Srinagar, Dec 2 (IANS): Continuing with its efforts to cover all rural households with functional tap water connections under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) by 2022, the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir has provided 4.62 lakh tap water connections in two years, officials said on Thursday.

In the first phase of the roadmap devised by the Mission Directorate, JJM, two districts - Srinagar and Ganderbal, comprising 11 blocks, 383 panchayats, and 925 villages were covered with 100 per cent piped water tap connections.

The ambitious flagship programme JJM was launched on August 15, 2019. Under it, the U has set a target to cover all the 20 districts by September 2022.

According to the data of the Jal Shakti Department, out of 18.35 lakh rural households, 5.75 lakh (31.36 per cent) were connected with piped water connection at the start of the mission, while 10.37 lakhs (56.51 per cent) households have got tap water connection till date and out of which 2.22 lakh tap water connections have been provided during the year 2020-21.

The JJM has mobilised all its men and machinery in the ongoing 2nd phase, to cover 11 districts, which includes 153 blocks, 1,952 panchayats, and 3,254 villages with 4.91 lakh functional household tap connections.

During the last leg of the JJM in J&K, 7 districts involving 121 blocks, 1,660 Panchayats, and 2,623 villages shall be covered with 3.12 lakh functional household tap connections.