The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) has emerged as one of India’s most significant rural development initiatives, rapidly expanding access to Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) across the country. As the programme moves into its next phase, the focus is gradually shifting from building infrastructure to ensuring sustained service delivery and long-term outcomes. While extending water supply systems remains important, the real measure of success lies in whether households consistently receive water that is safe, potable, and reliable. In this context, water quality assurance becomes central to the sustainability of rural water systems. Safe drinking water is not just a basic service - it directly shapes public health, community well-being, and broader socio-economic development. Despite major gains in access, challenges persist. Millions of rural households continue to deal with bacteriological contamination, fluoride, arsenic, iron, salinity, and other water quality issues. As reflected in the Jal Jeevan Mission Water Quality Management Information System, these concerns remain widespread across several regions (https://ejalshakti.gov.in/wqmis/) At the same time, ensuring water quality requires looking beyond testing at the point of use. The safety of drinking water is closely tied to the condition of its source. Degraded watersheds, declining wetlands, groundwater depletion, poor sanitation practices, and contamination of surface water bodies all influence water quality. Climate change further intensifies these challenges, through floods, droughts, salinity intrusion, and extreme events affecting both the availability and safety of water. These risks are especially visible in disaster-prone regions, where drinking water systems are frequently exposed to shocks. Flooding can submerge water sources, contaminate shallow tube wells, damage infrastructure, and increase water-borne diseases. In such situations, having a tap connection does not always guarantee access to safe drinking water. Over the past two decades, SEEDS (Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society) has worked with vulnerable communities across flood and cyclone-prone regions to improve access to safe drinking water both during emergencies and in long-term recovery phases. Across these experiences, one insight has remained consistent: success cannot be measured by the presence of water supply systems, but by whether people can access safe drinking water under normal conditions as well as during crises. A relevant example comes from the flood-affected district of Cachar in Assam. After severe flooding disrupted local water sources and increased public health risks, SEEDS supported the installation of ten community TerraFilter systems across affected villages, reaching nearly 1,500 families. These systems were designed not only to provide safer drinking water but also to strengthen local resilience to recurring floods. Notably, several continued to function during subsequent flood events, highlighting the potential of decentralised, community-managed treatment systems. The experience from flood-prone regions such as Saharsa in Bihar, Cachar in Assam, and the cyclone-affected coastal Sundarbans has underscored the importance of combining infrastructure with practical last-mile solutions. Community filtration systems have helped reduce exposure to bacteriological and iron contamination, while also encouraging local ownership of water quality management. These efforts have been supported by awareness campaigns, hygiene promotion, and training for frontline workers and community members on safe water handling practices. Similar lessons from recent interventions have emerged across other climate-vulnerable geographies, including Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Bhubaneswar in Odisha, urban slums in Delhi, and Fazilka in Punjab. In post-disaster settings, household-level purification systems and community-based treatment solutions often play a vital role when conventional water infrastructure is damaged, contaminated, or unavailable. Such approaches are not meant to replace centralised systems; rather, they complement them by strengthening resilience and ensuring continuity. Equally important is the role of community participation. Sustainable outcomes depend not just on technology, but on the strength of local institutions and informed citizens. Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs), Self-Help Groups (SHGs), frontline workers, and community volunteers often serve as the first line of response to water quality risks. Their role in monitoring, reporting, awareness generation, and maintenance helps make water quality a shared responsibility, rather than solely a technical function. Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs), Self-Help Groups (SHGs), frontline workers, and community volunteers often serve as the first line of response to water quality risks. Their role in monitoring, reporting, awareness generation, and maintenance helps make water quality a shared responsibility, rather than solely a technical function. Regular bacteriological testing, combined with community-led surveillance, can further strengthen local water governance. When people understand contamination risks and have access to simple monitoring tools, they move from being passive beneficiaries to active custodians of their water systems. This shift is essential for long-term sustainability. As Jal Jeevan Mission advances into its next phase, water quality assurance needs to move beyond monitoring and become part of a broader water security strategy. While laboratory networks and surveillance systems remain important, equal emphasis is needed on source sustainability, ecosystem health, community engagement, and resilient last- mile solutions. Experiences from flood- and cyclone-prone areas show that community-managed filtration systems, household purification technologies, regular monitoring, and local capacity-building can significantly improve drinking water security. At the same time, investments in watershed restoration, groundwater recharge, wetland conservation, and other nature-based solutions can address the root causes of water quality degradation while enhancing climate resilience. Ultimately, the success of the next phase of Jal Jeevan Mission will be measured not just by the number of tap connections delivered, but by the confidence households place in the water they receive. Ensuring that this water is safe to drink will require a balanced approach, one that brings together infrastructure, technology, community ownership, ecosystem stewardship, and field-level innovation. SEEDS’ experience across vulnerable regions shows that when communities are equipped with the right knowledge, appropriate technologies, and a sense of ownership, safe drinking water becomes more than a service - it becomes the foundation for resilience, health, and sustainable development. That, in essence, marks the shift from infrastructure creation to lasting impact. This article is written by Sanghamitra Misra, Head – Centre of Excellence, Nature-Based Solutions, SEEDS India [Published in NIWAS Vartika - Vol-II, Issue-1 (Apr-June '26): A WASH magazine by SPM NIWAS, MoJS, GoI]