A meeting was held on Tuesday to review the pace of progress in implementation of the centrally sponsored scheme ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ in Jammu and Kashmir.
Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta and Additional Secretary, Jal Jeevan Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, participated in the meeting.
At the outset, the Additional Secretary Jal Jeevan Mission, Government of India gave a detailed presentation on the district-wise progress of the Mission and overall position in comparison to the national average.
It was informed that as per the Jal Jeevan Mission dashboard, since the inception of the Mission, 4.64 crore households have been given functional household tap connections (FHTCs), constituting 24% of the total households in the country. The Mission has ensured inclusiveness by equitable distribution of new connections at village level.
Similarly, in Jammu and Kashmir 4,47,882 (24.41%) households have been connected with FHTCs so far, with Srinagar and Ganderbal districts ensuring universal coverage. However, it was mentioned that some districts like Kathua, Udhampur, Ramban, Budgam, Rajouri, Kishtwar, Kulgam, and Jammu are lagging behind and need to expedite scheme implementation and coverage under Jal Jeevan Mission. J&K currently figures at rank 13 in the National Index.
It was also mentioned that in Jammu and Kashmir 93.86% of schools and 92.25% of Anganwadi centres have been connected with functional tap connections.
The Chief Secretary, J&K directed the Deputy Commissioners to provide all schools, Anganwadi centres and hospitals with functional water connections before 15th August 2021. DCs were asked to float tenders for hiring Implementation Support Agencies (ISAs) to undertake dedicated IEC activities for awareness generation on various aspects of water conservation.
The Department was asked to expedite tendering of various schemes across Jammu and Kashmir for fast-track completion of the Mission in the Union territory.
The Additional Secretary, JJM, Government of India informed that the Mission will be introducing a sensor-based water management system to assess quantity and quality of water being supplied under the Mission on a real-time basis.
To ensure distribution of safe drinking water, the Jal Shakti Department was advised to train 5 women per village to test the water quality on given parameters through mobile testing kits and upload test data on the national portal. In case of any chemical or biological contamination of water supply, the Department must undertake immediate treatment with suitable intervention to prevent its ill-effects on public health.
The Department was further asked to regularly test water quality at the source especially before and after monsoon season and geo-tag all the sources and water connections.
To regularly monitor the quality standards of water being provided under the Mission as per ISO standards, the Chief Secretary asked the Department to seek NABL accreditation for all district testing laboratories, at the earliest. Deputy Commissioners were asked to install display boards carrying details of the water source, scheme, implementing agency and maintenance support in all villages.
The Chief Secretary assured the Director Jal Jeevan Mission, Government of India that Jammu and Kashmir will come up to the expectation of the Central Government and provide universal quality drinking water connections to all households by September, 2022.