Uttar Pradesh has crossed a major milestone under the Jal Jeevan Mission, with 26,564 villages now officially certified as ‘Har Ghar Jal’, meaning every rural home in these villages has a functional tap-water connection. State officials say this translates into safe drinking water for nearly 2.5 crore rural families, marking one of India’s largest expansions of household water access in a single state so far.
The latest certification figures come from gram panchayat resolutions uploaded to the Jal Jeevan Mission dashboard and verified through village-level checks. Officials stress that certification is issued only after all households are connected, water quality meets prescribed norms, and regular supply is demonstrated for a defined period. This pushes Uttar Pradesh closer to the national goal of assured tap water for every rural home.
UP’s Jal Jeevan Mission coverage and village certification push
Uttar Pradesh has over 97,000 villages and around 2.64 crore rural households, making Har Ghar Jal implementation especially challenging. When the mission began in 2019, just about 34 lakh rural homes in the state had tap connections. Today, officials say piped water has reached roughly 2.5–2.66 crore rural households, reflecting a dramatic scale-up in six years.
Under the certification drive, gram sabhas pass resolutions confirming that every home in a village has a functional tap, with at least 55 litres per capita per day and regular supply. These resolutions are recorded on the Jal Jeevan Mission portal and subject to random checks by district and state teams. Only then is a village marked ‘Har Ghar Jal’ on the national dashboard and eligible for model village recognition.
| Parameter | Status in Uttar Pradesh |
|---|---|
| Total rural households | About 2.64–2.66 crore |
| Functional tap connections (rural) | Nearly 2.5–2.66 crore |
| Villages certified ‘Har Ghar Jal’ | 26,564 |
| Rural villages overall | Over 97,000 |
Officials say the pace of coverage has been highest in water-stressed Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions, where many schemes are now nearing universal household coverage. A senior Jal Jeevan Mission functionary noted that more than 95% of rural homes in these regions already have piped water, with remaining habitations in final connection and testing stages.
Solar-powered schemes, CO2 reduction and cost savings
A key feature of Uttar Pradesh’s Jal Jeevan rollout is the heavy use of solar power to run rural water schemes. Around 80% of Gramin Peyajal Yojana projects now operate on solar energy, with over 33,000 solar-based groundwater schemes commissioned and about 900 MW of solar capacity installed to power pumping systems across villages.
State officials estimate these solar installations will cut roughly 13 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year, while also reducing operating costs by up to 50% compared with grid electricity. Additional Chief Secretary Anurag Srivastava said solar integration has “ensured a sustainable water supply while significantly reducing carbon emissions”, and the model has been recognised as a best practice by the Centre.
Monitoring, challenges and what villagers are experiencing
To maintain reliability, Jal Jeevan Mission guidelines mandate regular water-quality testing, village-level Water and Sanitation Committees, and third-party inspections. In Uttar Pradesh, these mechanisms have been tightened after incidents like the collapse of a Jal Jeevan Mission water tank in Sitapur district last year, which triggered questions over construction quality and on-ground oversight in some schemes.
On the ground, villagers and officials report tangible gains in health, time savings and dignity, especially for women who previously walked several kilometres for water. A senior official from the Ministry of Jal Shakti recently inspected a solar-powered project in Lucknow’s Gosainganj block and praised its “technical execution, cleanliness and efficient operations”, calling it a template for future rural schemes in the state.
For residents, the next phase will matter as much as this milestone. With over 26,000 villages now certified and many more close to completion, the focus is shifting to ensuring uninterrupted supply, robust maintenance and quick grievance redressal so that every certified Har Ghar Jal village in Uttar Pradesh continues to receive safe, reliable tap water in the years ahead.
