Drinking water is a state subject and the power to plan, approve and implement drinking water supply schemes/ projects is vested in the State Government. Government of India, in partnership with States/ UTs is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission, since August, 2019, to make provision of tap water supply to every rural household in the country. Significant progress has been made in the state of Maharashtra since the launch of Jal Jeevan Mission, towards enhancing access to tap water to rural households. At the start of Jal Jeevan Mission in August 2019, only 48.44 lakh (33%) rural households were reported to have tap water connections. So far, as reported by State, around 83.92 lakh additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections under JJM. Thus, as on 01.12.2025, out of 146.78 lakh rural households in the state, more than 132.36 lakh (90.18%) households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes.

Whereas in Nashik, at the start of Jal Jeevan Mission in August 2019, only 1.71 lakh (23.85%) rural households were reported to have tap water connections. So far, as reported by State, around 5.05 lakh additional rural households have been provided with tap water connections under JJM. Thus, as on date, out of 7.18 lakh rural households in the state, more than 6.76 lakh (94.22%) households are reported to have tap water supply in their homes. Further, water supply duration is managed by local authorities.

As per operational guidelines for implementation of JJM, payment for all works executed under JJM are to be made only after Third party Inspection of said works.

Furthermore, an assessment of functionality of tap connection is also done nationally. As per the national functionality assessment 2024 undertaken by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Nashik district 97.9% of Households were found with tap water connection, with 99.9% connections in working condition. Out of which, 63.3% households receive adequate quantity of water, 90.3% receive potable water as per district reports, and 99.2% households get regular supply.

To ensure the quality of water supply to households, the department has revised the testing protocol for Rural piped water supply system (RPWSS) infrastructure including the delivery points. As per the protocol, in each village, 2 samples should be collected from different households (delivery points) every month for both chemical and bacteriological parameters.

As per data reported by the State on WQMIS/ IMIS of this department, there are a total of 7 water quality testing laboratories in Nashik district of Maharashtra which have the capability/ facilities to test the for bacteriological and chemical parameters. All these labs can be accessed by the public for water quality testing at nominal rates.

Lack of dependable drinking water sources in water-stressed areas, presence of geo-genic contaminants in ground water, uneven geographical terrain, scattered rural habitations, lack of capacity of the local village communities to manage and operate in-village water supply infrastructure, etc., are few challenges being faced in the implementation of the mission.

To expedite the planning and implementation, as well as monitoring and handhold States/ UTs including Maharashtra, Government of India has taken number of steps to plan and implement JJM in the whole country which inter alia includes discussion and finalization of annual action plan (AAP) in consultation with States/ UTs, regular review of planning and implementation, workshops/ conferences/ webinars for capacity building and knowledge sharing, field visits by multi-disciplinary team to provide technical support, etc.

The information was provided by THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI SHRI V. SOMANNA in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

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AMK/ND

(Lok Sabha US Q791)

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