Manisha Shah

What does IEC-HRD mean for large-scale programs such as Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)?

For decades, governments, philanthropies, CSRs and CSOs have been exploring ways to ensure water security for both lifeline activities and livelihoods.

Every year, programs of central and state governments and donor-supported programs train thousands of people who work to implement programs on water and sanitation in their villages.

India has over 2,50,000 Gram Panchayats, which manage the governance of over 6,64,000 villages spread across the country.

A few of us did an exercise where we closed our eyes and thought of the first four words that came to our minds when we thought of water data in India. Here is what we came up with:

India is fortunate to have a rich tradition of public data collection and compilation.

Groundwater fulfills the drinking water requirements of nearly 85% and 50% of the rural and urban Indian population, respectively. 65% of the total irrigated area utilizes groundwater. It also caters to the water needs of the industrial sector in India.

The COVID-19 crisis has brought the world to a standstill. Government, civil society and volunteers are rallying to ensure that social and economic inequalities do not dictate how this crisis draws lines between the “haves” and “have-nots”. Nonetheless, the crisis seems to have deepened the existing divide.

Covid-19 pandemic has unleashed multiple challenges in different geographies, especially for the vulnerable groups living in areas that already have existing issues of water and food security.

Listen to the interview here: