KADAPA: The Central government-sponsored Jal Jeevan Mission to provide clean drinking water to all rural people has not progressed in Kadapa district as targeted.
Under the mission, the district should have installed total 1,05,922 drinking water taps in rural areas by the end of financial year 2020–21. But hardly 14,878 taps have been fixed. As a result, an overwhelming number of 4,418 villages in 807 gram panchayats of the district remain without water taps.
The mission has be planned to service 5,04,696 families with a population of 19,53,439. As of April 2020, only 3,00,578 households (59.56 per cent) have drinking water taps, according to the Rural Drinking Water Supply Department. Another 2,04,118 households (40.44 per cent) have not yet got the drinking water taps.
As per the Centre’s action plan, Jal Jeevan Mission must be implemented 100 percent by 2024. An amount of Rs. 521.35 crore is required to complete a total of 3,248 works. Of this, the state authorities have given administrative sanction for Rs. 84.62 crore worth works in first instalment. It directed that works worth less than Rs. 5 lakh be initially completed with the sanctioned funds.
Accordingly, It was decided to install 1,05,922 taps in 2,932 residential areas in nine constituencies except Kadapa town during 2020–21 at an estimated cost of Rs. 39.29 crore. However, there has been a delay in coming up with guidelines for implementing the mission at the field level. Similarly, commencement of works has also suffered due to lack of clarity in procedures to be adopted for implementing the project.
Judging by progress of works across the district, only 14,878 taps have been installed in nine months from April to December 2020. For example, while there are 8,120 houses in Vontimitta mandal of the district, only 4,135 households have got taps. Consequently, only 54.41 per cent of people in the mandal are getting tap water.
Further, while there are 9,401 houses in Chakrayapet mandal, hardly 1,999 houses have taps, new ones among them being 727. Only 29 percent of people in this mandal have taps. Of 9,201 residents in Sambepalli mandal, 2,449 houses have taps and with the new ones being 460. Thus, only 31.62 per cent people in the mandal have received access to drinking water.
Rural Water Supply Department officials say Jal Jeevan Mission scheme has been launched to provide drinking water through taps to every household in the district. Owing to funding issues, authorities decided to undertake works costing less than Rs. 5 lakh in Phase I.
Officials say of 1,05,922 taps, more than 14,000 have been installed, while the rest are in various stages of being connected. District collector Chevuru Harikiran has directed authorities to expedite the work as summer is fast approaching. He has been reviewing these works regularly to complete the Jal Jeevan Mission at a faster pace.
