New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) Drinking Water and Sanitation Secretary Ashok K.K. Meena on Tuesday emphasised the importance of water conservation during monsoon, encouraging districts to intensify the “Catch the Rain – Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari” campaign through participation of Gram Panchayats, students and self-help groups.
Speaking at the 11th edition of the District Collectors’ Peyjal Samvad, organised by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti, Meena praised the four districts that showcased innovative practices on source sustainability, behaviour change through Information, Education, and Communication activities, grievance redressal mechanism and convergence.
The progress and best practices of four selected districts, Uttara Kannada (Karnataka), Khowai (Tripura), Didwana Kuchaman (Rajasthan), and Chatra (Jharkhand) were presented by the respective District Collectors/District Magistrates to facilitate cross-learning and support other districts in strengthening implementation under JJM 2.0.
The event, organised through video conferencing, brought together senior officials, District Collectors/District Magistrates/Deputy Commissioners, to deliberate on accelerating the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0 and sharing best practices.
The Samvad was chaired by Meena and joined by Kamal Kishore Soan, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Jal Jeevan Mission (NJJM), and Senior Officers from SWSM and DDWS.
Meena emphasised the pivotal role of DWSM as the primary institutional mechanism and urged districts to conduct regular monthly meetings and upload meeting proceedings on the JJM IMIS portal.
He also called upon districts to leverage the Decision Support System (DSS) for scientific assessment of source sustainability.
He urged districts to expedite Jal Arpan ceremonies for completed schemes after the prescribed commissioning process and mandatory trial run, enabling formal handover of assets to GPs.
Noting that over 2 lakh villages and more than 1 lakh GPs across the country have achieved Har Ghar Jal certification, he said that this should now be translated into sustained community-led management of rural water supply systems.
He also emphasised convergence with programmes such as VB-G RAM G for source sustainability and greywater management, effective utilisation of 16th Finance Commission-tied grants for water and sanitation, and collection of user charges at the GP level to support O&M of village water supply infrastructure.
The DDWS also had a detailed presentation on “Sujalam Shakti” implementation roadmap, which focuses on establishing women-led village support groups to strengthen water quality monitoring, community participation and source sustainability.
–IANS
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