NEW DELHI: Almost 4 lakh diarrhoeal disease deaths can be averted if ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ meets its target of providing clean water to all rural households, according to a new study by the World Health Organisation(WHO).

The government launched the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in 2019, a nationwide programme that aims to provide all houses in rural areas with safe and adequate drinking water through individual tap connections by next year.

The WHO was requested by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation to conduct a study to assess potential health gains and associated cost savings due to increased access in safely-managed drinking water services in India.

The study found that, on an estimate, if the Jal Jeevan Mission provided safely-managed drinking water to all of India, this would result in averting almost 4 lakh deaths caused by diarrhoeal disease.

According to official figures, 62 per cent rural households have been given tap water connection till now.

“With universal coverage of safely-managed drinking water in India, almost 14 million DALYS (Disability adjusted life years) from the diarrhoeal disease are estimated to be averted, resulting in estimated cost savings of up to USD 101 billion,” the study said.

The study said that providing a tap connection to every household would result in 66.6 million hours saved each day on water collection, especially among women.