Did you know that the Jal Jeevan Mission is the world’s largest rural drinking water supply programme? Or that the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) is the most significant rural sanitation movement in the world? Together, these initiatives represent not merely government schemes, but a re-imagination of how a nation of 1.45 billion people is building a water-secure future.

Few sectors shape human dignity, economic growth, public health, agriculture and environmental sustainability as profoundly as water. Yet, for decades, India’s water challenges were addressed in fragmented ways. What has changed in recent years is the focus and integrated nature of the response led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The scale of investment and execution in the water sector in the last 12 years has been unparalleled. Water is now viewed as a shared national priority, cutting across departments, States, and communities. While earlier water was relegated to the side, under Prime Minister Modi, the Government of India has assumed responsibility for filling the long-standing gaps in planning, management, and delivery in the water sector.

A complete turnaround

The most prominent example of this transformation is the Jal Jeevan Mission. When the programme was launched, only about 3.23 crore rural households, roughly 17% of rural Indian households, had tap water connections. Today, more than 15.8 crore rural households, covering over 81% of rural India, have access to tap water at home. The government is moving towards achieving 100% coverage by 2028. For millions of families, this is not merely a utility service; it is a change in their way of life.

Studies indicate that earlier, rural women in India spent billions of hours each year fetching water. The expansion of household tap water supply has helped save more than 5.5 crore person-hours daily; that time is now being invested in education, livelihoods, childcare and economic activity. Across households, access to safe drinking water has also reduced out-of-pocket health expenditure arising from water-borne diseases.

Equally transformative is the SBM. India’s sanitation movement demonstrated that behavioural change, public participation and political commitment can work together at scale. According to the World Health Organisation’s assessment of health gains, SBM-Grameen is estimated to have averted more than 3 lakh diarrhoea deaths between 2014 and October 2019. The construction of household toilets also brought dignity, privacy and safety to millions of rural women. Beyond making villages open defecation-free, the country has moved towards sustainable solid and liquid waste management under SBM-Grameen 2.0.

India has also undertaken one of the largest water conservation and groundwater recharge initiatives anywhere in the world. Under the ‘Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari’ initiative, more than 1.55 crore rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge structures have been created across the country by May 31, 2026. The impact of these efforts is visible in groundwater trends as well. Recent assessments indicate improvement in groundwater recharge and a reduction in the number of over-exploited assessment units in several parts of the country. It also showcases that sustained conservation efforts, when combined with community participation, can reverse environmental stress.

Parallelly, India has advanced long-pending national water projects. The Ken-Betwa River Linking Project, the country’s first major river interlinking initiative to bring water to the arid region of Bundelkhand, is moving ahead at an accelerated pace.

Under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi, the Namami Gange programme has demonstrated that environmental restoration and development can advance together. Over the past decade, the government has created 4,260 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage treatment capacity; reduced the Biochemical Oxygen Demand from 26 tonnes per day (TPD) in 2017 to 10.75 TPD in 2024; and brought down effluent discharge from 349 MLD to 265.56 MLD. Today, monitoring shows that pH and dissolved oxygen levels in the Ganga meet bathing criteria at all monitored locations.

India’s water journey over these years offers an important global lesson. Water challenges in the 21st century cannot be addressed through isolated interventions. Drinking water, sanitation, river conservation, irrigation efficiency, groundwater recharge, wastewater reuse and climate resilience must all be viewed as parts of a connected ecosystem.

The road ahead

This integrated approach becomes even more critical in the face of climate change. For India, the challenge is unique. The country is home to nearly 18% of the world’s population, but has access to only about 4% of global freshwater resources. Rapid urbanisation and changing weather patterns will place increasing pressure on these resources in the coming decades.

Today’s investments, therefore, are not merely developmental expenditures; they are long-term investments in national resilience. The progress achieved over the past decade demonstrates the immense potential unlocked when selfless leadership, responsive governance, and active public participation come together in pursuit of a shared national vision.

The road ahead requires sustained effort. The government will strive to improve water-use efficiency, promote recycling, strengthen water governance, and encourage citizen participation.

C. R. Patil is Union Minister of Jal Shakti.