Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday reviewed the progress of rural drinking water projects and directed officials to speed up work under the Odisha Water and Sanitation Mission (OWSM) and Jal Jeevan Mission to meet completion targets this year.
The review was conducted during the 19th Steering Committee meeting of the OWSM and the Jal Jeevan Mission State Support Committee, chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg at Lok Seva Bhawan.
Development Commissioner Deoranjan Kumar Singh, Water Resources Department Chief Secretary Shubha Sharma, and Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department Commissioner-cum-Secretary Girish S. N. attended the meeting.
Officials said 42 of the state’s 207 mega piped water supply projects have been completed. Work on another 44 projects, including intake wells and water treatment plants, has also been completed, with partial or full water supply already operational. The remaining projects are being closely monitored to ensure timely completion.
The meeting was informed that 18,737 of the 19,086 minor drinking water projects have been completed. The remaining schemes are expected to be finished by October 2026.
The progress of solar-powered drinking water projects was also reviewed. Of the 8,863 projects, 6,637 have been completed, while the remaining projects are targeted for completion by November 2026.
The committee discussed key reforms under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0, including a stronger operation and maintenance policy, institutional management of rural water supply systems, village-level technical support, citizen-led water quality monitoring, water source sustainability and greater community participation.
Officials also reviewed the implementation of the Sujalam Bharat digital governance initiative. More than 94,000 Sujal Village IDs have been created so far. Geo-tagging, project monitoring modules, and a command and control centre are scheduled for completion by December 2026.
Under the Har Ghar Jal scheme, drinking water supply has reached 16,724 villages across Odisha. Of these, 12,484 villages have been certified for providing tap water. Verification of the remaining villages is targeted for completion by October 2026. The meeting also reviewed plans to achieve 100 per cent household tap water connections under the PM-JANMAN and DAJGUA schemes.
The committee further reviewed rural sanitation under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen). Officials said more than 96% of villages in Odisha have achieved Open Defecation Free Plus Model status.
The meeting also stressed the need to strengthen solid and liquid waste management systems across rural areas.
