In conversation with Sadhguru, Founder,
Isha Foundation, Shekhawat expanded on the ambitious goal of the Jal Jeevan Mission, which aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections to all households in rural India by 2024 and added that “managing water is our collective responsibility and we will all have to work together in this direction”
Appreciating the model of implementation of the Jal Shakti Mission, Sadhguru said, “I think the best part of the mission is – it is community-managed. It is government-installed but community-managed. I think that is a way forward for a country like this, otherwise, the government doing the service all the time is never going to work till the last mile.”
According to the Jal Jeevan Mission dashboard, 16 per cent of Indian households in 2019 had access to tap water connection, which has now grown to 54 per cent. However, the focus of the mission, Shekhawat pointed out, is not only confined to the accessibility of water but on ensuring water quality.
To ensure water quality in the rural parts, the ministry is engaging the rural community and leveraging technology to craft innovative solutions. It embarked on creating water and sanitation committees in each and every village, which comprises 21 people with a minimum of 50 per cent women, Shekhawat explained.
He added, “We then started training the women in the villages and gave them hand-held devices to test the quality on all basic 12 parameters. They can test the water in their village frequently, at least in a month’s time or in a week’s time.”
The minister, recognising the future of the Internet of Things (IoT) and sensor-based solutions, is now inviting Indian start-ups to contribute in this area. The Jal Shakti ministry floated a hackathon inviting start-ups. Of the 220 start-ups that registered, the ministry arrived at two start-ups that are now serving at more than 100 locations in the country in different geographical areas for everyone to see.
“Online real-time report of the quality of the water which is being distributed comes to my office. Everything, whatever I’m talking about, the entire mission is in the public domain,” he noted.
