What Forcing World Fame Sambhar Villagers to Display Posters- “House on Sale”?

Sambhar, a world fame name for its salty water lake and as India's largest saline wetland, also designated as Ramsar Site (recognized wetland of international importance), enticing not only the tourists, but also thousands of migratory birds from northern Asia and Siberia from November to February, came into hot news last week not for its beauty's attraction, but due to a strange step of its villagers to raise their grievances and attract the attention of the Rajasthan government towards the difficulty they face due to acute shortage of water not enough even to quench their thirst in this scorching heat days of May and June.

- JAG MOHAN THAKEN

The villagers allege that the water supply services are so bad that they get water for only about 25-30 minutes every 72 to 96 hours. On the other hand, the central government claims that under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 'Har Ghar Jal', it is implementing the provision of potable water to every rural household of the country, through functional tap water connection i.e. at a service level of 55 litre per capita per day (lpcd).

The finance minister of India, while replying a budgetary question on 17 march, 2025 stated, "Since August 2019, Government of India in partnership with States is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) - 'Har Ghar Jal' to make provision of potable water to every rural household of the country, through functional tap water connection i.e. at a service level of 55 litre per capita per day (lpcd), of prescribed quality (BIS:10500), on regular and long-term basis."

Why are the governments failing to supply potable water at level of 55 litre per capita per day (lpcd), as provisioned and that too why not on a daily basis?

Facing the brunt of water scarcity, some Sambhar inhabitants have pasted posters on their houses as "House on Sale" and even on the entry points of the streets they displayed the banners showing - 'Bhishan payjal sankat ke karan, is gali ke sabhi makan bikau hain' (Due to severe drinking water problem, all the houses in this street are for sale), as per media reports.

Times Now on June 4, quoting a resident, writes- "The angry residents held a meeting at Charbhuja Mandir and Dadudwara and took a big decision to sell their houses and leave Sambhar. 'For sale' posters have been pasted on the houses in the streets. Local people say that despite repeated complaints, the water supply department does not pay heed to them."