AMARAVATI: The Covid-19 outbreak has crippled the state government plans to provide potable drinking water through household tap connections in rural areas. This has left nearly 50 per cent of the state’s rural population depending on unhygienic sources for drinking water needs.
While many people fetching not-so safe ground water, others are consuming water from un-cleaned wells and local tanks. More than 1000 villages were getting water through transportation during peak summer when borewells dry up due to depletion of ground water.
Many districts are struggling to reach the targets fixed under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) due to shortage of workers. The delay in laying the pipelines, construction of over-head reservoirs is reportedly delayed the fixing of individual tap connections. Except Kadapa and Chittoor, the progress of granting household tap connections under Jal Jeevan Mission is poor in rest of the districts.
Interestingly, Kadapa is the home district of chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Chittoor is native of panchayat Raj minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, who is monitoring the scheme. In both Kadapa and Chittoor districts nearly 80 per cent households got the drinking water tap connections.
The state achieved only 17 per cent progress in the last one year prompting the authorities to run from pillar to post to complete the targets by 2023. Surprisingly, Srikakulam district, where several thousands of commoners were becoming victims of kidney ailments, the works are going slow. Srikakulam was ranked at the bottom with only 15 per cent of households having drinking water tap connection.
The Centre granted Rs.800 crore for 2020-21 under Har Ghar Jal programme of Jal Jeevan Mission. The Covid-19 situation paralysed the works due to which the state government could utilize just around Rs.290 crore. However, the Union Jal Shakti Ministry accepted the state government’s Detailed Project Report (DPR) on the issue and enhanced the grant to Rs.3200 crore to cover nearly 47 lakh households.
“We have taken the Jal Jeevan Mission programme seriously and directed the district collectors to set special focus to achieve progress by the end of the year,” said panchayat raj minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy.
The Panchayat Raj department wanted to provide connections to about 32 lakh households in the current fiscal, about 12.28 lakh tap connections in 2022-23 and another 6 lakh connections in 2023-24. However, the chief minister wanted the entire rural area to be covered by 2022-23.
