Tap Water for All falters: Rajasthan, MP, others lag despite billions spent

By Raj Kumar Sinha*
The Standing Committee on Water Resources, in its report presented during the current Lok Sabha session, has stated that Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Kerala have lagged behind in the "Nal Se Jal" (tap water) mission. Meanwhile, 100 percent of rural residents in 11 states of the country have started receiving tap water supply. In the report, the committee has recommended that the central government look into the problems faced by the state governments in completing the mission.
According to the report, 75.29 lakh households in Madhya Pradesh have tap connections, and 36.60 lakh eligible households are yet to receive them. The crucial question is whether water is being supplied through the connected taps. Madhya Pradesh ranks 30th among 34 states and union territories in the Jal Jeevan Mission. The central government launched the Jal Jeevan Mission on August 15, 2019, to provide relief from drinking water scarcity in rural areas. The aim of this ambitious scheme was to ensure tap water supply to every rural household by 2024. The timeline of this Jal Jeevan Mission has now been extended to 2028.
Elaborating on the extension, it was stated that so far, 80 percent of households in the country have pipe water connections, which was 15 percent in 2019, and 100 percent coverage will be achieved in the next three years. The government has spent ₹3.6 lakh crore for this purpose. In the Union Budget 2025-26, a provision of ₹67,000 crore has been made for the Jal Jeevan Mission. In the previous financial year 2024-25, the government had allocated ₹70,162.90 crore for the National Rural Drinking Water Supply under the Jal Jeevan Mission, while the revised estimate was only ₹29,916.8 crore.
The question of what the actual budget will be at the end of the year remains. A World Health Organization study suggests that achieving the objectives of the Jal Jeevan Mission will save more than 55 million hours daily, mainly for women, which is otherwise spent on collecting water.
The Government of India has allocated ₹26,952.10 crore to Madhya Pradesh for the Jal Jeevan Mission. The expenditure reported under the state's share is ₹18,674.80 crore. The Madhya Pradesh government has allocated ₹17,136 crore in the 2025-26 budget for the Jal Jeevan Mission and the Rural Drinking Water Mission. This is proposed for the development of water sources, construction of water structures, and their maintenance in rural areas. The reason behind Madhya Pradesh's 30th rank in this mission becomes clear upon investigation. When the Centre surveyed 1271 villages in the state, it found 217 villages where taps were not installed, but the work was shown as complete on the mission's portal. Only 209 villages were found to meet all the necessary standards during the inspection. Shocking results emerged from the water testing samples taken by a third-party agency.
Bacterial contamination and chemical adulteration were found during the survey, raising questions about the mission's authenticity. According to a media report, when the reality of 65 villages was checked, it was found that in 47 of these villages, pipes were laid in some places and roads were dug up and left in others, but water had not reached.
The project to supply water to every household from the Narmada River and Bargi Dam under the 'Har Ghar Jal Yojana' (water to every household scheme) in 1680 villages of Jabalpur district started in 2020-21. The project cost is ₹2000 crore. However, even today, people are quenching their thirst from wells and borewells. The work of laying pipelines and constructing tanks in every village was to be completed by 2024. It was reported that the work was delayed last year due to lack of funds.
According to information, payments worth thousands of crores of rupees are still pending under the scheme. The announcement to provide tap water to every household in the Narayan Ganj and Bichhiya areas of Mandla district from the Narmada and Halon rivers was made in 2022 by the former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Under this, work worth ₹613.30 crore for 440 villages in the Bichhiya area from the Halon dam and work worth ₹180.62 crore for 182 villages in Narayan Ganj and Bijadandi from the Bargi reservoir started in September 2022. Out of the 134 tanks to be constructed in 134 villages of the Bichhiya area, none have been completed so far. Local people also believe that the project is not being completed within the time frame due to corruption.
The government claims that 179 schemes in Mandla district have been completed by December 2024, and 23,811 domestic tap connections have been provided. However, the news of villagers in various districts of the state staging road blockades and women protesting in front of the administration with empty water pots indicates the need for better monitoring, coordination, and acceleration of the Jal Jeevan Mission.

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*Bargi Dam Displaced and Affected Association