Jammu (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir administration accorded sanction to the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission and roadmap to achieve 100 per cent coverage of piped water supply by December 2021 across the valley aligning it to the National Mission of Jal Jeevan.
The Administrative Council, met under the chairmanship of Lt Governor GC Murmu also accorded sanction to renaming of the Public Health Engineering and Irrigation and Flood Control Department as the ‘Jal Shakti Department’.
The objective of the mission is to provide Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) to every rural household with priority to desert/drought prone and border areas, schools, anganwadi and health centres etc.
In order to accomplish the roadmap and align the activities of the department with the National Mission of Jal Jeevan, the Administrative Council accorded sanction to renaming of PHE & I&FC Department as ‘Jal Shakti Department’ and setting up of a Mission Directorate of Jal Jeevan Mission, J&K by merging Communication and Capacity Development Unit (CCDU) to look after JJM works and an Executive Committee of JJM for its assistance with creation of necessary staff.
The Administrative Council has also approved appointment of Financial Auditors at provincial level to undertake audit of the expenditure under JJM; hiring of Consultants for the Project Appraisal Committees; and, appointment of Third Party Technical Monitors.
The authorities also said that special cells will be set up by the revenue and forest departments for speedy clearance of land and forest cases related to the Jal Jeevan Mission across J and K.
To achieve 100 percent coverage under JJM in a phased manner by December 2021, the PHE Department has carried out a detailed exercise to prepare District Water Security Plan through the District Water and Sanitation Mission headed by the concerned Deputy Commissioners.
In the initial phase, seven districts viz. Poonch, Reasi, Samba, Srinagar, Ganderbal, Shopian and Pulwama will be covered for 100% piped water supply by June 2020.
In the second phase, seven more districts will be covered by June 2021 and the remaining six districts shall be covered in the third phase ending December 2021.
At present, 30.5 per cent of J and K’s rural households have piped water connections compared to the national average of 18 per cent.
Special focus will be laid under the mission to provide FHTC to remaining 11.12 lakh rural households out of 16.02 lakh in J&K as per Integrated Management of Information System (IMIS) data of JJM.
