Salem comes first, Namakkal fourth in Jal Jeevan Mission implementation

Salem district ranks first and Namakkal district fourth nationally in implementing Jal Jeevan Mission, providing safe drinking water.

Salem district secured first place and Namakkal district came fourth at the national level in implementing the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme in 2022-2023 under the 50% to 75% tap connection coverage category.

The Jal Jeevan Mission envisions providing safe drinking water to homes in villages through pipelines. In Salem, the plan was to supply drinking water tap connections to 6.47 lakh households in 5,109 villages, encompassing 385 panchayats in 20 panchayat unions, by 2024. Currently, 5.40 lakh households (83.54%) have received drinking water tap connections in the district. From October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023, 1,76,808 households were provided with drinking water tap connections. As a result, Salem District achieved 340.20 points, securing the first place out of 168 districts nationwide.

In Namakkal district, under the scheme, a target was fixed under JJM 2020–2021 to provide drinking water tap connections for 3.52 lakh households in 2,520 villages that come under 322 panchayats in 15 panchayat unions before 2024. So far, drinking water tap connections have been provided to 3.47 lakh households (98.84%) in the district. From October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023, in Namakkal, drinking water tap connections were provided to 1.28 lakh households. Through this, Namakkal district got 293.15 points and was ranked fourth in the country.

According to officials at the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), in Salem district, 7,307 overhead water tanks supply drinking water under the JJM scheme. Additionally, administrative sanction has been provided to construct 296 overhead water tanks, out of which 72 tanks have already been built. Officials added that the remaining tap connections under the scheme will be provided before the end of this year.