Rural Meghalaya's tap water coverage rises from 0.7 per cent to 84 per cent in six years: Minister

Meghalaya has expanded rural tap water connectivity from just 4,550 households, or 0.70 per cent, in 2019 to 5,47,077 households, covering 84.06 per cent of rural homes, Public Health Engineering Minister Marcuise N Marak said while launching the state-level Jal Utsav 2026 on July 21.

Launching the campaign, Marak described Jal Utsav as "a people's movement" aimed at encouraging citizens to value, protect and conserve water for present and future generations.

Held under the theme Celebrating Water, Securing Sources, the campaign is based on the principles of Celebrate, Understand and Protect. Through Rajya Jal Utsav and Lok Jal Utsav, the initiative seeks to promote Meghalaya's water heritage, encourage conservation efforts and strengthen community ownership of rural drinking water systems.

The minister said 3,616 villages across the state have achieved Har Ghar Jal status. He credited engineers, field staff, district administrations, Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) and local communities for contributing to the milestone.

Marak said the extension of the Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 until December 2028 would shift the government's focus from expanding infrastructure to ensuring reliable water services, sustainable water sources and greater community participation in managing rural water supply systems.

Highlighting the department's future roadmap, he spoke about three key initiatives supporting the vision of a water-secure state. These include Sujalam Bharat, a digital platform for monitoring rural water systems, Jal Arpan Diwas to strengthen community responsibility for water infrastructure, and Jal Utsav to encourage public participation in water conservation.

"Jal Utsav marks the beginning of a long-term movement towards a water-secure Meghalaya," Marak said, urging every district, village, institution and citizen to actively participate in the campaign.

Commissioner and Secretary of the Public Health Engineering Department Pravin Bakshi also unveiled the department's annual calendar for Rajya Jal Utsav and Lok Jal Utsav, which will be conducted from July 2026 until early 2027.

The year-long programme will feature water quality awareness campaigns, Field Test Kit demonstrations, laboratory visits, marathons, asset maintenance drives, school and college competitions, river clean-up campaigns, water budgeting exercises and Gram Sabha meetings focusing on water governance.

Bakshi said the campaign's success would be measured through "stronger community ownership, protection of water sources and the long-term sustainability of rural water supply systems."

The launch programme also included cultural performances and a testimonial from a Village Water and Sanitation Committee representative from Diengiong village, who said access to piped water under the Jal Jeevan Mission had significantly improved daily life by reducing the burden of fetching water and ensuring a dependable supply of safe drinking water.