The availability of safe drinking water is a public health issue and a fundamental right, as it prevents waterborne diseases and strengthens O&M, which must be ensured in a decentralised manner, and the resilience of communities. Over 4,000 Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) schemes that are not working in Assam are distressing because the lack of safe drinking water puts the villagers at serious health risks and makes their problems worse. Such a huge number of completed water supply schemes lying defunct lays bare the paradox of the abundance of water, exposing how the communities in Assam still struggle for safe drinking water and other household needs despite the state having abundant water availability from rivers, lakes, and healthy aquifers. While the state has not yet started on over 7,500 of the 27,530 approved schemes, keeping the 15,400 working schemes, which have been given to local governing bodies, in good condition is essential to ensure that villages have a steady supply of safe drinking water. The Assam Cabinet approved a plan to use money from the 15th Finance Commission to repair broken water supply schemes and assigned the Gaon Panchayats (GPs), Anchalik Panchayats (APs), and Zilla Parishads (ZPs) to take care of these schemes within a set budget, ensuring they are properly maintained and provide reliable service. The O&M policy requires that Swajal Mitras handle the daily operations, which include regular maintenance and identifying issues, while skilled masons and plumbers are essential for repairs. Contractors will assist with O&M during the trial run and defect liability periods to resolve any problems that arise. The key stakeholders who are to be actively involved in O&M, as envisaged in the policy, are the Water Users Committee, Gram Panchayat Water and Sanitation Committee, Panchayat and Rural Development Department, Public Health Engineering Department, Swajal Mitra/Swajal Sahayak and District Water and Sanitation Mission. The stakeholders involved in the O&M process include the State Water and Sanitation Mission, trained masons and plumbers, contractors, and community members. members, youth clubs, mahila samitis, and community opinion leaders. The wide range of stakeholders shapes the impression that the O&M is to be ensured in a decentralised manner with responsibilities shared across local institutions and community groups. Each stakeholder being fully aware of their roles and responsibilities is essential to ensure that there is no overlapping or ambiguity in the execution of O & M works. Holding the special annual Jal Baithak meeting before the Gram Panchayat Development Plan cycle is critical to guarantee transparency and accountability and enable informed decision-making for the sustained management of the water supply schemes. The policy guidelines are comprehensive, and if followed earnestly, the villagers receiving piped water supply daily would no longer be required to depend on contaminated wells or seasonal streams. It is baffling that a large population in villages with defunct JJM schemes has failed to benefit from this policy, revealing critical gaps in programme design and on-the-ground implementation. Addressing these gaps is essential for restoring defunct water schemes and ensuring existing ones remain operational through coordinated implementation. The primary objective of JJM is to ensure that every rural household in India has a functional piped water supply. JJM aims to connect every rural household in India with a functional piped water supply. with functional piped water supply. The first target date of 2024 has already been missed, and the scheme has now been extended until 2028. This situation demands that the state intensify the works of the remaining 7,500 sanctioned schemes over the next two years, but if its attention is diverted to the rising number of defunct schemes, the primary mission of providing safe water to every rural household in Assam risks slipping into a perpetual cycle of delays. It is essential to execute O & M with attention right from the planning stage of a new water supply scheme to ensure that stakeholders are adequately informed, trained, and fully ready to shoulder their assigned duties and responsibilities by the time the scheme is handed over to PRIs. More than the statistics of the completion of water supply schemes, it is important that the supply of safe drinking water to all households covered by the schemes remains uninterrupted. There is no room for complacency over the increasing number of villages connected with JJM schemes if O&M issues continue to pose sustainability challenges, turning new connections into fragile gains in community health resilience against chronic ailments from water-borne diseases. Adopting a professional approach to the maintenance of critical assets can significantly enhance the reliability of water-supply schemes in the state, transforming them from fragile installations into dependable public utility services. The shared responsibility of upkeep of JJM installations and sustainable operation demands that every stakeholder perform their roles with clarity, accountability, collective discipline and oversight.