Ludhiana tops nation for 100 pc tap water supply
Nitin Jain
Ludhiana, October 23
Ludhiana district has ranked first in the country and state for providing tap water supply to all households under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), the government has confirmed.
All 3,25,459 households in the state’s largest district, in terms of area and population, have got clean and safe tap water supply.
According to the official figures, 100 per cent of households in the district have been covered under the Centre’s scheme. The official figures have been compiled by the Department of Water Supply and Sanitation under the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, a copy of which is available with The Tribune.
The figures indicate that 1,49,198 households, which account for 45.84 per cent of the total 3,25,459 households in the district, had tap water supply before the launch of the JJM on August 15, 2019. The remaining 1,76,261 households, constituting 54.16 per cent in the district, were provided tap water supply by March 31 this year.
Ludhiana is among 120 districts in the country, where 1,327 blocks, 76,748 village panchayats and 1,60,401 villages have got 100 per cent functional household tap connections (FHTCs).
The agrarian state’s 17,47,390 households were without tap water connections when the JJM was launched on August 15, 2019, of which 17,45,160 households (accounting for 99.87 per cent), have been covered to date. While Punjab remained a bit short of achieving 100 per cent coverage, the country has covered 54.06 per cent households under the JJM.
In Punjab, 34,23,718 of the total 34,25,948 households, which account for 99.93 per cent, have been provided with clean and safe drinking tap water supply.
In the country, as many as 10,38,87,876 of the total 19,15,14,731 households, accounting for 54.25 per cent, have been provided tap water supply till October 20.
While Punjab will soon achieve 100 per cent coverage, six states and Union Territories — Haryana, Goa, Telangana, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu — have already achieved 100 per cent household coverage with functional tap water connections. Gujarat is on the verge of achieving the milestone as it has already recorded 99.99 per cent coverage.
OfficialSpeak
The Jal Jeevan Mission is aimed at ensuring potable tap water supply in adequate quantity, of prescribed quality and on regular and long-term basis to every rural household in the country by 2024. The Centre has been allocating funds to the states and UTs under the mission since August 2019. — Vini Mahajan, secretary, drinking water & sanitation, union ministry of jal shakti
