Gandhinagar: Government of India’s Jal Jeevan Mission has been lauded at the international level for improving health parameters amongst children. Nobel awardee Professor Michael Kremer of USA has claimed that the Swachh Bharat Mission has been instrumental in improving and saving lives of more than 3 lakh children every year. At the same time, the Jal Jeevan Mission has been an important campaign in reducing the Infant Mortality Rate. It is worth mentioning here that the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) had lauded the Jal Jeevan Mission stating that this program should be implemented in backward nations.

It is to be noted here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi started the ‘Nal Se Jal’ campaign in 2019 with a mission to provide tap water connections for every house in rural India. 4 states and 2 Union Territories have had 100% implementation of this campaign so far. Gujarat will soon join this list. 99.79% of works have been completed in Gujarat under ‘Nal Se Jal’. Union The progress of this campaign is accelerating at the national level under the Union Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. 54% rural houses have been provided tap water connections so far.

JJM’s role in reducing Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in Gujarat

Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) is envisioned to provide safe drinking water round-the-clock to every household in rural India. With improved access to clean water, there has been a sharp decline in the Infant Mortality Rate caused due to water-borne diseases.

Before the launch of JJM in Gujarat in 2019, IMR (age 0 to 5 years) was 28 which has come down to 23 in 2022. JJM is also considered to be an important contributor in reduction of IMR, according to the Health department of the Gujarat Government.

The department also believes that in the next 1-2 years, the number of children suffering from water-borne diseases will further reduce as access to safe drinking water in rural households will increase. It will ensure better health for all families, especially mother and their children. In this way, JJM will also become a better facilitator in reducing the state-level infant mortality rate.

Why is Prof. Kremer’s report special?

Addressing the Indian officials during their meeting, Prof. Kremer said that he drew an important conclusion from this study where he found that IRM could be reduced by about 30% if families were provided with safe drinking water. For this, the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ programme plays an important role in improving health standards, especially among children. This paper by Professor Michael Kremer has been published by the University of Chicago. The report claims that if the government achieves its JJM target, about 1.36 lakh children under the age of five could be saved in India every year.

99.79% of Gujarat’s households connected with potable tap water

Under ‘Nal Se Jal’, the Central Government had set a target to provide adequate and safe drinking water to every rural household by 2024. Well ahead of the national target, Gujarat will connect 100 % of its rural areas by this year. As of today, 99.79% of rural households in Gujarat have already been connected and with its relentless effort, the state government would connect 100 per cent of Gujarat with tap water.

DeshGujarat