The Ministry of Jal Shakti, through its Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) programme, has provided tap water connections to 2.82 lakh households in Meghalaya (as on January 13, 2023).
According to the Ministry, with this, 44.45 per cent households have tap water supply in Meghalaya. It also said that the number has increased from just 4,550 households since the inception of the JJM programme.
“As on January 13, 2023, 1,165 villages in Meghalaya have 100 per cent tap water connections. Furthermore, water and sanitation committees (VWSC) have been formed in nearly all the villages. 1,165 villages have become ‘Har Ghar Jal’ in the State,” the Ministry informed.
The Jal Jeevan Mission in Meghalaya has made significant strides in increasing access to safe and clean drinking water in the State.
The mission’s focus on sustainable and community-led solutions has ensured that the benefits of the programme are felt by all members of society, particularly the most marginalised.
JJM has provided a definite roadmap to the State to provide clean, potable water to its citizens in their houses, so that the women and girls are unburdened from the chore of fetching clean water over long distances. Overall, the JJM is proving to be a vital step towards achieving the goal of water security for all citizens.
Further, with focus on public health, water quality testing laboratories have been opened to the general public so that they can get their water samples tested whenever they so desire at a nominal cost. As of December 2022, Meghalaya has 30 active water testing laboratories.
Jal Jeevan Mission is a flagship program launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2019, which aims to provide all rural households with tap water supply in adequate quantity and of prescribed quality by 2024.
