BENGALURU: Karnataka has not provided tap water connections to 24.5 lakh rural households—34% of the goal of 72.1 lakh—well past the March 2024 target, according to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) presented in the legislative assembly on Tuesday.
The audit, covering 2019 to 2024 in seven districts, highlighted deficiencies in planning, execution, financial management, and water quality monitoring, which undermine the mission’s goal of achieving Har Ghar Jal.
At the state level, inconsistent departmental participation impacted synergy with initiatives like Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) and Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana. While some villages proposed convergence strategies, none were implemented.
Project execution delays further worsened outcomes. The audit pointed to poor planning, such as awarding contracts without ensuring land availability, flawed Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), and overburdened contractors. Some projects were abandoned despite substantial expenditure, while others stagnated for years.
The report also noted weak post-implementation management and heavy reliance on groundwater sources, raising concerns about sustainability. “The state heavily depended on groundwater for water supply, posing long-term sustainability risks. The department’s initiatives to incorporate sustainable measures, like groundwater recharge and greywater management, were insufficient,” it stated.
Despite limited overall impacts on public health and employment, the report acknowledged that the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) showed improvements in specific social indicators. The mission has lessened the burden on women and helped reduce the dropout rate among upper primary school girls from 2.3 to 1.5 by 2023-24, attributing this to reduced time spent on water collection.
Many women reported time savings that allowed for focus on other domestic chores, self-care, or economic opportunities. Additionally, numerous women highlighted enhanced safety due to reduced risks of crime or wild animal attacks during lengthy water-fetching trips.
Inadequate Testing Facilities
* Weak institutional mechanisms; key committees at village, district, and state levels did not convene regularly.
* Village action plans were incomplete; issues like source sustainability, groundwater data, and financial planning were lacking.
* During 2023-24, 13 districts failed to conduct meetings; 5 villages were incorrectly labeled as ‘Har Ghar Jal’ compliant, and 21 were shown as fully covered despite incomplete works.
* Karnataka received only 45% of the central allocation due to underutilization; meanwhile, spending on water quality monitoring plummeted from 50% in 2019-20 to 2% in 2023-24.
* Laboratories lacked the capability to test for contaminants like arsenic, and turnaround times extended to 106 days beyond the recommended 24-48 hours.
* An independent study found that only two out of 28 sampled villages met water quality standards.
