Jal Jeevan Mission: 160 mn rural families have access to tap water now

Nearly 16 crore rural households, ensuring 78.58 per cent of rural homes, now have access to potable water, a sharp increase from the 17 per cent coverage when the Jal Jeevan Mission began, according to the Jal Shakti ministry.

Aimed at bridging the rural-urban divide and improving public health, the mission's objective is to provide Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) to every rural household by 2024.

As of October 6, the ministry said the mission has provided tap water connections to 15.19 crore rural households, ensuring 78.58 per cent of rural homes now have access to potable water, a sharp increase from the 17 per cent coverage when the programme began.

The initiative, which is also tackling water quality and drought-prone areas, is directly benefiting 19 crore rural families.

The mission has added 11.95 crore new tap water connections since its launch, with states like Goa, Haryana, Telangana, and Himachal Pradesh achieving 100 per cent rural household coverage. Additionally, over 9.29 lakh schools and Anganwadi centres across the country now have access to clean water, the ministry said in a statement.

Over 24 lakh women have been trained to test water quality using Field Test Kits, with more than 54 lakh water samples tested so far, it said.