State orders safe drinking water in all Maharashtra schools and anganwadis, tribal hamlets

Pune: The water supply and sanitation department has issued important directions to take safe drinking water to all schools and anganwadis in the state, as well as to underserved hamlets and settlements in tribal-dominated and remote areas. Section officer Anjali Bodke gave the information.

Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, there are orders to keep the water supply running in schools and anganwadis. Water and handwashing facilities in toilets must also be kept functional. Proposals to bring tribal settlements that have not yet received tap connections into the scheme can be submitted till November 15.

On the numbers, 6,629 schemes have been sanctioned for schools and anganwadis in the state under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Work on 6,357 of them is complete, while the remaining 272 are in progress. Chief executive officers of zilla parishads have to ensure that completed schemes are supplying good-quality drinking water, that water is reaching the toilets and that handwashing facilities are functional.

For schemes whose work is incomplete, directions have been issued so that children do not face a water shortage until they are finished. A temporary tap connection should be given from a nearby scheme, or an alternative arrangement made through a tanker or a water tank.

Remote settlements have been given priority in water schemes under the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) programme and the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA). In the 16 districts covered under PVTG, there are 4,352 schemes in all, of which 2,187 have been completed. The remaining 2,165 schemes are planned to be completed by December 2028.

There are also clear directions on water quality testing. In tribal-dominated areas, drinking water sources as well as tap water will be tested in laboratories. A chemical test must be done once a year and a biological test twice a year. In addition, there are directions for biological testing every month through trained women volunteers.

Proposals sent for underserved hamlets and settlements will have to give details of the population, the number of tap connections required, the distribution system and additional funds needed.