Parliamentary panel questions accuracy of data in Jal Jeevan Mission system

A parliamentary standing committee has flagged concerns over the authenticity of data being fed into the Jal Jeevan Mission's (JJM's) Integrated Management Information System (IMIS), recommending that the Centre institute checks to verify figures uploaded by states.

It warned that without reliable data, assessing ground realities and plugging gaps in rural water supply would remain difficult.

"Being aware of the fact that actual veracity of uploaded information is essential for realising the actual ground situation and filling the visible gaps, the Committee reiterate its recommendation that the Department makes sincere efforts to ensure the authenticity of the data being fed on the IMIS," the Standing Committee on Water Resources said.

In its sixth report on the Ministry of Jal Shakti's 2024-25 Demands for Grants, tabled in Parliament on Monday, the Committee said actual verification of state-uploaded figures was "essential for realising the actual ground situation" and reiterated that the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation should make "sincere efforts to ensure the authenticity of the data".

The panel's scrutiny comes amid broader concerns over the slow pace of Har Ghar Jal coverage.

Only 11 states and Union Territories (UTs) have achieved full household tap water connections since JJM's launch in 2019, and six major states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala and Rajasthan are performing below the national average.

The government has extended the deadline for providing 100 per cent tap water coverage by 2028. The initial deadline was 2024.

Water quality issues persist in more than 12,000 rural habitations, with contaminants including iron, nitrate, salinity and heavy metals.

While community purification plants have addressed arsenic and fluoride contamination, the committee noted there is still no time-bound plan to provide a piped supply from safe sources in areas with other pollutants. It called piped water "the only solution" and urged a nationwide awareness drive on contamination hazards involving local authorities, civil society groups and NGOs.

The report also criticised the quality of public infrastructure restoration after pipeline works, calling it "substandard in many States/UTs" and urging better coordination among state departments, contractors and local elected representatives.

Operations and maintenance (O&M) planning also remains patchy, with only 20 states having notified comprehensive O&M policies by mid-2025.

The committee suggested linking central grants to policy adoption to ensure the sustainability of rural water systems.

On sanitation, it urged the government to review the Rs 12,000 incentive for building household toilets under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), noting it has not been revised since 2014 despite rising construction costs.

The panel also pointed to budgetary constraints, noting that the JJM's 2024-25 allocation of Rs 70,162 crore was far short of Rs 1 lakh crore sought by the department.