New Delhi, The Jal Jeevan Mission is linking household tap water in rural India with source protection, water-quality monitoring, wastewater management and long-term service sustainability to help create safe, liveable and sustainable habitats, the Ministry of Jal Shakti said on World Habitat Day on Monday.
In March 2026, the Union Cabinet extended JJM until December 2028 with an outlay of ₹ 8.69 lakh crore, giving greater emphasis on service delivery, sustainability and community participation. Under JJM 2.0, Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari and the Catch the Rain campaign mobilise Gram Panchayats, VWSCs, Self-Help Groups, schools and community organisations for low-cost rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge, the ministry said. Under Jal Arpan, Gram Panchayats and Village Water and Sanitation Committees formally take over water supply schemes. The people who use the water also manage the system, giving communities a direct stake in keeping every tap functional and safeguarding the resources on which it depends. Field Test Kits are promoted as a community tool for checking drinking water in villages, schools and Anganwadi Centres, with states encouraged to involve trained VWSC members and Self-Help Groups. The JJM treats source sustainability as a mandatory element, covering groundwater recharge, water conservation, rainwater harvesting and greywater management.
The ministry said adequate housing is not limited to a physical structure but also depends on essential services and a healthy local environment that make homes safe, liveable and sustainable. It said that women play a leading role in community-based water-quality surveillance.
