The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) Introduction 

• The Kerela government has sanctioned ₹500 crore more towards its share for the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) rural household tap connection scheme. Household tap connectivity coverage in rural households under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) will cross 85% by the end of the government’s term in Kerela, as per the Minister for Water Resources Roshy Augustine. 
• The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), a flagship initiative launched by the Government of India in August 2019, aims to provide Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) to every rural household across the country by 2028. 
• This ambitious project ensures that every rural household has access to a minimum of 55 litres of potable water per capita per day (lpcd), addressing the chronic water scarcity and improving public health. 
• Initially set to be completed by 2024, the timeline was extended to 2028 in the Union Budget 2023-24, providing ample time for comprehensive implementation.

What is Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)?

• The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) is a national initiative to ensure that every rural household receives tap water connections by 2028. 
• It is designed to make safe and adequate drinking water available to rural households, a key element of public health and sustainability. 
• The mission seeks to address the water crisis in rural India, where millions of households still rely on unsafe, distant, or untreated water sources.
• Under JJM, the fund sharing pattern between Centre and States/ UTs (Central share :State share) is :
  • 100:00 for Union Territories without legislature
  •  90:10 for North-Eastern & Himalayan States and UTs with legislature, and 50:50 for rest of the States. 
• Key objectives of JJM:
  • To provide 55 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water.
  • To improve water supply infrastructure across rural India, including the creation of storage tanks and pipelines.
  • To ensure sustainability through rainwater harvesting, source sustainability, and community involvement in water management.

What are Important Features of Jal Jeevan Mission?

• Community Participation: The mission empowers Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs), Gram Panchayats, and User Groups to plan, implement, and monitor water systems, ensuring that local communities are involved in every stage of the process.
• Bottom-Up Planning: JJM promotes village-level planning by creating Village Action Plans (VAPs) that reflect local water needs and priorities, ensuring that each community’s specific requirements are addressed.
• Water Quality Management: With the establishment of 6,000 water testing laboratories, the mission ensures that water meets safety standards. Additionally, NABL-accredited laboratories and Community Water Purification Plants (CWPPs) have been set up in arsenic and fluoride-affected areas.
• Coverage: Initially focused on rural areas, the scope of JJM has now been extended to urban areas under AMRUT 2.0 (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation).
• Service Delivery Approach: JJM emphasizes service level benchmarks for water, focusing on four critical areas:
  • Quantity: At least 55 litres per capita per day of safe water.
  • Quality: Ensuring water quality that meets BIS:10500 standards.
  • Regularity: Providing continuous and uninterrupted water supply.
  • Sustainability: Creating sustainable water systems and ensuring long-term functionality.
• Convergence with Other Schemes: The mission works in tandem with programs like MGNREGA, Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), and PMKSY to promote water sustainability, especially through source rejuvenation, rainwater harvesting, and aquifer recharge.
• Use of Technology: JJM employs cutting-edge technologies like IoT, SCADA, GIS mapping, and real-time dashboards to monitor water quality, distribution systems, and FHTC coverage. These technologies ensure transparency and accountability in real-time.

What have been The Achievements of Jal Jeevan Mission? 

• State-Wise Successes: Several states and union territories (UTs) have achieved remarkable success in implementing JJM. Eight states and three UTs have achieved 100% FHTC coverage. Karnataka (38.3%) and Maharashtra (46.6%) have shown impressive progress, while Gujarat and Haryana serve as exemplary models with full tap water coverage.
• Transparency and Real-Time Monitoring: The JJM Dashboard has made data transparent, enabling real-time monitoring of FHTC coverage. As of now, over 3 lakh villages have achieved 100% coverage, and Gram Sabhas are actively involved in verifying water connections, ensuring local accountability.
• Accress to Safe Drinking Water: The mission has focused on water quality by setting up NABL-accredited labs and establishing Community Water Purification Plants (CWPPs) in areas affected by arsenic and fluoride. These plants help ensure that rural households have access to safe, potable water.
• Alignment with SDG Goals: The JJM aligns directly with SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation and contributes indirectly to SDG 3 (Health) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality). By providing access to safe drinking water, the mission reduces the health burden and gender inequality, as women and girls often bear the brunt of water-fetching duties.
• Impetus on Source Sustainability: A core objective of JJM is source sustainability. The mission mandates rainwater harvesting, greywater reuse, aquifer recharge, and watershed management to ensure that water sources remain viable long-term. Kerala, despite having relatively low FHTC coverage, uses traditional private wells effectively, emphasizing the importance of local water preservation.
• Source of Livelihood: The JJM has created 60 lakh direct jobs and 2.2 crore indirect jobs during the capital expenditure phase. In the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) phase, it is projected to generate 13.3 lakh direct jobs, which will contribute to strengthening rural livelihoods and reducing poverty. 
• Enhanced Tap Water Coverage: Since its inception, the Jal Jeevan Mission has made remarkable progress in expanding tap water coverage. In 2019, only 16.8% (3.23 crore) rural households had access to tap water. By February 2025, this figure is expected to rise to 79.74% (15.44 crore households), covering 67% of the total rural households. Currently, approximately 13 crore rural households have received tap water connections, representing a significant milestone in the mission’s progress.
• Budgetary Allocation: The Union Budget 2024-25 allocated ₹67,000 crore to the Jal Jeevan Mission, signaling the government’s continued support and commitment to rural development. The total expenditure since the mission’s launch has crossed ₹3.6 lakh crore, underlining the significant financial investment being made to ensure universal access to clean water.The Union Budget 2023-24 further extended the mission’s timeline to 2028, ensuring that sufficient resources and time are allocated to meet the mission’s objectives.

What has been the Impact of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)?

• • Health and Human Development: The provision of safe drinking water plays a crucial role in improving public health. According to research by Nobel laureate Prof. Michael Kremer, access to clean water can reduce under-5 child mortality by nearly 30%, saving an estimated 1.36 lakh lives annually. Fact: Waterborne diseases cause around 37 million cases of diarrhoea annually in India, with 2.2 lakh deaths. The Jal Jeevan Mission’s impact on reducing these diseases directly contributes to better health outcomes. Improved water supply also helps save Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), improves nutrition, and reduces health burdens.
  • Gender Empowerment and Ease of Living: For decades, the burden of water collection has disproportionately fallen on women and girls, taking up hours every day and limiting their opportunities for education and employment. In India, women and girls typically spend over 200 million hours per day collecting water, significantly limiting their time for other activities like education and work. By providing tap water connections, JJM reduces this burden, freeing up valuable time for education, employment, and social participation. The 2024 Jal Shakti Abhiyan, themed “Nari Shakti se Jal Shakti”, showcases this empowerment by involving over 80,000 women in Dhamtari’s Jal Jagar campaign, driving water conservation efforts.

• Community-Led Governance: JJM promotes a Jan Andolan (People’s Movement) approach by involving 50% of Gram Panchayats in the preparation of Village Action Plans (VAPs). This bottom-up governance model ensures that local communities are actively involved in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of water supply systems, increasing local ownership, sustainability, and accountability. Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) play an active role, fostering community responsibility in managing water systems.  In Karnataka, Gram Panchayats have successfully taken ownership of water management, improving water availability and quality in rural areas.

• Ecological and Scientific Water Management: The National Aquifer Mapping and Management (NAQUIM) project has mapped over 25 lakh square km of aquifers, and the Bhu-Neer Portal (2024) enables real-time monitoring of groundwater levels. Additionally, the FloodWatch India App 2.0 provides real-time data from 592 flood and reservoir stations, helping improve climate resilience and water management. These efforts ensure a more scientifically managed approach to water resources, enabling better planning for climate resilience. Also, the Bhu-Neer Portal provides real-time data on groundwater levels in over 200 districts, aiding policy decisions and water management efforts.

• • Localized Innovations: Several states have developed innovative solutions to improve water access and management. For instance, Gujarat’s Jal Sanchay created over 24,800 rainwater harvesting structures, and Meghalaya’s Mawrah Project focuses on rejuvenating springs and mining-affected land. Varanasi’s India-Denmark Smart Lab combines scientific research and community action to improve river health.

• Employment Generation: JJM has had a notable impact on employment generation, creating job opportunities in plumbing, masonry, water testing laboratories, and system monitoring. The mission has provided livelihoods in both the construction phase and the Operation & Maintenance (O&M) phase, significantly strengthening rural economies. According to IIM Bangalore and ILO estimates, JJM has created 60 lakh direct jobs and 2.2 crore indirect jobs during the capital expenditure phase.

• Behavioral Change and Water Conservation: JJM has also fostered behavioral changes regarding water use, conservation, and greywater reuse. By raising community awareness, JJM has improved water literacy and encouraged sustainable water practices. The success of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has inspired similar campaigns for water conservation, helping cultivate a culture of responsible water use across rural India.

• Water as a Right and SDG Enabler: JJM is transforming water from a luxury into a basic public right. By ensuring access to safe water, JJM directly contributes to SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation and plays a crucial role in enabling progress toward SDG 3 (Health), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), and SDG 4 (Quality Education), reducing the burden on women and children, improving health outcomes, and enabling better access to education.

Hurdles in Jal Jeevan Mission

• • Slowing Progress and Delays: Although the JJM initially saw rapid progress, the pace of Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) coverage has slowed in recent months, indicating logistical, infrastructural, and terrain-related challenges in difficult geographies. In Chhattisgarh, the Dhamtari district, a region facing challenging geography, has seen delays in tap water connections due to the steep terrain and lack of accessible infrastructure. Similarly, the Ladakh region has faced delays because of high-altitude locations and logistical issues. The initial rapid progress saw 16.8% coverage in 2019, but the recent growth rate in 2024 has slowed down, with only 79.74% of rural households projected to receive FHTCs by February 2025, signaling a need for targeted interventions in these difficult areas.

• Regional Disparities: Regional disparities in FHTC coverage continue to exist, with some states facing considerable delays. Remote blocks and aspirational districts are particularly challenged in terms of water supply infrastructure, further exacerbating regional inequalities. Assam is one of the worst performers, with only 3.7% of households having access to tap water as of 2023, far below the national average. Kerala, despite its reputation for water management, has only 20% coverage of tap water in rural areas, a stark contrast to the national progress. According to the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP), regions like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are facing challenges due to high population density and infrastructure bottlenecks, where over 10 crore households still lack reliable access to water.

• Sustainability and Over-Extraction Concerns:  The growing demand for water in many regions is outpacing natural recharge, leading to concerns about the sustainability of water sources. Over-reliance on groundwater for tap water connections raises concerns about long-term sustainability, especially in water-stressed regions. According to the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), groundwater levels in India are declining at a rate of 1.5 meters per year, with over 60% of the country’s groundwater being extracted faster than it is replenished. In Rajasthan, over-extraction for FHTCs in water-stressed areas has contributed to declining groundwater levels.

• Water Quality Issues: Despite significant progress in providing safe drinking water, many areas still face contamination issues from fluoride, arsenic, and iron. Monitoring and quality assurance are ongoing challenges in rural pockets. Bihar, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh continue to face arsenic contamination, with 40% of the population in certain districts drinking water with arsenic levels higher than WHO standards. Similarly, fluoride contamination remains a challenge in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. 

• Neglect of Traditional Water Sources: There are concerns that the focus on FHTCs might marginalize traditional water sources like dug wells, springs, and rainwater harvesting systems, which have been effective in many rural regions, particularly in Kerala.

• Infrastructure and O&M Deficits: Difficult geographies such as hilly and tribal areas present significant logistical and technical challenges for infrastructure development. Moreover, weak Operation and Maintenance (O&M) systems threaten the long-term sustainability and reliability of water supply systems. In the hilly terrains of Himachal Pradesh, the construction of water supply systems faces delays due to difficult road access and terrain-related challenges. Similarly, tribal areas in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are facing difficulties in establishing reliable water supply systems. 

• Data Discrepancies and Monitoring Challenges: Data discrepancies between JJM, Census, NFHS, and National Sample Survey (NSS) create challenges in assessing actual progress. Ground studies often report inconsistencies in coverage data, undermining transparency and complicating targeted interventions.

What Should Be the Way Forward?

• Strengthen Operation & Maintenance (O&M): Empower local communities, especially women, through training and models like Kerala’s Kudumbashree, to ensure the sustainability of water systems.
• Promote Water-Secure Villages: Scale up efforts for source sustainability through water budgeting, convergence with MGNREGA, and Atal Bhujal Yojana.
• Adopt Smart Monitoring Tools: Integrate IoT and AI for efficient leak detection and real-time quality control, inspired by Singapore’s Smart Water Grid.
• Leverage Traditional Water Wisdom: Integrate traditional water systems like Johads and Zabo with modern technologies to enhance water sustainability.
• Enhance Greywater Management: Implement decentralized greywater reuse systems for irrigation and recharge, adapting DEWATS systems to rural needs.
• Institutionalize Behavioral Change: Build on successful initiatives like Swachh Bharat to create village-level water literacy campaigns and school-based programs.