Grant package for repair of water supply infrastructure, J&K Minister urges Centre

Jal Shakti Minister Javed Ahmed Rana on Thursday called on Union Minister for Jal Shakti, Chandrakant Raghunath Patil, in New Delhi to apprise him of critical issues currently confronting Jammu and Kashmir.

An official statement said Javed Rana informed the Union Minister about the extensive damage to water supply and irrigation infrastructure caused by recent flashfloods in J&K and the urgent need for sustained financial support to complete ongoing schemes under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

During the meeting, Rana conveyed the gravity of the situation following the unprecedented flashfloods that hit various parts of the union territory during August and September. He informed the Minister that the floods severely disrupted public life, damaged essential infrastructure and caused large-scale destruction to the water supply, irrigation and flood protection systems.

The Minister highlighted that the damage has deeply impacted access to safe drinking water and irrigation across both Jammu and Kashmir divisions, creating immediate challenges for public health, agriculture and the overall well-being of rural communities.

The J&K Minister informed Patil that the Jal Shakti Department has taken swift emergency measures to restore basic services in the affected areas. Rana requested a special financial package from the Ministry of Jal Shakti to support full-scale restoration and to invest in long-term resilience-building measures. He emphasised that such support is not only critical for restoring normalcy but also for building infrastructure that can better withstand the growing impacts of climate change and extreme weather events in the region.

In addition to the flood-related concerns, the Minister also raised the issue of the critical funding gap under the Jal Jeevan Mission, which aims to provide safe drinking water to every rural household in Jammu & Kashmir. He informed that while a large number of schemes have made substantial progress, including many nearing completion, the shortfall in Central assistance and delay in fund releases have posed serious constraints on meeting the ambitious timeline of full saturation by March 2025. Rana underscored the need for immediate release of additional funds to meet outstanding payments and to maintain the pace of execution.

He urged the Union Minister to personally intervene and facilitate the timely release of central funds and sanction of additional financial support, so that the JJM implementation in J&K does not suffer avoidable delays.

Rana reiterated the Jammu & Kashmir government’s firm commitment to the goal of ‘Har Ghar Jal’ and to build robust, climate-resilient water infrastructure that ensures the right to safe drinking water for every person.

The Union Minister assured Rana of full cooperation from the Central government and acknowledged the need for urgent and sustained intervention to support the people of Jammu & Kashmir in this time of crisis.