water. A multi-village scheme of two water treatment plants was planned on the Ukai reservoir. The scheme is now providing potable water in 221 villages covering 2.75 lakh people.