By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/IMPHAL: A team of 6 members from National Jal Jeevan Mission is on a visit to Manipur from 10th to 13th January, 2021. The team intends to provide technical assistance thereby supporting the State realize the goal of ‘Har Ghar Jal’ under the flagship programme, Jal Jeevan Mission. The team aims to identify the issues and challenges faced by the programme implementors in the State as well as document the good practices for upscaling and replication in other parts of the country.
The team will be visiting Kakching, Thoubal, Bishnupur, & Noney districts during the four-day long tour. They will be interacting with the field level officials involved in the implementation of water supply schemes as well as Gram Pradhans and members of Gram Panchayats who are the custodians of the infrastructure thus created under the programme. The team will also be holding meeting with the Chairperson of District Water & Sanitation Mission/ Deputy Commissioner to brief them about the progress and seek their intervention for speedy implementation of the programme. On the last day of the visit, a de-brief session is also planned by the team.
Manipur State has around 4.51 lakh rural households, out of which tap water supply is available to 1.67 lakh (37%) households. The State aims to provide 2 lakh Functional Household Tap Connections in 2020-21. The State has planned for 100% tap water connections coverage by 2021-22 under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
Jal Jeevan Mission is a flagship program announced by Prime Minister in August, 2019, which aims to provide all rural households with tap water supply in adequate quantity & of prescribed quality by 2024. Union Government is committed to providing all assistance to the State as provision of potable water is a top priority. Under the programme, funds are provided by Government of India based on the outputs in terms of tap water connections provided and the utilization of available central and matching State share. Centre has allocated Rs 131.80 Crore to Manipur in 2020-21.
There is need for convergence planning to be done by the State under various programmes like MGNREGS, JJM, SBM (G), 15th Finance Commission Grants to PRIs, CAMPA, Local Area Development Fund, etc. at village level and Village Action Plan (VAP) of every village is to be prepared for 5 years co-terminus with the 15th Finance Commission by dovetailing all such funds for carrying out various activities to ensure drinking water security.
Manipur though falls under high intensity of rainfall area also faces an acute shortage of water particularly during dry/ lean season of February – May every year. Manipur has primarily an agrarian economy, with significant hydroelectric power generation potential. The mismanagement of water has severely depleted water supply and degraded water quality in Manipur. Scarcity, overexploitation and pollution are the key areas of concern regarding water management. With proper recharge structures and watershed management, infiltration rate can be increased that will help in better groundwater recharging.
The State has been working hard in implementing Jal Jeevan Mission- amidst the challenges of rough terrain & climatic conditions, further compounded by the impediments caused due to Covid-19 pandemic. The works under JJM is in full swing in the State and visit of NJJM team will provide impetus to the implementation of the programme in the State.
