The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti held the tenth edition of its Sujal Gram Samvad dialogue on 25 August 2026. The event brought together Gram Panchayat leaders and village communities to discuss how rural water supply systems are being operated and maintained. The conversation centred on strengthening community management of these systems under the Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 initiative.
What the Samvad covered
Four Gram Panchayats participated in the multilingual dialogue, held virtually with participation in Marathi, Hindi and Haryanvi. The villages involved were Vasnoli-Dhanagarwada in Kolhapur, Maharashtra; Choupra in Panna, Madhya Pradesh; Naanmau in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh; and Todi in Charkhi Dadri, Haryana.
The discussions focused on practical aspects of delivering reliable drinking water in rural areas. These included keeping water schemes running without interruption, training local operators, testing water quality, ensuring communities help manage the systems, collecting fees from households to cover costs, fixing leaks promptly, protecting water sources from contamination, and monitoring how the water supply affects health, schooling and women’s livelihood opportunities.
Examples from the villages showed varied approaches. Vasnoli-Dhanagarwada has achieved 100 percent household connections and eliminated electricity costs through automated timers. Choupra collects ₹100 per household monthly and uses trained women to test water quality regularly. Naanmau charges ₹50 per household monthly and conducts Gram Sabha meetings to promote water conservation. Todi charges ₹40 for general households and ₹20 for scheduled castes and backward classes, with money spent on pipeline repairs.
What this means for you
If you live in a village receiving water through these schemes, the dialogue signals that your Gram Panchayat will be encouraged to involve you more directly in decisions about water management. User charges will likely increase or be collected more systematically to keep systems functioning. Your participation through Village Water and Sanitation Committees, especially if you are a woman or young person, is now expected as part of sustainable water delivery. Schools and public institutions in participating villages may see more reliable water availability going forward.