Shillong, Feb 25: The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), under the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, organised the fourth edition of ‘Sujal Gram Samvad’ yesterday, reinforcing the central government’s commitment to participatory water governance and community-led implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
The virtual interaction brought together Gram Panchayat representatives, Village Water and Sanitation Committee members, community participants, women self-help groups (SHGs), students and frontline functionaries, along with state Mission Directors of JJM, District Collectors/District Magistrates/Deputy Commissioners, DWSM officials and senior officers from states and Union territories.
Among the six Gram Panchayat headquarter villages featured in this edition, Mawtawar stood out for demonstrating how effective water governance can be achieved even in geographically challenging landscapes.
Speaking during the interaction, the headman of Mawtawar highlighted that ensuring regular water supply in high-altitude and hilly regions was once considered extremely difficult. Before the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission, villagers, particularly women, spent 1-3 hours daily fetching water from rivers and wells, often standing in long queues during the dry season. With the implementation of JJM, elevated storage tanks have been constructed to facilitate gravity‑based distribution, enabling regular tap water supply to every household.
The community noted substantial improvements in daily life, including reduced physical burden, time savings and greater dignity and convenience, especially for women, a press release stated yesterday.
The village leadership highlighted that water quality assurance has become an integral part of service delivery. Water is tested at least three times a year by trained four women, ASHAs and AWW. The VWSC plays a proactive role in distribution management, quality monitoring, awareness campaigns and grievance redressal. Minor issues such as leakages are resolved locally, while major concerns are promptly reported to the Public Health Engineering Department.
