Jal Jeevan Mission

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Context 

The urban water supply mission under the Jal Jeevan Mission announced in the Budget would include rejuvenation of water bodies as well as 20% of supply from reused water.

Key Highlights

• Jal Jeevan Mission is a central government initiative under the Ministry of Jal Shakti which aims to ensure access of piped water for every household in India through functional taps in all statutory towns in accordance with Sustainable Development Goal 6.

• Objectives of Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban) are: 

  • Securing tap and sewer connections by bridging the estimated gap of 2.68 crore urban household functional water, tap connections and providing 2.64 crore sewer connections/septage in 500 Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) cities.

  • Rejuvenation of water bodies to augment sustainable fresh water supply and creating green spaces and sponge cities to reduce floods and enhance amenity value through an Urban Aquifer Management plan.

  • Creating a circular water economy to promote a circular economy of water through development of the city water balance plan for each city focusing on recycle and reuse of treated sewage, rejuvenation of water bodies and water conservation.

• Pey Jal Survekshan will be conducted in cities to ascertain equitable distribution of water, reuse of wastewater and mapping of water bodies with respect to quantity and quality of water through a challenge process.

• Apart from the Budget announcements there had been an increase in the funds allocated to urban local bodies (ULBs) as per the 15th Finance Commission’s report. There had been a 78% increase, from ₹87,143 crore in the 14th Finance Commission period to ₹1,55,628 crore in the 15th Finance Commission’s period

• Urban water supply mission under the Jal Jeevan Mission complements the Jal Jeevan Mission (Rural) which envisages supply of 55 litres of water per person per day to every rural household through Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) by 2024.