Ladakh: Umla 12th village in Leh to get access to safe tap water under Jal Jeevan Mission

Umla is one of 12 villages in Ladakh's Leh region that now have guaranteed tap water, even in sub-zero conditions. According to the project's mission statement, this was made possible by the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), which aims to deliver safe 24/7 drinking water through individual tap connections in rural India by 2024. On November 8, Bharat Lal, Jal Jeevan Mission's assistant secretary and mission director, tweeted a photo of a young girl and her grandmother filling a can with water from a tap. He wrote on Twitter, "Jal Jeevan Mission is changing lives: Umla is one of the 12 villages in Leh district of Ladakh, wherein every household now has assured tap water supply even in sub-zero temp. The happiness on the face of this little girl and her grandma, is the real satisfaction."

A villager told news agency ANI, "Earlier during winters, we had no option but to fetch water from streams by breaking ice layer. Now, we have heard that the administration has dug up almost 8 feet to extract water. We have heard that the deeper we go under the ground, the water remains warmer." Another villager said, "It was very difficult during winter. Earlier, during winters, the snow would be around 4 feet. All the water taps in the village would be covered with snow, so we had to go to streams to fetch water."

Jal Jeevan Mission in Umla Village of Ladakh

According to a government press release, the Jal Jeevan Mission provided 100% tap connections to 12 villages in Leh, out of a total of 60 villages. Local administration is using air sorties to supply Jal Jeevan Mission goods such as water pipes to Dipling village in Leh, a remote region with no road access. In comparison to 24,767 households, 5,425 households now have 100% tap connections under the JJM. The JJM has covered 12 settlements, including those that are inaccessible by road, such as Dipling. Umla is one such village, whose residents had previously had to travel considerable distances to fetch water, but now have taps at their doorstep with a 100% water supply, according to the administration. 

(with inputs from ANI)

Image: ANI/Twitter