Jal Jeevan Mission (Har Ghar Jal)

Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), popularly known as 'Har Ghar Jal', is a transformative national initiative led by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India. The mission's goal is to provide a Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) to every rural home in India, guaranteeing the delivery of 55 litres of potable, safe, and treated drinking water per person per day on a sustainable and regular basis.

Operating on a community-driven, Jan Andolan approach, Jal Jeevan Mission empowers local Gram Panchayats and Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSC / Paani Samitis) to plan, implement, manage, operate, and maintain their own in-village piped water supply infrastructure. In addition to homes, tap water connections are provided to all primary/middle schools, anganwadi centers, ashramshalas, health centers, and community buildings.

Key public health and social benefits under Jal Jeevan Mission include: 1. Eradication of Drudgery for Women & Girls: Rural women and young girls no longer need to walk kilometers carrying heavy water pots, freeing up significant time for education, economic activities, and family well-being. 2. Reduction in Waterborne Diseases: Safe, chlorinated, and laboratory-tested tap water dramatically reduces instances of cholera, typhoid, diarrhea, dysentery, and fluorosis among rural children. 3. Community Paani Samiti Governance: Gram Panchayats and Paani Samitis receive financial and technical training to collect nominal user charges for local repairs, ensuring 24x7 system longevity. 4. Greywater Management & Sustainability: Mandatory rainwater harvesting structures and soak pits are created in every village for groundwater recharge. 5. Skill Development in Villages: Local rural youth are trained as certified masons, plumbers, electricians, and motor pump mechanics to provide on-demand maintenance services.

The eligibility framework under Jal Jeevan Mission is universal: • Target Households: Every rural household located in any revenue village or habitation across all States and Union Territories of India. • Property Type: All permanent (pucca) and semi-pucca residential dwellings in rural areas. • Exclusions: Commercial industrial enterprises requiring bulk industrial water are excluded; priority is strictly for domestic household drinking and cooking needs.

The process is community-led and coordinated via the Gram Panchayat: 1. Aadhaar Card of the head of the household. 2. Ration Card or Village Household Survey Number. 3. House ownership proof / Gram Panchayat identification slip. 4. Contact Mobile Number.

• Aadhaar Card of the head of the household
• Ration Card or proof of rural residence in the Gram Panchayat
• Property tax receipt or Gram Panchayat house identification number
• Active Mobile Number

Securing and verifying your Har Ghar Jal tap connection follows these steps: Step 1 — Village Survey & Paani Samiti Planning: The local Paani Samiti and Gram Panchayat prepare the Village Action Plan (VAP) listing all unserved households. Step 2 — Pipeline Laying & Tap Fitting: Engineering contractors and Public Health Engineering Departments (PHED) lay the distribution pipeline network to each doorstep and fit the water tap (FHTC) and water meter. Step 3 — Water Quality Testing: Local women water ambassadors test the tap water with Field Test Kits (FTKs) for pH, turbidity, chlorine, iron, and bacterial contamination, uploading results to the WQMIS portal. Step 4 — Gram Sabha 'Har Ghar Jal' Certification: Once 100% of households in the village receive regular tap water, the Gram Sabha passes a formal resolution certifying the village as 'Har Ghar Jal Verified'.

The mission operates on continuous implementation across all states with ongoing village-by-village saturation drives.

• Damaging or tampering with public distribution pipes or installing illegal booster suction pumps (which causes contamination and deprives neighboring homes of water pressure). • Not reporting tap leakages or broken valves to the village Paani Samiti / Gram Rozgar Sahayak immediately. • Neglecting local water testing (villages should conduct testing twice a year: once before monsoon for chemical parameters and once after monsoon for bacteriological parameters).

Participate actively in your local Gram Sabha water meetings and ensure your household is included in the Village Action Plan (VAP) register maintained by your Sarpanch or Paani Samiti.