Are investments on water in India sufficient?

There are less than five years left to meet the SDG 6 target of safe water and sanitation for everyone. The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Report reveals that a significant number of people worldwide lacks access to safely managed WASH services. In this light, the Government of India’s flagship Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) is worth mentioning. Launched in 2019, the goal of JJM is to provide safe drinking water to all rural households in India by 2024, through a household tap connection. 

Towards this ambitious goal, the Government of India has made significant investments. As per data shared by the Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA), the government’s expenditure on JJM increased by 335 per cent in 2021-2022, with consistent high expenditure in the following years (Figure 1). 

In addition to the above budget allocations, the 15th Finance Commission (Financial Year 2021-22 to 2025-26) tied-grants of Rs. 26,940 Crore have also been made available to Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) for provision of water and sanitation services for their constitutionally mandated role. 

These significant investments in ensuring that water services reach everyone, raise a few questions: 

1. Are the investments sufficient to cover every rural household with piped water services?  As per the JJM dashboard, substantial progress has been made in terms of coverage since the launch of the mission, with 81% households (as on 28th May 2025) having a tap connection.
2. What is required to sustain these connections overtime, especially for those who are usually left behind, and face climate change related risks?
3. Are the allocated budgets being fully utilised? If not, why? 

We at IRC are attempting to answer these questions, with insights from the states of Assam and Odisha. 

More on this coming soon, stay tuned!