Raipur, Nov 13 : The remote villages of Dhamtari district and its large chunk of tribal population, which remained deprived of clean water for decades, have now got access to clean tap water under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

The entire village, which faced â??parchedâ?? conditions for a major part of the year, particularly during summers and had to mostly dwell on makeshift wells and ponds for their water needs, is a relieved lot today because of direct tap water connectivity to their homes, under the Centre-run JJM scheme.

Many villagers, speaking to IANS, said that their struggling days of drinking contaminated â??red waterâ?? though is not completely over, but has subsided to a larger extent.

Locals sharing their experience on the sea-change in village conditions said that excellent work has been done in Dhamtari district under the JJM in the past few years, because of which the clean water is being supplied to all homes in the district through tap connections.

Many said that earlier, they quenched their thirst with â??red waterâ?? coming from rivers, ponds, wells, and hand pumps, which directly affected their health. This led to various diseases, including diarrhoea and others. Also, they had to travel several kilometres for water, and the situation was more troublesome during the Summer.

The JJM brought a revolutionary change in their lives, and for this, they expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A beneficiary told IANS, "Earlier, we used to drink water from rivers and ponds, which often made us fall sick. Since the installation of tap water under the Jal Jeevan Mission, we have been getting clean water, and our health has improved."

Many other villagers echoed similar views, claiming that the tap water connection and clean water supply not only improved their health but also marked a substantial improvement in their living standards.

According to government estimates, when the JJM mission was launched in 2019, only 3.23 crore households had access to tap water. Since then, 12.48 crore additional households have been connected, marking one of the countryâ??s fastest infrastructure expansions, taking the total household connection to 15.72 crores.

/IANS