Drinking Water Supply Schemes worth Rs 225.24 crore were approved for Uttarakhand in the State-Level Scheme Sanctioning Committee (SLSSC) on 26 November 2021.
These schemes will provide tap water connection in 293 villages spread over seven districts of the state. Of the 12 water supply schemes sanctioned, 11 are multi-village and one is a single village scheme. It will provide tap water connection to over 19,000 rural households.
As on date, out of 15.18 lakh rural households in the state, 7.41 lakh (48.79 percent) are getting tap water supply in their homes. In 2021-22, the state plans to provide tap water connections to 2.64 lakh households.
Under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), there is provision for constitution of SLSSC for consideration and approval of schemes to be taken up for making provision of tap water supply to rural households.
SLSSC acts as a State level Committee to consider water supply schemes/projects, and a nominee of the National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM), government of India is a member of the committee.
To ensure clean tap water in every household and freeing women and girls from drudgery of fetching water from a distance, the Mission, has released Rs 360.95 crore grant-in-aid to Uttarakhand during 2021-22.
In 2019-20, the Central Government had allocated Rs 170.53 crore for implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission.
In 2021, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat allocated Rs 1,443.80 crore which is fourfold increase from 2020. Union Minister, Jal Shakti, while approving the fourfold increase assured full assistance to the state for making provision of tap water supply in every rural home by December 2022.
On 15 August 2019, at the time of launch of Jal Jeevan Mission, only 1.30 lakh (8.58 percent) households had drinking water supply through taps. In 27 months, despite disruptions faced during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, the state has provided tap water connection to 6.11 lakh (40.21 percent) households.
To accelerate the pace of JJM implementation, the National Jal Jeevan Mission has urged the state to take necessary measures to provide tap water supply to 2.64 lakh rural households in the state in 2021. With 2021’s Central allocation of Rs 1,443.80 crore and with an opening balance of Rs 111.22 crore available with the state government, the state’s matching share of 2021-22 and shortfall in matching state share of previous years, the total assured fund available for the implementation of JJM in Uttarakhand is Rs 1,733 crore.
Thus, the government of India is ensuring that there is no paucity of funds for implementation of this transformational mission in the state of Uttarakhand.
Further, Rs 256 crore have been allocated to Uttarakhand as 15th Finance Commission tied grant for water and sanitation to Rural Local Bodies/PRIs in 2021-22. There is assured funding of Rs 1,344 crore tied grant for the next five years i.e. up to 2025-26.
This huge investment in rural areas of Uttarakhand will accelerate economic activities and also boost rural economy. It will create income-generating opportunities in villages.
The NJJM team emphasised the need for effective community contribution and including the provision of greywater management through convergence in the water supply schemes as it’s a very important component of the Jal Jeevan Mission.
Water quality monitoring and surveillance activities are given top priority by imparting training to five women in each village, for regular and independent testing of drinking water sources and delivery points using field test kits (FTKs).