“जल ही जीवन हैं”...
“Both developed and developing regions need to understand the necessity of water as the basis of healthy life,” Al Gore, Former US Vice-President and founder of Climate Change Project, stated at the Jal Pratigya event.
As Vice-President of Bharat, Venkaiah Naidu pointed out that the country housed more than 18% of world population but had only 4% of renewable water resources.
He underlined that conservation of water is a primary social duty and ‘Chalta hai’ attitude is unacceptable.
We are well aware that Water as an element, highly important for living. In fact, it is as vital as Air.
We talk of “Roti, Kapda aur Makaan” to be of paramount essential in any society.
Can We obtain “Roti” without Jal (Water)...?
No.
Water is necessary for the growth and sustenance of both plant and animal lives. Water makes up a large percentage of animal and plant cells.
In human life, Water dissolves all salts and nutrients present in the food. An aqueous medium is required to carry out all the metabolic reactions and helps in regulating body temperature. It is essential for removal of waste products.
Water is equally important in plant life. It helps in germination of seeds and growth of plants as it provides medium for the transport of minerals and food. Green plants require water during photosynthesis.
With growing population, excessive industrialisation has resulted in climate change.
There are regions which face acute rainfall shortage, year after year.
In pre-independence era, We all have heard of our grand mother’s stories of going to the bank of river, to fill the pots of water. It may sound astonishing in current times but that was the lives they lived due to lack piped water supply.
After independence, keeping pace with the accelerating urbanisation, the facility of providing piped water supply was lagging far behind and huge population suffered enormously as a result of lack of proper water supply management.
The previous Governments did create plans for providing tapped water to people but simply rolling out an ambitious plan does not ensure sustainable supply of household drinking water, especially in rural Bharat as it was haunted by the ‘Slippage” problem.
Slippage implies that villages or habitations covered with safe Piped drinking water facilities slip back to ‘not covered’ status due to drying up of Water source or collapse of facilities due to non-maintenance.
The current Narendra Modi ji led NDA Government took up this imperative on Mission mode and launched Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) on August 15th 2019 under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.
The Jal Jeevan Mission is envisioned to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural Bharat.
The programme would also implement source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, such as recharge and reuse through grey water management, water conservation, rain water harvesting.
The JJM is based on Community approach to water and includes extensive information, Education and Communication as a key component of the mission.
Bharat being majorly a rural nation, providing piped drinking water to its rural population was extremely significant.
But none of the previous Congress Government ensures its implementation to nearly fullest. Jal Jeevan Mission, was the Twelfth attempt in this regard. As per the figures available with DDWS, as on 31st March 2019, only 18.33 % of rural population, I.e. 3.27 Crores of the total 17.87 Crore rural households in the country, had piped water connection.
The Jal Jeevan Mission (Rural) has been able to cover 34% (65.5 million) of the target households in less than two years time, since its inception by Modi Government, in Modi 2.0.
The Modiji led NDA Government intends to fulfil the mission by 2024 and the pro-active Central Government is vigorously working towards achieving the target.
The Union budget of 2021-22 has announced Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban) to bring safe water to 2.86 Crore households through tap connection and the finance ministry has allocated Rs.50,011 Crore for this scheme.
The Urban water supply mission would include rejuvenation of water bodies as well as 20% of supply from reused water.
The mission would also aim to bridge the gap of 2.64 Crore sewer connections in the 500 cities under the existing Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).
H) Support activities, I.e. IEC, HRD, training, development of utilities, water quality laboratories, water quality testing & surveillence, R & D, Knowledge Centre are promoted.
After the Centre’s flagship Swachh Bharat Mission for building toilets in every households in rural region met with thumping success, the supply of household tap water stood as a big necessity for sustainable growth of nation.
It was sheer irony that the previous Congress Governments failed miserably to build the required eco-system for such basic necessity.
But Visionary Prime Minister has ensured that the growth engine does not remain superficial, providing gleam and glitter in Metro cities and Urban areas but it reaches the very heart of country, by uplifting the rural flora and fauna.