Over 2.3 crore rural houses gain tap water access

Lucknow: Implemented to provide tap water connections in the water-starved areas of Bundelkhand and Vindhyanchal, the Jal Jeevan mission has ensured that more than 2.36 crore rural households were connected with tap water in the past eight years, officials said.
UP has emerged as the leading state in the country for providing tap water connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission. A govt spokesperson said that before Aug 15, 2019, only 1.97% of rural households had tap connections, a figure that has now surged to 88.61%. In Bundelkhand, more than 14,18,861 functional household tap connections were established. In the Vindhya region, over 3,49,332 families in Mirzapur and 2,67,822 families in Sonbhadra received functional household tap connections. In addition, road restoration work was completed in 60,354 villages, while 24,050 villages were certified under the Har Ghar Jal initiative. To supply water, 5,07,479 km of pipeline was laid across the state.
"In UP, 80% of Jal Jeevan mission projects are powered by solar energy, with 33,157 projects utilising solar technology to generate 900 MW of electricity daily. This has led to a reduction of over 50% in the cost of extracting water while also cutting down carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 13 lakh tonnes annually," said the spokesperson.
So far, 28,526 solar plants have been installed in rural areas. While 37,462 pump houses were set up, 38,456 tube wells were bored and 16,472 overhead tanks were installed, another 22,803 are currently under construction. More than 99% of schools and Anganwadi centres in the state have access to tap water.
Under the mission, 1,16,037 plumbers, 1,16,667 electricians, 1,15,505 motor mechanics, 1,16,078 fitters, 1,75,880 masons and 1,16,007 pump operators were trained. The spokesperson said under the Jal Jeevan mission, the Namami Gange rural water supply department established the Swachh Sujal village at Prayagraj Maha Kumbh, where it raised mass awareness about water conservation.
UP's Jal Jeevan mission was awarded the second prize by President Droupadi Murmu at the 5th national water awards ceremony. The state also received the best display award at the International Trade Show 2024 held in Noida.