Several villages are still struggling to have access to one of the most basic necessities, potable water supply to their homes. In a bid to put an end to this, the Centre has committed to provide potable tap water connection to every rural household by 2024 under its Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti announced on Friday that it working with states to improve quality of life and enhance ease of living for rural households, giving the highest priority to potability of drinking water.

JJM's national mission to provide potable water on tap to every household by 2024 ensures a significant impact on water-borne diseases and public health. It is working with states and UTs to ensure accreditation of water quality testing labs, which will be made available to the public at nominal rates. Constant vigil on the quality of water will ensure the safety of the public from water-borne diseases, JJM noted.

Chennai Water Crisis
[Representational image]Reuters

Improving quality of life

By committing to providing potable water on tap to every household, JJM ends the need for people to wait in queues to fetch water or rely on water tankers during summers. This will certainly save women, mainly girls, from the burden of fetching water from a distance. Every family, regardless of their social-economic background, will have assured piped water supply in their homes.

"Jal Jeevan Mission is making relentless efforts to bring improvements in the lives of people by ensuring the provision of potable water supply to bridge the rural-urban divide in terms of such a basic necessity of life," JJM said, adding that it "aims to provide potable water to every home at the service level of 55 litres per person per day, of prescribed quality on a regular and long-term basis. Building partnerships, changing lives."

Water, drinking water
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JJM is also prioritizing saturating villages in water-stressed areas, quality-affected areas, aspirational districts, SC/ST majority villages, Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna (SAGY) villages, Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), etc.

So far, over 2.91 Crore families living in rural areas got tap water connection in their homes under Jal Jeevan Mission and 32% of the country's rural families have assured tap water supply in homes.