As many as 61.52 per cent rural households in Meghalaya have been provided with tap water connection under the Central government’s funded Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma took to X to make the announcement. “Meghalaya crosses a remarkable 4 lakhs Jal Jeevan Mission Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs). We congratulate and render our best wishes to the Jal Jeevan Mission Meghalaya team as we continue to pursue our target of achieving 100% FHTCs in our state,” he wrote.
According to data, the progress made in tap water connections is highest in East Garo Hills with 80.09 per cent, South West Garo Hills 79.02 per cent, Ri-Bhoi 72.83 per cent, North Garo Hills – 69.35 per cent, Eastern West Khasi Hills – 67.56 per cent, South Garo Hills – 65.56 per cent, South West Khasi Hills – 65.15 per cent, West Garo Hills – 59.82 per cent, West Khasi Hills – 57.52 per cent, West Jaintia Hills – 50.29 per cent, East Khasi Hills – 50.01 per cent and East Jaintia Hills – 44.50 per cent.
According to the JJM data, there are 6.52 lakh rural households in the State.
JJM is being implemented by the Government of India in partnership with states and union territories to make provision of tap water supply to every rural household of the country by 2024.
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.
It may be mentioned that October 2022, Meghalaya was honoured with the second prize in the functionality assessment of the JJM, highlighting the state’s unwavering commitment to the mission’s goals and objectives.
In April this year the state received a bonus package of Rs 299.24 crore for the third consecutive year for successfully completing the project.
