Centre asks districts to complete mapping of legacy waste sites by Oct 31

The Jal Jeevan Mission has benefited nearly 96 crore people across India, covering over 19.41 crore rural households, while also enforcing waste management rules in rural areas.

The Jal Jeevan Mission currently covers around 5.91 lakh villages, 2.62 lakh gram panchayats, more than 16 lakh habitations and over 19.41 crore rural households, benefitting nearly 96 crore people across the country, the Jal Shakti Ministry said on Friday.

Jal Shakti officials also said districts have been directed to identify all legacy waste sites by October 31 and ensure remediation within prescribed timelines under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026.

The information was shared during a nationwide review meeting convened by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) with over 759 deputy commissioners, district magistrates and collectors to review the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0 and enforcement of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 in rural areas.

The meeting, held through video conference, focused on strengthening rural drinking water services, sanitation governance, waste management and long-term sustainability of water supply systems, the ministry said in a statement.

National Jal Jeevan Mission Additional Secretary and Mission Director Kamal Kishore Soan highlighted the scale of the mission and said India is on track to achieve the sustainable development goal (SDG) of universal access to potable drinking water ahead of the 2030 target, with the goal now set for December 2028.

The national review meeting was chaired by DDWS Secretary Ashok K K Meena, who said both JJM and Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen have reached a stage where the focus must move beyond infrastructure creation towards reliable service delivery, functionality, sustainability and community ownership.

Meena asked district officials to regularly review the District Water and Sanitation Mission dashboard and address gaps related to drinking water services, including regularity, adequacy, water quality, grievance redressal, and operation and maintenance of schemes.

Emphasising sanitation and waste management, he directed officials to ensure segregation, collection, processing and scientific disposal of waste in line with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026.

Officials said district collectors have been designated as the single-point authority for enforcement of the Solid Waste Management Rules at the district level. The rules mandate phased implementation of source segregation, registration of bulk waste generators and mapping of rural legacy waste sites.

During the meeting, Joint Secretary (Water) Swati Meena Naik presented the implementation framework of JJM 2.0, focusing on sustainable service delivery, community ownership and district-level governance.

She said the mission aimed to ensure safe and adequate drinking water supply to every rural household on a sustained basis while keeping systems functional for the next 25 to 30 years.

The ministry said the interaction marked the beginning of a regular review mechanism for JJM and SBM-G implementation across the country.