Households in rural Maharashtra complain of having to pay water charges and also spend on buying water from private operators to meet their basic needs. https://thewire.in/rights/how-the-jal-jeevan-mission-failed-maharashtras-villages
In India, the right to clean drinking water is a fundamental right, broadly under the Right to Life and specifically, as courts have held over the years. In partnership with the states, the Union government launched the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in 2019 with the stated mission of providing water to every rural household by 2024.However, the scheme has not met its target of providing water for all rural households.
India is the largest extractor of groundwater in the world, and most of it is used for irrigation. By 2050, per capita water availability is estimated to fall to 1,140 cubic metres, bringing India closer to becoming water-scarce.
Manik Kadam, a social activist from Parbhani, said, “Har Ghar Jal scheme is nothing but a scam. This scheme is being run to make contractors rich. The quality of work, like laying pipelines, is poor. The government claims it has supplied water connections to all houses. However, many pipelines are already broken and besides, gram panchayats are unable to supply water daily due to scarcity.”
24/01/2025