Jaipur, Jul 9 (IANS): Villagers in Rajasthan's water-starved Barmer district broke into a dance after they got regular water connections. For the five villages, getting water was a long trudge away from home.

Internationally renowned dancer Madanlal won a lot of hearts when he came to dance on the streets to celebrate the fact that each house of his village had been allotted a tap connection.

"It is a proud moment for me as my village has been included among the first five villages of Barmer to be served by the Jal Jeevan Mission," Madanlal said.

Even at a time when there was no festival around, these villages wore a festive look. Their residents were seen singing folk songs and dancing to the tune of enchanting music on the streets.

Ramaram, an elderly villager, discribed it as a historic moment, and said, "All this dancing is our way of expressing our joy at having got water."

Earlier, the villageshave had to walk for miles to get water for their daily use as Barmer is in a historically arid zone. Getting regular water supply indeed has beenra distant dream for this parched district.

Under the Har Ghar Jal Scheme, launched by the newly formed Jal Shakti Ministry, water is no longer that unattainable dream. In fact, the five Barmer villages now get tap water in every home.

By December 2024, all villages will be get tap water connections, informed the Public Health Engineering Department's superintending engineer, Suresh Chandra Jain.

Each village of the district is being connected with the Jal Jeevan Mission, Jain said, promising that water scracity will soon become a distant memory.