Out of 7 lakhs families 53% households provided with safe drinking water in Tripura, claims DWS Minister

Amid protests and road blockades on demand for safe drinking water, which has now become a common occurrence in Tripura, the state's Drinking Water and Sanitation (DWS) minister Sushanta Chowdhury claimed that out of a total of 7,41,945 rural families, 53 percent of households in Tripura's villages have been provided with safe drinking water through pipeline connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission, and the remainder will be covered by the end of this year.
 
Chowdhury announced this during a press conference Thursday evening at the secretariat, adding that, compared to 3.30 percent coverage of such connections in 2019, the new government has reached 53 percent of rural homes with pipeline drinking water facilities to date.
 
The Minister accompanied by the secretary and chief engineer of the DES department said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi under Har Ghar Jal has a target to provide 100 percent drinking water connection to households and we till date have completed 52.66 percent in the villages and by the next fortnight it will be around 60 percent".
 
He added, “All total in eight districts of Tripura there are 7,41,945 families spread across 8,710 rural habitations and out of these, 3,90,735 families living in 1,238 habitations were provided 100 percent safe drinking water connections in 29  Gram Panchayats and ADC village committees. Work is fast progressing in other habitations except at 241 where work is yet to start.”
 
Prior to Jal Jeevan Mission, 24,502 families in villages had drinking water connections, at 3.30 percent in 2019.
 
The DWS minister stated that the central government has a clear mandate to complete providing 100 percent safe drinking water connections by December of this year and that there is no shortage of funds at the moment, though there was initially a fund crisis that hampered the progress of work during the first stage.
 
He further asserted that there is no shortage of cash to meet the goal date and that the Central Jal Sampad Ministry only recently handed Rs. 166 crores to Tripura.
 
Adding to Chowdhury, Kiran Gitte secretary of the DWS added, "Work is going at war-footing across the state and by the end of December this year we shall be providing safe drinking water connection to every family of the state".