Chhattisgarh deputy CM directs officials to expedite Jal Jeevan Mission works

Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao on Saturday directed officials to expedite pending works under the Jal Jeevan Mission with proactive planning, a government official said.

During a review meeting of the Public Health Engineering Department, he assessed the progress of the Jal Jeevan Mission in the state, drinking water arrangements in areas that were affected by Naxalism and the availability of drinking water across the state.

Sao instructed officials to complete on priority the remaining works of the Jal Jeevan Mission, a central programme aimed at providing safe and adequate drinking water through functional household tap connections to every rural household.

The deputy CM said the release of funds by the Centre and the state government would depend on the pace and quality of work carried out at the field level.

He instructed that villages where Jal Jeevan Mission works had been completed be verified for ''Har Ghar Jal'' status and that operation and maintenance responsibilities be handed over to gram panchayats or village local bodies.

Reviewing potable water arrangements during the summer season, he directed officials to repair malfunctioning hand pumps on priority and restore water supply in dried-up hand pumps by extending riser pipes. He also instructed officials to dig new tube wells wherever necessary.

In view of the upcoming monsoon season, Sao directed officials to ensure preparedness for preventing water-borne diseases by stopping contaminated water supply, replacing pipelines passing through drains and conducting regular water quality testing.

The deputy CM also stressed the need for rainwater conservation, tree plantation, rejuvenation of water sources and rainwater harvesting to ensure future water security, said the official.

During the meeting, officials informed Sao and others that the target for 2026-27 is to complete 13,183 ongoing schemes under the Mission, while 7,352 schemes are scheduled for completion in 2027-28.

They said 7,060 villages in the state have reported achieving ''Har Ghar Jal'' status, of which 6,018 villages have already been verified.

Officials added that 8,555 single-village tap water schemes have been completed and handed over to gram panchayats for operation and maintenance.

According to the department, drinking water in rural areas is currently being supplied through 30,624 single-phase power pumps, 15,616 solar-powered pumps and 9,385 piped water supply schemes.

The officials further informed that 19,807 malfunctioning hand pumps had been repaired during the summer season, while over 52,000 metres of riser pipes had been replaced or extended to ensure an uninterrupted water supply in villages and forest areas.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)