With a focus on expediting the implementationof Jal Jeevan Mission in Meghalaya, an assured amount of Rs770.98 crore had been sanctioned out of which Rs 364.28 crorehas been utilised as on January 6 this year.
Jal Jeevan Mission is a key mission implemented by the Government of Meghalaya, with the aim to provide tap water connection in every rural household across the State.
When the Government of Meghalaya began the implementation, they had an uphill task, before 2019, only 4554 households had functional tap water connection, this implies that less than 1 per cent of the total households had functional household tap connections.
With focused implementation planning and unprecedented push, within two years 1.98 lakhs households were provided water connection, close to 34 per cent of the households. Meghalaya’s growth has been exemplary, being the second most improved State nationally. The State now has 1203 villages with 100 per cent homes with functional tap water supply.
Such exemplary commitment has resulted in increased participation of people in rural employment through MNREGS and has empowered the women of Meghalaya by providing livelihood opportunities through self help groups (SHGs).
Because of the uninterrupted water supply connection, the school students do not have to waste their energy to fetch water. School dropout rate has declined from 28 per cent to 19.5 per cent within a year.
Furthermore, the state government has aimed to provide functional tap water connection to 3.91 lakh more households. With the focus on public health, 31 water quality testing laboratories have been set up in Meghalaya. Efforts have been made to provide tap water availability for drinking and other needs in schools and Anganwadi centers and as on date, 7,281 schools (55 per cent) and 2,442 (53 per cent) Anganwadi centers in Meghalaya have been provided with tap water supply.
In 2020, Aminda Simsanggre and Chambagre of West Garo Hills was conferred the second and third positions in terms of ‘Best Village Panchayat’ under North East Zone in the 3rd National Water Awards.
Sharing this information, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that “Our vision is to provide water to every household and relieve our women and children from the drudgery of carrying water for their daily household chores”.
Sangma mentioned that the work is in full swing and within a year and a half we have covered almost 2 lakh houses where almost 10 lakh individuals have benefited under the scheme and the team is working overtime to meet our targets.
Meghalaya is a hilly State and there is no dearth of natural sources of water. In fact, one of the wettest regions on our planet is in Meghalaya. Historically, the State has been home to one of the cleanest natural water bodies in the world. But the irony is that the communities in Meghalaya, especially women and children, had to toil hard to ensure water availability in their households. The rural population has been dwelling on the higher reaches of the hills.
This meant that a big chunk of their daily productive time and physical energy used to be consumed in carrying water from water bodies downhill to their respective homes uphill which caused drudgery to women and children. Women could not pursue alternate livelihood opportunities. Children could not devote adequate time to their studies and the school drop-out rate used to be high.
Meghalaya Government implemented Jal Jeevan Mission to address the problem and they were met with extreme geographical challenges. The terrain made rainwater harvesting
difficult and infrastructural demands were high.
Because of the focused intervention, sheer commitment and relentless hard work of the state government, Jal Jeevan Mission has been successful in eradicating the water problem in the State. This dedicated effort of the government has been pivotal in bringing change in Meghalaya. GSDP per capita has increased to Rs 97,072.6. The school drop-out rate has decreased, Gross Enrollment Ratio has increased and so has investment in Higher and Technical Education. Annual benefit to households through MNREGS has increased and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) has declined significantly.
Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) was launched by the Prime Minister of India on 15th August 2019 to provide Functional Household Tap Connection to every Rural Household by 2024. The Mission was based on a community approach to water and includes extensive Information, Education and Communication as key components. Implementing Support Agencies (ISAs) are engaged by the department to create awareness among the public about the mission, sensitise them about the importance of safe water, engage with the community and extend support to the Panchayati Raj institution for implementation of the programme.
