SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has reported tap water supply to 81.26 per cent of its rural households under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), slightly below the national coverage of 82.09 per cent, according to data presented by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
As on July 18, 2026, JK had 15.64 lakh rural households with tap water supply out of a total 19.25 lakh rural households. The Union Government said 9.89 lakh households, or 51.37 per cent, had been provided tap water connections since the launch of the JJM in August 2019. The UT had 5.75 lakh households, or 29.90 per cent, with tap connections as on August 15, 2019.
Jammu and Kashmir’s 81.26 per cent coverage places it below the national average of 82.09 per cent, and it is ranked 26th among the 34 States and Union Territories listed in the government’s annexure. The data also show that JK has a higher coverage rate than several states, including Manipur, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Kerala.
Ladakh has reported 98.19 per cent rural tap water coverage, with 0.40 lakh of its 0.41 lakh rural households receiving tap water supply. The Union Territory had only 0.01 lakh households (3.49 per cent) with tap connections as on August 15, 2019, while 0.38 lakh households (94.71 per cent) were provided connections after August 2019.
At the national level, the Union Government said that when the Jal Jeevan Mission was announced, 3.23 crore rural households, or 16.71 per cent, were reported to have tap water connections. Since August 2019, around 12.66 crore additional rural households have been provided tap water connections. As of July 18, 2026, about 15.89 crore of the country’s 19.36 crore rural households, or 82.09 per cent, were reported to have tap water supply at home.
The figures were provided by Minister of State for Jal Shakti V. Somanna in reply to Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 891, asked by Amar Pal Maurya, on the extension of the JJM to 2028 and the transfer of schemes to Gram Panchayats.
The Ministry said drinking water is a State subject, with the responsibility for planning, approval, implementation and operation and maintenance of drinking water supply schemes resting with State and UT governments. The Union Government provides technical and financial assistance to them.
The Union Cabinet has approved JJM 2.0, which seeks to shift the focus from infrastructure creation towards service delivery, backed by drinking water governance and institutional mechanisms for sustainable rural piped water supply. Under the new framework, Gram Panchayats and Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs)/Pani Samitis are empowered to manage, operate and maintain local water systems.
Under the Jal Arpan initiative, Gram Panchayats and VWSCs/Pani Samitis are envisaged to participate in the commissioning and formal handover of water supply schemes. A Gram Panchayat can certify completion of works and declare itself “Har Ghar Jal” only after confirming that adequate in-village operation and maintenance arrangements have been established by the State Government.
The Ministry also said a Handbook on Community-Managed Piped Water Systems, launched under Jal Arpan, requires a minimum 15-day trial run involving Gram Panchayat, VWSC or Pani Samiti members before the smooth handover of schemes and their sustainable operation.
All States and UTs have also been advised to frame comprehensive operation and maintenance policies covering the handover of schemes to Gram Panchayats and VWSCs, empowering them to levy user charges and undertake operation and maintenance while ensuring adequate financing for the same.
