Har Ghar Jal: Goa Becomes First State To Provide 100% Tap Water Connections In Rural Homes

The government's national scheme to provide tap water connections at every rural home has picked up, with Goa emerging as the first Indian state to get certified under 'Har Ghar Jal' with 100 per cent coverage. According to officials, over 2.6 lakh households have benefitted from a tap water connection in both North and South Goa districts.

The government of Goa, led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, has invested over 200 Cr in the past three years to achieve 100 per cent coverage of tap water connections in the state. The Government of India rolled out the scheme in 2019 with a deadline of 2024, but where COVID-19 led to the pandemic and disrupted the work progress for a long time. After being delayed, the scheme has achieved over 50 per cent coverage across the country.

Central Govt Comes Close To 10 Crore Mark

After Goa, several Union Territories (UTs), including Daman and Diu and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, have also completed the 100 per cent coverage by providing tap water connections to over 85 thousand households in rural areas at the cost of nearly 510 crores invested in last three years. The full flow of state and UTs work has brought the central government closer to the ten-crore mark.

The Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Jal Shakti and Mission Director of Jal Jeevan Mission, Vikas Sheel, said, "It is important for more districts to come forward and complete the certification process so they can get the 'Har Ghar Jal' distinction. We are encouraging state administration to come forward and get districts certified, hand holding them through the entire process," reported News18.

Several States & UTs Taking Lead

Several states and UTs, including Andaman and Nicobar, Puducherry, Telangana, and Haryana, have also reported 100 per cent coverage but remain certified. The states like Bihar, Punjab, and Gujarat are also inching closer to the target. However, some big states, including Uttar Pradesh, which accounts for 95 per cent of residual work, are yet to get the momentum to achieve the target.

To make it more transparent, the centre has made it necessary for gram panchayats to validate the work after a village has achieved the target. The meetings by gram sabha will also be video graphed and uploaded on the department's portal to be certified by the officials. Through the process, the entire system would become transparent, and the certification would go to only verified places.

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