BHUBANESWAR, India, Aug 2 (IPS) – “Daily fights at the only water point in the slums of Bhubaneswar, where hundreds of households depended on this single non-potable water source, are now a thing of the past,” says Aparna Khuntia, part of a large cohort of water volunteers who have played a key role in ensuring that households in the eastern Indian city now have 24-hour on-site drinking water.
No mean feat, considering the capital of India’s eastern state, Odisha, is flooded with a large share of outbound rural-to-urban migrants. Of Odisha’s 8.86 million rural households, one in three has an outbound migrant, according to government data. Of these, 70% move within the state, with the majority ending up in Odisha’s fast-growing capital.
For new migrants in a city, it is possible to set up shelter using discarded flex banners and a few bamboo poles. However, access to water, let alone drinking water, remains a major challenge.
“Even government-recognized slums like our colony in 2019 received only two hours of water supply per day. Large families who could not store enough faced untold hardships. Many had to pay for a water tanker every other day. Illegal water connections were widespread, resulting in huge revenue losses for the government,” Khuntia, 36, told IPS.
In 2030, 2 billion people will still live without safe drinking water
“The midpoint of our journey to 2030 has been passed, with the world on track to achieve only 17 percent of the targets under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” reveals the recent 2024 United Nations SDG report grade.
Goal 6, aimed at ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, was found between 2015 and 2022, the share of the global population using safely managed drinking water increased from 69 to 73 percent, the report said. Although more people now have access to safe drinking water, 2.2 billion people still lacked access to this fundamental human right in 2022. Achieving universal coverage by 2030 will require a six-fold increase in current progress rates on safely managed drinking water, it warns.
In 2022, the UN said, about half the world’s population faced severe water scarcity for at least part of the year, with a quarter experiencing “extremely high” levels of water stress.
Such situations occurred in the extreme summer of 2024 in India’s largest economic centers: Bangalore and Delhi.
Climate change is exacerbating these problems. Ratings agency Moody’s warned in June that water shortages could hit India’s future economic growth.
However, according to the report 93.3% of India’s population now uses at least basic drinking water services, which the UN rates as ‘moderately improving’.
Women benefit most from female water managers
To further enhance SDG-6, Odisha launched the ‘Drink from Tap Mission’ in 2020 to provide 24×7 certified quality drinking water through piped water installed in every urban household. A pool of women water volunteers was created. Designated as Jal Sathi or water partners, they were rigorously selected from local Self-Help Groups (SHGs), trained and enthusiastic to make a difference.
And they made a difference. The government’s executive department of Housing and Urban Development “increased their water tariff collection by about 90 percent,” Khuntia said. As representatives of community partnership in urban water management, they are key stakeholders in a new initiative.
A key government official, G Mathi Vathanan (recently transferred to another post), who headed the state-owned non-profit Water Corporation of Odisha (WATCO) who runs the water mission for the state government, even wrote a book about the women volunteers, in which he holds them largely responsible for the success of the initiative.
“The women of SHGs are the ones who helped make the goal of bringing water to the doorstep of every household a reality. The success of the mission was due to (their ability to) increase people’s trust in the government,” he said.
The assistance provided by these female volunteers to households helped to address the diarrhoea, jaundice and poor intestinal health that plagued the poor, especially children.
The UN Sustainable Development Report 2024 ranks India on SDG progress at 109 out of 166, indicating a “moderately improving score” but “insufficient to achieve the target.”
The federal government of India is considering replicating the success of Odisha’s Pure Water Scheme in other states.
These women managers helped other female housewives by bringing drinking and cooking water to their homes, thereby eliminating the disproportionate water burden on women in India.
Changemakers contribution: a working day in the life of a water partner
Each female volunteer works with 1,200 assigned households, both in her own tenements and in more expensive households. This familiarity with her gives her an advantage with her clients: of trust, of openness in interactions, which helps her achieve what government staff cannot.
Every month she visits her households, reads the installed water meter, generates the bill and often gets paid. But for those who cannot pay, the water partner will come again and again to insist, cajole to pay.
“We urge them not to waste such a precious commodity as water, and those who were left behind, we convinced them to do so,” Khuntia said. With water meters installed and mandatory payments, households tend not to waste water. In slums, bills were often as low as 50 to 65 rupees (less than a dollar), affordable even for the poorest.
“So this tap water mission was a win-win for both the government and the consumer,” Khuntia, a mother of two, told IPS. It also ensures sustainable cities and communities under SDG-11. The revenues that the government receives ensure the maintenance of water infrastructure.
At the request of water users, Khuntia said they tested tap water using kits they carried with them. They also reported water-related issues and information about leaking pipes that compromised the purity of the water to government maintenance staff, who arrived promptly. “Previously, people rarely called the staff when they noticed damage to the water pipes; sometimes it was intentional, for water theft. But because we often visit families and they feel comfortable with us, we get this information very quickly,” she added.
The SDG targets 6-1 of the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 call for universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all. The drink from tap mission is a step to achieve this.
According to WATCO, by March 2023, 4.5 million urban residents in 29 out of 115 ULBs in Odisha state will have access to tap water or will be queuing up to get drinking water.
Under the plan, not only is water equality guaranteed, but sustainability is also ensured by installing water meters for every household water pipe. Because households pay for their water, they usually do not waste it.
However, after four years of service, these women volunteers have demanded better financial recognition for their services. What they now get is 5% of their total account income as an incentive, Rs 100 if they sign up a new customer for a water connection and a bicycle. Aparna Khuntia told IPS that she spends four hours a day on this work, while her monthly income is around Rs 5,000-7,000 (USD 60-84). A large part of this goes to supplement her husband’s Rs 15,000 (USD 180) income by using a three-wheeler auto-rickshaw for household expenses, including their rent for one room. Whatever is left over is spent during festivals or when we visit relatives in the village.
“With a change of government in the June elections this year, the new Odisha government is reorganising the entire women’s self-help group. The Jaal Sathis may get a new designation but the programme which has been very successful will continue,” Sarat Chandra Mishra, Chief Operating Officer of WATCO, told IPS. IPS UN Office Report
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
