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Over 85 per cent rural households have tap water facility in UP: Jal Shakti minister
Over 40,000 projects launched under Jal Jeevan Mission in Uttar Pradesh will be completed soon, says Swatantra Dev Singh
Swatantra Dev Singh, Uttar Pradesh Jal Shakti minister, on Tuesday said over 40,000 projects launched under the Jal Jeevan Mission will be completed soon in the state. With the completion of the projects, rural households will get drinking water from taps in various districts, he added.
Speaking in a ministerial-level policy dialogue on sustainable operation and maintenance of rural drinking water services, chaired by CR Patil, Union Jal Shakti minister, in Delhi on Tuesday, Singh said: “With the completion of tap water scheme, drinking water is being supplied to the rural households in the districts of Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions. The scheme has brought about a change in the lives of hundreds of women.”
“On August 15, 2019, only 516,000 rural families (1.93 per cent of total rural households) in Uttar Pradesh had tap water facility in their houses. Today, more than 85 percent of the state’s rural households have access to pure drinking water through taps,” he added.
“Gram panchayats were operating the rural drinking water schemes constructed before the launch of the Jal Jeevan Mission. Due to the lack of adequate financial resources and technical expertise, the majority of the schemes were closed due to non-payment of electricity bills and lack of maintenance,” Singh said.
“To address the issue, the Uttar Pradesh government directed the construction agencies to carry out the operation and maintenance of the scheme for 10 years. The state government has also allocated funds for the expenses incurred on the operation and maintenance of the schemes,” the minister added.
