Bihar Nears Universal Tap Water Coverage Under ‘Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal’ Initiative

Patna: Bihar has made significant strides in ensuring access to clean drinking water, with 99.2% of urban and rural households now covered under the state’s flagship ‘Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal Yojana’. The initiative, a key component of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Saat Nischay Yojana, aims to provide piped drinking water to every household across the state.

Beyond expanding access, the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) has also focused on swift grievance redressal to address any disruptions in water supply. Through the Centralised Grievance Redressal Cell (CGRC), PHED has received 70,343 complaints related to water supply, of which 69,774 have already been resolved. Similarly, 31,585 complaints concerning the scheme’s construction and operation were registered, with 31,292 addressed successfully. Another 38,758 complaints were linked to schemes transferred from the Panchayati Raj Department, of which 38,487 have been resolved.

As of September 2024, all urban households in Bihar have been connected to the piped water network. In rural areas, 1,13,874 out of 1,14,050 wards now have access to clean drinking water. The initiative has provided tap water connections to 18.47 lakh families, with only 75,000 households yet to be connected. However, 4,000 families have declined to avail themselves of the facility. In municipal areas and Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation (BUIDCo)-governed regions, 3,370 out of 3,398 wards have been covered under the scheme.

Currently, more than 1.74 crore households across Bihar are receiving a regular tap water supply. To ensure timely intervention in case of service disruptions, PHED has set up multiple channels for grievance reporting. By February 2025, a total of 4,511 complaints had been registered through toll-free helplines (1800-123-1121, 1800-345-1121, and 155367), while 2,237 complaints were lodged via the Swachh Neer App and WhatsApp numbers 8544429024 and 8544429082. Additionally, 4,297 complaints were recorded in district control rooms, 4,083 via the web portal, and 466 through email. In total, 15,722 complaints have been registered across all platforms, with 14,295 already resolved.

With nearly all households now connected, the state moves closer to achieving full coverage under one of its most ambitious welfare schemes.