LUCKNOW: The Jal Jeevan Mission has brought about a drastic change in the availability of drinking water in rural areas of Uttar Pradesh’s Bundelkhand region. Today, thousands of villages are connected to a network of piped water supply, and tap water is available right at their doorstep.
The Bundelkhand region comprises seven districts: Jhansi, Mahoba, Lalitpur, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Banda, and Chitrakoot, with a total of 4,513 revenue villages. Prior to 2019, only 891 villages had piped water supply for drinking. The remaining 3,622 villages were proposed to be covered under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
According to official reports, all 3,622 identified villages have been provided with access to clean drinking water. As a result, approximately 67 lakh people in Bundelkhand have access to a reliable tap water supply at their homes.
For efficient distribution, 42 Surface Water Schemes have been implemented, providing drinking water to 3,644 villages. The network also comprises 42 intake wells and 42 water treatment plants. The distribution of water is managed through 1,193 overhead tanks and a massive 32,223 km of pipelines.
Lalitpur leads the list with 527 villages having 100 percent tap water supply, followed closely by Banda with 540 villages fully covered and Jhansi with 446 villages fully covered. Mahoba has 338, Jalaun has 336, Hamirpur has 322, and Chitrakoot has 283 villages reporting full coverage.
To commemorate the achievement, the Uttar Pradesh government will be celebrating “Jal Utsav” in the region from March 8 to March 22.
This improved water supply system has been planned to address the age-old problems of seasonal water shortages, groundwater depletion, and tanker water supply in the region.