Times News NetworkKanpur: A study by IIT Kanpur has found that access to household tap water under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) is improving the quality of life of rural households across the Devi Patan region of Uttar Pradesh, while reducing the burden of water collection and giving families more time for household responsibilities, education, care, and other activities.Led by Prof Pradip Swarnakar, head, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Kanpur, the study assessed the impact of JJM across the Devi Patan region of Uttar Pradesh, spanning Gonda, Bahraich, Shravasti and Balrampur. It covered around 4,000 households across 80 villages, with 20 villages surveyed in each district.According to the official data cited in the assessment, the four districts have achieved 97.11% Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) coverage, with 15.18 lakh rural households having functional tap connections across 4,672 villages.The availability of tap water has resulted in an improvement in the quality of life for the majority of the households surveyed. Overall, 75.8% of households across Devi Patan reported a significant improvement in their quality of life after receiving tap connections. The figure stood at 77.7% in Gonda, 79.6% in Bahraich, 66.8% in Shravasti and 78.7% in Balrampur.The shift in access to water has also had a positive impact on women’s safety, dignity and workload. Overall, 70.2% of households reported a significant improvement in women’s safety and dignity, with the figures standing at 75% in Gonda, 72.9% in Bahraich, 62.1% in Shravasti and 70.8% in Balrampur. A reduction in women’s workload was reported by 73.5% of households in Gonda, 79.2% in Bahraich, 68% in Shravasti and 76.8% in Balrampur.The additional time created by easier access to water is being used for a range of household and personal priorities. While 63.6% of households used the time for household chores, 45.8% used it for leisure, rest and 34.2% for caring for children or elderly family members. Income-generating activities accounted for 10.2%, while 0.7% used the time for self-education or skill training.Household tap connections have also become an important source of drinking water, used by 90.9% of households in Balrampur, 83.5% in Gonda, 83.2% in Bahraich and 72.5% in Shravasti. Notably, 99.1% of households reported no waterborne illness during the preceding six months. Reliable water availability is also supporting hygiene and sanitation practices in schools, Anganwadi centres and health facilities. The impact is also visible in girls’ education with improvements in school attendance rising by 38.1% in Gonda, 17.4% in Bahraich, 15.1% in Shravasti and 13.2% in Balrampur.
