Shekhawat, Rupani review planning and implementation of JMM

Gujarat is planning to provide tap connection to every rural household of the state by 2022, instead of 2024 as envisaged under the mission, it added. The statement said Gujarat implemented decentralized, demand-driven and community managed drinking water supply program which kick-started in 2002 through Water and Sanitation Management Organization (WASMO).

Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani jointly reviewed the planning and implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JMM) in the state through video conference on Friday, a statement said. Gujarat is planning to provide tap connection to every rural household of the state by 2022, instead of 2024 as envisaged under the mission, it added.

The statement said Gujarat implemented decentralized, demand-driven and community managed drinking water supply program which kick-started in 2002 through Water and Sanitation Management Organization (WASMO). These efforts led to provision of safe drinking water through tap connections to more than 70 per cent households in the state. By promoting the Gram Panchayat and Paani Samiti to take the lead in planning, managing, implementing, operating and maintaining water supply schemes in villages, WASMO became a successful decentralized model of service delivery, it added. Out of 93.03 lakh rural households in Gujarat, 68.63 lakh have tap connections. The plan is to provide tap connections in 11.15 lakh households during 2020-21. Out of 18,191 villages in the state, 17,899 villages have existing piped water supply systems. The Gujarat chief minister also mentioned that another 6,000 villages will be 100 per cent compliant with tap connections by December 2020. Further, five districts of the state will be fully compliant with household tap connections by this year-end, the statement added. The state is planning to cover 12 districts with 100 per cent household tap connections in this financial year. It was also mentioned that surface-based water systems have been taken up to provide safe drinking water to remaining villages of the state which will be completed in next two years. Rupani assured the Union minister that Finance Commission grants will be dovetailed for works to be taken up for water supply and sanitation in villages.

He also stated that Gujarat is planning to implement IoT based sensor monitoring system for which the pilot is already underway in 1,000 villages of two districts of the state so as to monitor the functionality of water supply i.e. potable water in adequate quantity and of prescribed quality being provided to every rural household on a regular and long-term basis. Once the pilot project is successful, it will be adopted for the whole state for online monitoring of the status of water supply in villages. Praising the initiatives of the Gujarat government for overall water management, Shekhawat said it has set an example for the whole country as to how a drought-prone state has been able to successfully manage the water resources to meet the needs of different sectors.