Piped drinking water to every J&K household by March 2022

JJM: Union Minister, LG Murmu review implementation

SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir administration has set a deadline of March 2022 for providing piped drinking water to every household in the Union Territory.
An official spokesman stated this after Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu reviewed the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in Jammu and Kashmir through video conference.
The spokesman said a deadline for achieving the target of piped water supply to 100 per cent household was set for completion in March 2020.
"The first phase is scheduled to be completed by March 2021; second phase by December 2021 and the third and final phase by March, 2022," he added.
Shekhawat said the Centre is committed to provide basic services to the people living in rural areas across the country.
He reiterated the commitment of the Union government to provide all assistance to the UT to achieve the set goal under the JJM.
He stressed on testing of all water sources for once for chemical parameters and twice for bacteriological contamination (pre and post monsoon). He also called for imparting training to five people, preferably, women, in every village for surveillance of water quality through Field Test Kits (FTKs).
The UT was asked for NABL accreditation of all laboratories in next few months.
Shekhawat emphasized the need to prepare village action plans as well as constitution of village water and sanitation committee and Paani Samiti as a sub-committee of gram panchayat with minimum 50 per cent women members, responsible for planning, designing, implementing and operating and maintaining of in-village water supply infrastructure.
Murmu observed that Jammu and Kashmir intends to be a leader under the Jal Jeevan Mission for providing piped water supply (Har Ghar Nal se Jal) to every household.
The J&K administration has also allocated around Rs 1,800 crore for this purpose out of JKIDFC funding to start working on this mission, he added.
The LG called for focused attention on the JJM and directed the officers concerned for holding weekly reviews for its effective implementation.