Water scarcity, difficult terrain, fund delays slow tap water rollout in rural India: Govt

New Delhi: Water scarcity, difficult terrain, and delays in state funding are among the key hurdles slowing down the government's flagship Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) that aims to provide tap water to every rural household, Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday. The deadline of Jal Jeevan Mission was extended from 2024 to 2028 in the last budget. In a written response, Minister of State for Jal Shakti V. Somanna said several states have reported constraints such as lack of dependable water sources in drought-prone and desert regions, groundwater contamination, scattered rural habitations, and delays in obtaining statutory clearances.

Rising construction costs and limited technical capacity at the local level have further impacted the pace of implementation, he said. Some states have also failed to release their matching share of funds on time, leading to bottlenecks in ongoing projects. To overcome these issues, Somanna said the Centre has launched initiatives like the Nal Jal Mitra programme to train skilled local workers, and set up state and district programme management units to strengthen execution capacity. The government said it is also promoting source sustainability through rainwater harvesting, borewell recharge structures, greywater reuse, and rejuvenation of water bodies, in convergence with schemes such as MGNREGS, watershed programmes, and Finance Commission grants.