As of February 1, 2025, the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) has successfully provided tap water connections to 12.20 crore additional rural households, bringing the total coverage to over 15.44 crore households, which accounts for 79.74% of all rural households in India. This achievement marks a significant milestone in the mission, which was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2019. Initially, only 3.23 crore (17%) rural households had tap water connections.
Jal Jeevan Mission also strives for the freedom of mothers and sisters from centuries old drudgery of fetching water for the household, and improving their health, education and socio- economic condition. The Mission is bringing ‘ease of living’ and adding pride and dignity to rural families. Jal Jeevan Mission also implements source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, such as recharge and reuse through greywater management, water conservation and rainwater harvesting. The Mission is based on a community approach to water and will include extensive Information, Education and Communication (IEC) as a key component. JJM looks to create a janandolan for water, thereby making it everyone’s priority.
Progress Under the Mission (as of February 1, 2025)
15.44 crore (79.74 %) of rural households in the country have been provided with tap water connection. The latest status of the Har Ghar Jal initiative shows that 189 districts have reported their progress (indicating that tap water is being supplied to all households, schools, and Anganwadi centres as confirmed by the water supply department), with 108 of them certified (Gram Sabha resolution passed after verifying the water supply). In terms of blocks, 1,862 have reported, and 892 have been certified. At the panchayat level, 1,18,230 have submitted reports, and 79,402 have achieved certification. For villages, 2,51,579 have reported, and 1,53,193 have been certified under the initiative.
11 States/UTs, which include, Goa, A &N Islands, Dadra Nagar Haveli & Daman Diu, Haryana, Telangana, Puducherry, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh have provided tap water connection to all rural households (100%) in the respective State/UT.
Till date 9,32,440 schools and 9,69,585 Anganwadi centres have tap water supply.
400,000 deaths from diarrheal diseases: WHO
The implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission has brought significant improvements in rural life, as highlighted by several national and international institutions:
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that achieving JJM’s goals will save over 5.5 crore hours daily, primarily for women, otherwise spent collecting water.
WHO also projects that ensuring safely managed drinking water for all households in India could prevent nearly 400,000 deaths from diarrheal diseases, saving approximately 14 million Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs).
Nobel laureate Prof. Michael Kremer’s research suggests that safe water coverage could reduce mortality among children under five by nearly 30%, potentially saving 136,000 lives annually.
The Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO), estimates that JJM will generate 59.9 lakh person-years of direct and 2.2 crore person-years of indirect employment during its capital expenditure phase. Additionally, the operation and maintenance phase could generate 13.3 lakh person-years of direct employment.
Quality Assurance and Monitoring
Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, a robust quality assurance and monitoring system has been established to ensure safe drinking water for rural households. A network of 2,162 laboratories has tested 66.32 lakh water samples, while 24.80 lakh women have been trained to conduct water testing using Field Testing Kits (FTKs), strengthening community participation. So far, 85.39 lakh samples have been tested using FTKs, ensuring the early detection of contamination and improved water quality monitoring across villages.
