Rural Tap Water Connections Hit 15 Crore: Survey

New Delhi, Jan 31 (PTI) Tap water connections in rural households under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) have grown four-fold to about 15.30 crore as of November 2024, according to the Economic Survey 2024-25.

Around 3.23 crore (17 per cent) of rural households had tap water connections at the time of the launch of the mission in August 2019, the pre-budget document for the 2024-25 fiscal said.

The mission improved access to safe drinking water in rural areas, particularly in regions affected by water quality issues like arsenic and fluoride. Its impact includes better health outcomes and enhanced water security for vulnerable populations, it noted.

"Since then, over 12.06 crore families have been added, increasing the total to more than 15.30 crore (79.1 per cent) out of approximately 19.34 crore rural households as of November 26, 2024," the survey said.

Eight states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Telangana and Mizoram, and three union territories, namely, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra Nagar Haveli & Daman Diu and Puducherry -- have achieved 100 per cent coverage.

There are 2,160 water quality laboratories, out of which 1,570 are accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, ensuring the safety of drinking water.

The survey further said that from April to November 2024, 1.92 lakh villages were incrementally declared ODF (open defecation free) plus under the model category, taking the total number of ODF Plus villages to 3.64 lakh.