It is indeed astonishing to hear that a basic facility like tap water connection is yet to reach some parts of the country. A tribal-dominated district in Gujarat called Dahod is one such region. The district which falls at the state’s border with Madhya Pradesh has around 75 percent tribal population and has a very low literacy rate. However, it has something to cheer about amidst the lack of development, something that is bringing hope to the people.
Under the Har Ghar Jal scheme of the Government of India, Dahod Water Supply Committee approved schemes worth Rs 400 crores in which Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) are to be provided to 1.63 lakh households in the district. The aim is to provide FHTC to 100 percent households in the region. Speaking to Indian Masterminds, District Collector Dahod, Dr. Harshit Gosavi, outlined the schemes and the work progress.
CHALLENGES AND PLANNING
Dr. Harshit Gosavi said that when he stepped in as the DM of Dahod in June, the water schemes were already in the planning stage. Secretary, Water Supply, Gujarat, Mr. Dhananjay Dwivedi directed him to focus on water supply in Dahod. “As this is a tribal-dominated district, people are mostly scattered, and they live in small hamlets. The aim of this project is to reach those households and provide a Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC),” he informed.
Mr. D R Modhiya, Executive Engineer, told Indian Masterminds that “there is an approval of Rs. 400 crores for the last segment. There are 133 villages in the district where work has been physically started. Work in 62 villages is on the verge of completion. The work order for the remaining villages will be completed in a month or two.”
Work for a hundred percent tap water connection is going on in full swing to achieve the target set by the state government of September 2022.
Dr. Harshit said, “We have done a month-wise breakup of the target we have to achieve, and up till now, we are on the right path.”
REVIEW AND TARGET
To review the work, a meeting is held between the Collector and the water supply department in Dahod every Tuesday. The main stakeholder in this project is the village population itself as the initiative is being implemented at the panchayat level.
The Village Water and Sanitation Committee has been formed in every village, which takes care of the implementation, operation, maintenance and revenue collection. Apart from this, the direction for this project comes from the Gujarat Water Infrastructure Limited (GWIL), Gujarat Water Supply & Sewerage Board (GWSSB) and Water and Sanitation Management Organisation (WASMO).
If everything goes as planned and the project is completed on time by September 2022, clean drinking water will be available in every tribal household in Dahod by then. This initiative will also help in gaining the trust of the population towards the government. And if such developmental work continues in Dahod, it will also limit the tribal migration to an extent.
