Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami of Uttarakhand evaluated the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission during a discussion organized at State Secretariat on Wednesday. The review discussed drinking water schemes, rural tap water supply, water quality, financial management, maintenance and future action plan.
The chief minister asked the officers to make sure that all eligible rural households get a tap water connection in the specified time period.
As per a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office, Dhami said that the state should meet the complete Har Ghar Jal target. Officers were asked to find the eligible rural households that do not have any connections and get them connected within the specified time period. It is important to note that success of the scheme cannot be determined only on the basis of connections being installed by the department.
Dhami further said that all households need to get clean, sufficient and regular drinking water. He further asked the officers to inspect the projects that have been completed to see that infrastructure is functioning.
All those schemes which were in the process of completion or delay were instructed to be completed in the mission mode. District magistrates were instructed to coordinate with the concerned departments and remove bottlenecks.
The meeting was also concentrated on the preservation and restoration of the source of drinking water in the mountainous regions of Uttarakhand. Rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge were highlighted as key actions in this regard.
Dhami instructed the authorities to form a mechanism for addressing technical issues concerning water supply in all the districts. He also asked for a sustainable maintenance system for all completed schemes.
Officials informed the meeting that 15,540 out of the 16,555 Jal Jeevan Mission projects of the state have been completed with a success rate of 92.46%. 1,015 schemes are still in the process of completion. The Chief Minister instructed officials to set up district-wise target dates and accountability.
It was discovered through the review process that 14.20 lakh of the total 14.48 lakh rural households have received tap water connections. According to officials, 9,796 out of the total 14,979 villages in Uttarakhand have verified their tap water supply.
The review revealed the importance that the government gives to making sure there is adequate water for rural communities while maintaining its quality and ensuring proper maintenance.
