Nagaland’s Minister for Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and Cooperation, Jacob Zhimomi, announced that 92.76% of rural households in the state have functional tap connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
He made this statement while addressing a regional workshop on WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) and Public Health in the North Eastern Region, held at Town Hall, Zone Niathu by the Park, Chumoukedima, on Wednesday, March 26.
The workshop, organized by NITI Aayog in collaboration with the Government of Nagaland under the NeVolution initiative, brought together stakeholders from various sectors, including health experts, policymakers, community leaders, and civil society organizations, to discuss sustainable and community-driven solutions for improving public health in the region. The discussions focused on the intersection of water quality, sanitation, waste management, and public health, to develop a comprehensive roadmap to enhance health outcomes in the North East.
Providing an update on the progress of tap water connections, Zhimomi stated that out of 3,63,829 rural households in Nagaland, 3,37,498 have received functional tap connections. The state aims to achieve complete coverage by March 2025, with the remaining 26,331 households set to be connected.
He also reported that out of 1,033 Har Ghar Jal villages in Nagaland, 643 (62.25%) have been certified, and efforts are underway to certify the remaining villages. Notably, the Kiphire district, identified as an Aspirational/Mission Utkarsh district, has achieved 100% household coverage, with efforts to designate it as a Har Ghar Jal district.
Zhimomi acknowledged the challenges of implementing piped water supply schemes in Nagaland’s hilly terrain, where villages are often far from water sources. “Depletion of water sources particularly the vulnerable sources of hilltop villages is becoming a common phenomenon in Nagaland due to various man-made and natural factors. Ensuring sustainability of drinking water sources and water supply infrastructures created through JJM is a major concern for a hilly State like Nagaland,” he said.
Yugal Joshi, Programme Director of NITI Aayog, highlighted the government’s commitment to improving sanitation and water supply through mission-mode programs. “The success of India in sanitation and the Jal Jeevan Mission in providing tap water supply is due to strong political will, adequate provision of public funds, partnerships with states, districts, development partners, civil society organizations, academia, and media, and most importantly, grassroots leadership,” he said.
Joshi further praised the North Eastern states for their achievements in sanitation, health, and water management, noting that they have outperformed the national average in several parameters.
“In many of the parameters in sanitation, health and water, the northeastern states performed much better than the rest of the Indian average. And that’s quite admirable and shows the kind of political will and people’s participation,” he stated.
The workshop served as a platform to address key public health challenges related to water, sanitation, hygiene, and waste management in the region. The initiative aims to support Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6—universal access to clean water and sanitation—and improve health outcomes across the North Eastern Region.
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