THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government intends to achieve the target of providing tap water supply to all rural households in the state over the next one year through the Jal Jeevan Mission, Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine said on Friday.
The Jal Jeevan Mission, funded equally by the Centre and the state, has been allocated the state’s share of Rs 285 crore. The Centre had released Rs 292 crore for the project the other day, the Minister informed. Of the estimated total project cost of Rs 40,000 crore, a total of Rs 10.371 crore has been allocated till date. According to the Minister, 54 per cent of the targeted pipe connections has been provided. Before the rollout of Jal Jeevan Mission, the state had 17 lakh pipe connections. It has increased to 40 lakh at present.
The state government had come under attack from the Opposition in the Assembly recently over the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission.
The Oppositon had accused the state government of mismanagement, lack of planning and failure to meet the national deadline. As per official estimates, only Rajasthan and West Bengal are behind Kerala in terms of the progress in achieving the target.
In Kerala, Jal Jeevan Mission is being implemented by the Kerala Water Authority, Kerala Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (Jalanidhi) and the ground water department. The subsequent management of the scheme is the responsibility of local self-government institutions.
As per Union government guidelines, per capita supply of 55 litres of water per day is envisaged under the project. However, in Kerala, the limit has been increased to 100 litres per person, given the nature of water use in the state.