PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The chief development officer (CDO) Abhinav Shah sounded dissatisfied with the slow progress of drinking water schemes and lapses in water quality testing under the Jal Jeevan Mission. He urged the officials to complete all pending projects and ensure that every household receives a “Har Ghar Jal” certification as soon as possible. He said this while chairing a District Water and Sanitation Mission meeting held at the Vikas Bhawan auditorium on Thursday.
The CDO further directed the officials to complete drinking water quality testing in all development blocks before the onset of the monsoon season. He directed immediate reorganisation of the village drinking water and sanitation committees and emphasised that the “Nal Jal Mitras” (water friends) should play an active role in maintaining these schemes. He reiterated that the goal of the Jal Jeevan Mission is not solely the construction and handover of projects, but also to provide clean and safe drinking water to every rural household. He urged the officials to expedite the completion of the remaining Phase 2 projects and ensure water certification for every household through third-party inspections of the completed projects.
During the meeting, he sought clarification from the engineers concerned regarding their failure to meet targets set in previous reviews and the lack of progress in initiating drinking water quality testing in the Doiwala development block. He insisted that water quality testing and certification must be completed in all villages before the monsoon season starts.
Shah directed that the village drinking water and sanitation committees be reconstituted in each Gram Panchayat, with a report to be submitted soon. Under the “Nal Jal Mitra” programme, trained youth should be assigned the responsibility of maintaining drinking water schemes, with honorariums fixed on a master roll basis. He also instructed that the regular water testing be conducted by training these individuals in the use of water quality testing kits. Additionally, he called for the swift completion of the selection and training process for the second batch.
Notably, the officials reported that out of 760 schemes in the district under Phase 2, 734 have been completed, while 26 are pending due to budget constraints. Third-party inspections have been conducted for 160 out of 165 schemes, and financial closures have been completed for 121 of them. Water quality testing has been conducted in 117 out of 635 villages, and “Har Ghar Jal” certification has been granted in 585 out of 628 villages, with work still pending in 43 villages.
Under the “Nal Jal Mitra” programme, 42 individuals were trained in the first phase, and the selection process for the second batch is currently underway. In terms of the Swachh Bharat Mission, 308 individual toilets and 21 community toilets have been constructed in rural areas. Additionally, the installation of 28 units for solid and liquid waste management has been achieved with 100 per cent completion.
