Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 Pushes Districts Towards Water Security

DDWS also presented the implementation roadmap for “Sujalam Shakti,” which seeks to establish women-led village support groups focused on water quality monitoring, community participation and sustainable water sources.

India's Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) has called on districts to strengthen local management of rural drinking water systems as Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0 moves towards greater focus on reliable services, source sustainability and community ownership.

The message came during the 11th District Collectors' Peyjal Samvad, held through video conferencing under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, where senior officials and district administrators discussed implementation priorities and shared practical approaches being used to improve rural water supply.

Districts Asked to Strengthen Local Water Management

DDWS Secretary Ashok K.K. Meena stressed the importance of regular District Water and Sanitation Mission meetings and asked districts to upload proceedings on the JJM IMIS portal, while encouraging greater use of the Decision Support System for scientific assessment of water-source sustainability.

With the monsoon offering opportunities to capture and conserve water, districts were encouraged to expand the "Catch the Rain – Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari" campaign by involving Gram Panchayats, Village Water and Sanitation Committees, Self-Help Groups, educational institutions and local communities in rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge.

More than two lakh villages and one lakh Gram Panchayats have achieved Har Ghar Jal certification, according to DDWS, placing greater responsibility on communities to maintain water infrastructure and ensure that household connections continue delivering dependable services.

Four Districts Share Local Water Solutions

Administrators from Uttara Kannada in Karnataka, Khowai in Tripura, Didwana Kuchaman in Rajasthan and Chatra in Jharkhand presented approaches shaped by their different geographical and water-related challenges.

Uttara Kannada has mapped lakes, wells and borewells while using geospatial information and groundwater assessments to prepare sustainability plans, an approach particularly important across its coastal, forest and hilly terrain.

Khowai highlighted geo-tagged monitoring, third-party audits, School Water Clubs and the participation of more than 6,000 Self-Help Group women in community mobilisation, while rainwater harvesting structures have been established at all 860 Anganwadi Centres in the district.

Didwana Kuchaman presented its response to fluoride and salinity problems in groundwater, including surface water-based supply systems, restoration of traditional Tankas and SCADA-enabled monitoring of water infrastructure.

Chatra showcased its "Peyjal Samasya Nivaaran Pakhwada" campaign for identifying and resolving drinking water problems, alongside IoT monitoring and more than 5,300 soak pits, rainwater harvesting structures and rejuvenated water bodies.

Women and Communities Take Bigger Role

DDWS also presented the implementation roadmap for "Sujalam Shakti," which seeks to establish women-led village support groups focused on water quality monitoring, community participation and sustainable water sources.

National Jal Jeevan Mission Additional Secretary and Mission Director Kamal Kishore Soan called for stronger district technical capacity, regular monitoring and greater use of data in decision-making, while emphasising skills training and women's participation.

The district experiences presented during the Samvad showed that achieving Har Ghar Jal increasingly involves more than installing household taps, with reliable water sources, trained communities, functioning local institutions and proper maintenance becoming central to sustaining rural drinking water services.