The Department of Drinking Water & Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti, organized the 10th edition of the multilingual 'Sujal Gram Samvad' on August 25, 2026, providing a platform for direct interaction with Gram Panchayat representatives and local communities on operation and maintenance of rural drinking water systems. The event reinforces the government's commitment to community-led water governance under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0.
The Samvad was chaired by Shri Ashok K.K. Meena, Secretary, DDWS, along with Shri Kamal Kishore Soan, AS&MD, NJJM, and senior officers from the department. In his opening remarks, Secretary Meena emphasized the importance of learning from grassroots experiences, challenges, and solutions in rural water supply. He highlighted efforts by Gram Panchayats toward regular water supply, water quality, community awareness, grievance redressal, financial management, source protection, and greywater management. He underlined the need for effective devolution of Funds, Functions and Functionaries (3Fs) to Panchayats under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment and stressed that active community ownership through Village Water & Sanitation Committees (VWSCs) with participation of women, youth, and ex-servicemen is essential for sustainable drinking water services under JJM 2.0.
The virtual Samvad featured grassroots interactions across 4 Gram Panchayat headquartered villages with diverse participants including Gram Panchayat representatives, VWSC members, community participants, Jal Sahiyas, Jal Bahinis, Jal Sakhis, Anganwadi workers, students, teachers, frontline functionaries, JJM State Mission Directors, District Collectors, DWSM officials, and state officers. The discussion focused on uninterrupted operation of water supply schemes, skilling of local operators, water quality and disinfection, community participation in O&M, financial sustainability through user charges and convergence, grievance redressal, leakage prevention, drinking water source protection, and the impact of reliable water services on health, education, women's empowerment, and local livelihoods.
From Vasnoli-Dhanagarwada in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, villagers reported active local participation in water system maintenance with 100% household tap water connections and zero electricity bills. District officials highlighted challenges faced by remote tribal communities in accessing water from springs due to forest and wildlife constraints, addressed through automated timers to regulate water flow. Secretary Meena suggested intake of funding support under PM-JANMAN and Dharti Aaba schemes for smaller, locally managed water supply schemes.
Choupra Gram Panchayat in Panna, Madhya Pradesh, reported that households receive clean drinking water with trained technical operators and women using Field Test Kits for timely water quality testing. The GP collects a monthly user charge of ₹100 per household. District and state officials confirmed completion of geotagging under Sujalam Bharat initiative and real-time feedback collection through Panchayat Darpan dashboard for transparent monitoring of user-charge collections and performance metrics.
Naanmau Gram Panchayat in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, reported significantly improved access to safe drinking water through household tap connections, with reliable water availability ensuring adequate access within school premises. The village conducts Gram Sabha meetings promoting responsible water use and conservation, collecting a user charge of ₹50 per household per month. District officials conduct regular DWSM meetings and pre- and post-monsoon assessments, using Jal Sarthi App to disseminate groundwater-level information, with surface water schemes targeting water distribution commencement by 2027.
Todi Gram Panchayat in Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, developed a community-led O&M model collecting monthly user charges of ₹40 for General and ₹20 for SC/BC households for pipeline maintenance and leakage repairs. The village has locally appointed pump operators and plumbers ensuring timely rectification of faults. State officials noted that Haryana, already declared Har Ghar Jal, continues efforts to ensure proper maintenance and sustainability of rural water supply systems.
AS & MD, NJJM, Shri Kamal Kishore Soan emphasized the need for sensitization of Gram Panchayats, proper orientation of operators on valve-operation protocols for equitable water supply, and use of Decision Support System (DSS) for evidence-based planning and monitoring of water resources, particularly for assessing groundwater conditions and prioritizing source sustainability measures. He called upon all stakeholders to undertake sustained efforts for protecting and rejuvenating drinking water sources to ensure uninterrupted piped water supply for future generations.