Uttar Pradesh is changing how villages get drinking water, and how long that water keeps flowing. The state has introduced something unusual in public services: a 10-year “warranty” for rural water supply systems. This move is part of the Jal Jeevan Mission, and officials say it could fix problems that have troubled villages for years.
At the heart of this plan is a simple promise that water systems should not just be built, they should last.
A 10-year promise for every village
Under a new Operations and Maintenance (O&M) framework, every rural water scheme in the state will now come with a compulsory 10-year maintenance responsibility. This means the same agencies that build the systems will also run and repair them for a full decade.
Officials say this is the first time any state in India has taken such a long-term approach. The effort is being rolled out under the ‘Jal Arpan’ initiative, where the ownership of these schemes has already been handed over to Gram Panchayats.
According to senior officials, construction agencies will work closely with village bodies during these ten years to ensure the “Har Ghar Jal” goal (safe water in every home) does not fail after installation.
Why old systems failed
The new policy is built on lessons from the past. Many earlier rural water projects stopped working after a few years. The reasons were clear. Weak maintenance systems, unpaid electricity bills, and low community involvement.
“Previously several rural water schemes collapsed due to weak maintenance arrangements, huge and unpaid electricity bills and limited community participation. As a result, assets deteriorated quickly, leaving many villages without consistent water supply,” said Anurag Srivastava, Additional Chief Secretary of the Namami Gange and Rural Water Supply department.
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To avoid repeating those mistakes, the new system makes firms responsible for the performance of water supply infrastructure. “The firms are contractually bound to manage infrastructure upkeep, performance and repairs throughout the period,” Srivastava said.
He added, “Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Yogi Adityanath we worked out a long-term sustainability approach to deal with all operations and maintenance issues after the project rollout.”
Labs, solar power and citizen rights
The plan goes beyond just pipes and pumps. Water quality monitoring has been expanded across the state with 75 district-level laboratories, one state-level lab, five mobile NABL-accredited labs, and 72 in-house labs at treatment plants.
At the same time, a Citizen Charter under the Public Service Guarantee Act is being introduced. This will protect people’s rights related to water quantity, quality, and service delivery.
To tackle rising electricity costs, the state has also shifted heavily to solar energy. A total of 33,157 water schemes now run on solar power. Officials say this has reduced operational costs by 52 per cent while making the systems more reliable and environmentally friendly.