Bhopal: Village heads (Sarpanchs) must take responsibility by ensuring that the reports they sign are accurate and that all households in their villages receive clean and sufficient water during the handover of tap water schemes, the Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, Anurag Jain, said today. He stressed that if there are any shortcomings, they should note them before signing.
Jain said this at a two-day state-level workshop on Community-Based Sustainable Water Management, organised here in Bhopal under the joint aegis of the Water Corporation, PHED, and voluntary organisations working on water issues (Samarthan, WaterAid, and Parmarth).
During the workshop, Panchayat representatives, Jal Sahelis, and members of water committees also shared the challenges they face in operating and maintaining tap water schemes and collecting water taxes, as well as their successful initiatives.
Addressing the attending community members, representatives of Village Water and Sanitation Committees, Gram Panchayats, and grassroots NGOs, Jain claimed that 68% of households in Madhya Pradesh now have tap water connections, and the remaining will be connected very soon, with the target to complete this by 2026.
He, however, acknowledged that the continuously falling water levels are a matter of concern. He highlighted that out of 52,000 villages in the state, 27,000 are covered under the group water supply schemes. The community plays a critical role in ensuring the sustainability of tap water schemes and the water sources. He cited the example of ponds and stop dams constructed with community participation in the Mandsaur district.
While 85-90% tap connections have been completed in most villages of Madhya Pradesh, for villages under single-village schemes, the remaining households will be connected by December 2025, while those under group water supply schemes will be completed by 2026. Still, as P. Narhari, Principal Secretary, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), pointed out, challenges increase after contractors hand over the projects, and it is then up to the community and Gram Panchayats to take ownership.
Narhari also mentioned that a policy is being developed to assign greater responsibility to Gram Panchayats to ensure regular water supply to all households under the Jal Jeevan Mission, and this will be shared soon. He assured that all the issues and suggestions raised during this two-day workshop would be taken seriously.
Madhavan, CEO of WaterAid, emphasised that no settlement or household should be left without a tap connection. He called for the strengthening of District Water and Sanitation Missions, and insisted on formalising the handover process by signing contracts with Panchayats and handing over all key implementation documents such as Detailed Project Reports (DPRs), bills, vouchers, guarantee/warranty cards, and operational responsibilities. He proposed that contracts for water tax collection can be made with self-help groups, and that pump operators should be kept separate from the task of tax collection due to their existing workload.
Madhavan presented the key challenges identified during the discussions to V.S. Chaudhary Kolsani, Managing Director, Water Corporation, and Mr. K.K. Sonagaria, Chief Engineer, PHED, emphasising the need for policy-level decisions and serious implementation of solutions.
– global bihari bureau
