Garhwal Student’s Research Highlights Impact of Jal Jeevan Mission in Uttarakhand

The Government of Uttarakhand has implemented the Har Ghar Jal program under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), introduced by the Government of India. As part of this program, potable tap water is to be provided in every village household in India. Uttarakhand has taken a lead in implementing this program, and as of July 2025, 9067 of Uttarakhand’s 14,985 villages have been Certified as Har Ghar Jal Villages, while another 2557 villages are categorised as Har Ghar Jal Reported, but not yet Certified.

Avni Nautiyal, a 16-year old Mumbai resident and native of Masaan Gaaon in Pauri District, conducted a field-research in 6 villages of Kot Block to evaluate the effectiveness of JJM implementation. The study was supported by the Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan and Uttarakhand Jal Nigam departments, and findings were presented to the Honourable Secretary, Uttarakhand Drinking Water Department.

Through detailed one-on-interviews and focused group discussions with more than 60 women, a clear picture emerged of the status of the JJM implementation.

The Har Ghar Jal program of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) has been a massive success. By providing functional tap water connection to every household, in many villages, this program has transformed lives: access to tap water at home reduces women’s labour related to bringing water to the household. This, in turn, has a clear impact on the physical and mental health of women, as well as freeing up time for them to take care of their families and engaging in leisure and productive employment, and increased ability of children to attend school.

Mrs. Chauhan (name changed), a resident of Kot Block and participant in the research, said: “Earlier, we had to walk as much as 30 minutes, several times a day, to fill water for drinking. The effort, constant fear of falling and of wild animals would give me headaches. When tap water is available at home, that stress goes away.”

However, there is scope for improvement. Tap water is abundantly available for only 8-9 months in the year, with April-July being the toughest months with respect to water availability, given influx of residents for the summer vacations and poojas and reduced water supply in the natural water sources and JJM sources. In certain villages, tampering with control valves could lead to reduced water availability in downstream households – this can be easily addressed by installing inexpensive sensors with the control valves, to alert against tampering. In addition, having a clearly defined escalation matrix that is available to all village residents, and clearly defined Service Level Agreements regarding the time within which all complaints would be handled, would allow residents to raise complaints regarding misuse and maintenance and expect speedy resolution.

Speaking of the research, Avni said, “the Har Ghar Jal program of the Jal Jeevan Mission has been a transformative program. It has vastly improved the quality of life of village residents who have received such access. Making a few improvements / modifications could help improve the efficacy of the program even more.”

Shri Shailesh Bagauli, Honourable Secretary, Uttarakhand Drinking Water Department, said “It is very encouraging to see Uttarakhand’s youth take so much interest in working with the government and trying to find solutions to Uttarakhand’s most pressing challenges. Ms. Nautiyal’s report is a very strong effort in this regard.”