To advance Sustainable Development Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation) and ensure equitable access to safe drinking water, the Jal Jeevan Mission, India’s flagship rural water supply programme, has accelerated efforts to provide every household with an individual tap connection. Launched in 2019, with 17% of rural households having tap water, has now reached to 81% coverage, benefiting over 15.70 crore rural households. In addition to ensuring its core objective of providing access to potable water, the Mission has far-reaching multiplier effects, including preventing waterborne diseases, reducing the drudgery of fetching water, especially for women and girls, and enhancing livelihoods and productivity across rural communities.
As the country rapidly approaches its target of 100 percent household connection and with the extension of the Mission until 2028, the priority is to develop a comprehensive approach to sustain the gains made over the last five years under JJM. Since the majority of water supply schemes rely on groundwater sources, the key to long-term sustainability lies in implementing a groundwater management approach that is based on a thorough analysis of resource availability, associated water stress, and decentralized and participatory governance to manage it effectively. While policy-level priorities and national and state planning are comprehensive, they are essential to ensure the rapid progress of the Jal Jeevan Mission in addressing issues related to household water access in rural India.
However, the long-term sustainability of the rural water supply system hinges significantly on the availability of dependable water source. In recent years, water supply systems have faced significant challenges to water security, including the reliability of water supply sources due to competing water demands, over-extraction of groundwater, water pollution, and unequal distribution of water resources. Addressing water security is critical not only for the sustainability of water services, but also for the health and well-being of its citizens, which is closely linked to it.
India’s per capita water availability has touched the water-stressed benchmarks and is expected to decline further towards water-scarce conditions by 2050. The country is facing a persistent water crisis, exacerbated by climate change, as well as a growing imbalance between supply and demand. A rapidly increasing population and urbanization have driven up water demands. At the same time, years of pollution and groundwater exploitation have significantly impacted both the quality and availability of groundwater, thus creating a genuine concern around the sustainability of water supply sources.
The Central Groundwater Board (CGWB) of India estimates that out of the total 7,089 assessment units across the country, 14% have been categorized as ‘Overexploited’, 12% units are at semi-critical stages, and 158 assessment units (2%), have been classified as Saline.
Similarly, according to a report by NITI Aayog, nearly 50 per cent of the springs in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) are drying up. The seasonal and overall decline in springs has affected not only the domestic water availability in remote villages but will also affect the flow of rivers such as the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.
The above situation reflects pressing challenges around water availability; however, to address these challenges, many states have implemented impactful initiatives & campaigns, as well as established the presence of scientific agencies for groundwater mapping and monitoring, along with water resources
management and conservation programs. This has led to the strengthening of the links between the rural drinking water supply sector and multisector water resources management. In recent years, the positive outcomes of several targeted water conservation programmes have become quite visible.
According to the Groundwater Resource Assessment Report (2022), there has been a 3% reduction in the number of ‘overexploited’ groundwater units and a 4% increase in the number of ‘safe’ category units as compared to 2017. There was an improvement in groundwater conditions in 909 assessment units.
The Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA-CTR) campaign, initiated in 2019, emphasizes sustainable water management through active citizen participation, focusing on conservation, restoration, groundwater recharge, and reuse. In 2023, the campaign prioritized ensuring the long-term sustainability of drinking water sources in 150 districts identified under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
The Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL), India’s largest groundwater management initiative, empowers village communities to ensure sustainable water futures. It promotes groundwater conservation through community participation and demand-side management in seven water-stressed states—Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Pilot projects, such as “Managing Aquifer Recharge and Sustaining Groundwater use through Village-level Intervention,” have
shown promising outcomes across different states.
Atal Bhujal Yojana complements the Jal Jeevan Mission in that it supports various supply-side interventions, such as the construction of check dams, farm ponds, and artificial recharge structures, which ultimately help ensure functional household tap connections are backed by stable groundwater
tables. These integrated efforts are crucial to ensure that water supply expansion is aligned with groundwater conservation efforts for a lasting impact. Additionally, initiatives such as the National Aquifer Mapping and Management Programme (NAQUIM), which involve community engagement in mapping
groundwater resources, are crucial for states to make informed decisions and ensure the provision of safe tap water.
The ever-increasing pressure on freshwater resources is also the key driver for utilising greywater. In India, it is estimated that 31 billion litres of greywater are generated daily. The lower contamination level of greywater provides an opportunity to reduce water scarcity by almost 50 per cent through its reuse. It is therefore necessary to devise plans and make India a water-secure country, safeguarding it from water scarcity.
At a time when water scarcity and quality issues are looming as an increasingly pressing challenge, the Jal Jeevan Mission is relying on participatory approaches and deploying innovative technologies in water management as a critical pathway to ensure sustainabile water sources. Finally, investing in water security will not only enhance water availability and quality but also contribute to the country’s overall economic and social development.
Note: Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the Clear Cut Magazine.
Clear Cut Climate Desk
New Delhi, UPDATED: Jan 07, 2026 05:48 IST
Written By: Asad Umar
