Tough challenge for state in meeting JMM objective
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: February 04, 2023 -

IF at all regular tap water supply could not be ensured throughout the year, which is unlikely in Manipur where most water bodies dry up during the lean seasons and water supply schemes generally face acute shortage of water, then it's obvious that claims, if any, over successful launch of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JMM) would be strongly contested.

Nevertheless, it's heartening to learn that the coverage of households with tap water connection under the JJM has reached 75.83 per cent in Manipur with 3.42 lakh out of the state's total 4-52 households having tap water connection as on January 31, 2023.

As per the information shared by Union MoS for Jal Shakti Prahlad Singh Patel in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, the union government in partnership with states is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission to make provision of tap water supply to every rural household of the country by 2024.

The key features of the JJM are to make provision of potable water to every rural household through tap water connection at a service level of 55 litres per capita per day (Ipcd) of prescribed quality (BIS:10500) on a regular and long-term basis.

Considering the supply of tap water on rotational basis after a gap of 3-4 days to those lucky households in Imphal areas, it could be safely stated that the mission will not meet the target anytime soon for it has been a norm in different residential pockets of the densely populated twin capital districts to receive tap water on a regular basis only during the peak of monsoons.

For the past many decades, especially during the lean season, the department whose responsibility mainly revolves around ensuring regular supply of one of the most basic needs of human kind has been literally putting the blame on Mother Nature for drying up of water sources.

As such, Manipur not figuring among the states and union territories which have implemented the mission effectively is not surprising. According to the union minister, Gujarat, Telangana, Haryana, Goa, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu have reported 100 per cent coverage under the mission, which underscore both availability of water sources and expeditious execution of mission-related projects.

While it's obvious that the remaining states/UTs too must make all efforts to cover the remaining households within the mission period, by the end of 2024, as it is a prestigious centrally-sponsored project, it is hard to envision how Manipur could justify the mission taking into account of the fact that the state generally faces drought-like situation a few months after cessation of the monsoon rainfall.

Out of the mission's estimated total outlay of Rs 3.60 lakh crore including the central share of Rs 2.08 lakh crore, there has been continuous process of laying water supply pipelines and construction of treatment plants in the state as well.

But with the jMM as well as the existing schemes all relying on bountiful monsoon rains indicate that the state's denizens couldn't be guaranteed regular provision of tap water unless the policy makers come up with plans to ensure that the rivers have continuous flow of water and level of other water bodies could be maintained.