Ministry of Jal Shakti Holds 10th District Collectors' Peyjal Samvad on Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0
The Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti, organized the 10th edition of the District Collectors' Peyjal Samvad via video conferencing, bringing together senior officials, District Collectors/Deputy Commissioners, and Mission Directors from States/UTs to deliberate on accelerating Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0 implementation. The meeting focused on strengthening sustainable rural drinking water service delivery through community participation.
Secretary Ashok K.K. Meena emphasized that Jal Jeevan Mission has entered a new phase shifting from infrastructure creation to assured and sustainable rural piped water service delivery through community-led governance (Jan Bhagidari). He called for accelerating certification of Har Ghar Jal Gram Panchayats and institutionalizing Jal Arpan as an annual community-led event in every Gram Panchayat. Notably, over 1.17 lakh activities have been executed nationwide under Jal Seva Aankalan. The Secretary stressed that operation and maintenance of rural water supply systems must now be maintained by Gram Panchayats and Village Water & Sanitation Committees (VWSCs).
On digital governance, Secretary Meena directed officials to ensure digital mapping of all rural water supply assets through Sujalam Bharat Digital Registry integrated with the PM Gati Shakti portal, with all assets geo-tagged to strengthen planning and monitoring.
Additional Secretary & Mission Director Kamal Kishore Soan emphasized the critical role of district administrations in translating JJM 2.0 objectives into measurable outcomes, highlighting sustained service delivery, source sustainability, community participation, and technology-driven monitoring as defining pillars of the Mission.
District Best Practices Showcase
Five districts presented their progress and innovative approaches:
Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh achieved 100% Har Ghar Jal coverage across all 210 villages despite difficult mountainous terrain, scattered habitations, and extreme weather conditions. The district implemented source augmentation, infrastructure modernization, pond rejuvenation, snow-water harvesting, groundwater recharge, and protection of traditional water bodies. They adopted Sujalam Bharat Digital Registry, GIS-based monitoring, regular DWSM reviews, strengthened VWSCs, and community-led initiatives including Jal Mahotsav, Jal Arpan, and women-led water quality testing.
Haveri, Karnataka achieved 95.36% Functional Household Tap Connection (FHTC) coverage and is implementing large Multi Village Schemes under the Design-Build-Operate-Transfer (DBOT) model. Innovations include universal adoption of O&M policies across all Gram Panchayats, geo-tagging of water supply assets, Sujal Gaon-based asset management, Jeeva Jala mobile application for transparent water quality monitoring, and declaration of six villages as 24×7 water supply villages.
Dumka, Jharkhand implemented a convergence-based approach featuring an Integrated Control Room, training of village-level maintenance personnel, locally developed spare-part supply chains, and strengthened grievance redressal mechanisms. Community participation through Jan Bhagidari, Jal Arpan Divas, Jal Sahiyas, user charge collection, and water quality surveillance strengthened ownership.
South Goa, Goa completed and commissioned all 118 Jal Jeevan Mission works, ensuring tap water connectivity to all rural households, with nearly 96% of the State's drinking water demand met through surface water-based regional water supply systems. The district is developing a Smart Water Utility through GIS-based network mapping, IoT-enabled monitoring, SCADA systems, smart metering initiatives, regular DWSM reviews, village-level water quality surveillance, and structured O&M planning.
Unakoti, Tripura achieved 89.16% FHTC coverage benefiting over 47,800 households. The district employs robust monitoring through regular DWSM meetings, third-party inspections, digital grievance redressal platforms, and community engagement mechanisms. Emphasis is placed on groundwater recharge, source sustainability, and convergence with MGNREGS, Finance Commission grants, and SBM(G). The Kaligiri surface water project successfully transformed water access in remote border villages by replacing seasonal and tanker-based supplies with sustainable piped drinking water.
The Samvad also highlighted the important role of 16th Finance Commission Grants for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) in strengthening sustainability of rural drinking water and sanitation services.