GUWAHATI: Under the Jal Jeevan Mission the state of Arunachal Pradesh has reiterated its commitment to achieve ‘Har Ghar Jal’ target by 2023. The Annual Action Plan of Arunachal Pradesh presented on Wednesday ensures to provide tap water to all rural households under the mission..
In Arunachal Pradesh, of the 2.17 lakh rural households, 1.01 lakh have access to tap water supply. The state has been able to cover 47% of these rural households with water connection. In the year 2020-21 around 65,000 tap water connections were provided in the state.
In 2021-22, the State plans to make 3 districts, 18 Blocks and 1,825 villages Har Ghar Jal, which means 100% tap water connection in every rural household in these areas.
Under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in the state of Arunachal Pradesh Rs.345 crore of central funds were released in the 2020-21 financial year. For 2021-22 the state is likely to get Rs. 600 crore under JJM. Last year, due to its better performance the state was incentivised through a performance grant.
During the presentation the state informed that 86% healthcare centres, 79% schools, 60% ashramshalas and 57% Anganwadi centres in Arunachal Pradesh have piped water supply. The State plans to achieve 100% piped water supply in all these institutions in the first quarter of 2021-22. The state also plans to engage experts at State, district and division level which will help expedite the implementation of JJM and help find gaps which need to be addressed as they march ahead to achieve 100% coverage in remote regions of the state.
Also, under the Jal Jeevan Mission, water quality testing laboratories at district & state levels are opened for the general public to test the water at nominal rate. Community is being encouraged for surveillance of water quality. PHE Department is facilitating to empower and engage with the community. For this, activities are planned like timely procurement and supply of field test kits to the community, identification of at least five women in every village for community engagement, training women on how to use the Field Test Kits and reporting the test result findings.
In 2020-21, Arunachal Pradesh has undertaken 83.4% chemical tests of water sources and 91.8% tests at delivery points. They have undertaken 100% chemical and bacteriological tests for schools and anganwadi centres. The State was asked to get NABL accreditation for its water testing laboratories, so that people can get water tests conducted at nominal rates.
The Annual Action Plan emphasizes on drinking water source strengthening/ augmentation, water supply, greywater treatment & reuse, and operation & maintenance of in-village water supply systems.
