Water security is central for a Viksit Bharat, Pg7

Key Highlights:

• The Jal Jeevan Mission is recognized as the world’s largest rural drinking water supply program.
• The Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) is the world's most significant rural sanitation movement.
• Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, rural tap water connections increased from 17% to over 81% (more than 15.8 crore households).
• SBM-Grameen is estimated to have averted over 3 lakh diarrhoea deaths between 2014 and October 2019.
• The Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari initiative led to the creation of over 1.55 crore rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge structures by May 31, 2026.
• The Namami Gange Programme has created 4,260 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage treatment capacity.

JJM.png

Detailed Insights:

• India's water challenges, previously fragmented, are now addressed through an integrated approach, viewing water as a shared national priority.
• The Jal Jeevan Mission aims for 100% coverage by 2028, saving rural women an estimated 5.5 crore person-hours daily previously spent fetching water.
• SBM-Grameen 2.0 extends beyond open defecation-free status to focus on sustainable solid and liquid waste management.
• The Ken-Betwa River Linking Project, India's first major river interlinking initiative, is progressing to bring water to the arid Bundelkhand region.
• The Namami Gange Programme reduced Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) from 26 tonnes per day (TPD) in 2017 to 10.75 TPD in 2024.
• Despite having 18% of the world's population, India has access to only about 4% of global freshwater resources.
• Future efforts will focus on improving water-use efficiency, promoting recycling, strengthening water governance, and encouraging citizen participation.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Viksit Bharat: A vision for a developed India, aiming for comprehensive progress across all sectors by 2047.
• Jal Jeevan Mission: A central government initiative to provide safe and adequate drinking water through tap connections to all rural households by 2024.
• Swachh Bharat Mission: A nationwide campaign launched by the Government of India to achieve universal sanitation coverage and eliminate open defecation.
• Namami Gange Programme: An integrated conservation mission approved by the Union Government in 2014 to abate pollution, conserve, and rejuvenate the National River Ganga.
• River Interlinking: A large-scale engineering project to transfer water from water-surplus river basins to water-deficit basins through a network of canals.