Leh District Admn organises one-day workshop on JJM implementation

Leh, March 08: The District Administration under the District Water and Sanitation Management (DWSM) Leh organised a one-day workshop on the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission in Leh district to review the progress of Jal Jeevan Mission and to deliberate the action plan and future strategies to timely achieve the targets.
The workshop participants included the Assistant Executive Engineers of all the sub-divisions, Junior Engineers, officials of Third-Party Inspection Agency (TPIA), Implementation Support Agency (ISA), Project Management Unit (PMU) and concerned officers and officials of Rural Development Department, Public Health Engineering, Public Works Department.
The Chairman/CEC, LAHDC Leh, Adv. Tashi Gyalson extended his gratitude to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi for launching a revolutionary initiative of ensuring drinking water facilities to every household in the country under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Terming the mission, a noble initiative and lauding the efforts of officials working on the ground, CEC Gyalson stated that the commitment made by the UT Administration to complete the mission this year amid all the challenges in Ladakh can only be achieved with the dedication and the hard work of all these officials and concerned stakeholders.
He further added that he along with DC Leh visited various villages in the district, especially in far-flung areas to assess the status of works under the mission. He also stated that several review meetings have been conducted to discuss and resolve shortcomings that were raised during the implementation period.
In his address, Secretary, Rural Development, Saugat Biswas lauded the efforts of the PHE Department headed by the District Administration for speedy implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission and the recognition Ladakh achieved for this feat.
Secretary Biswas exhorted that the Jal Jeevan Mission would not be complete, given the concerted efforts put by all the concerned departments and officials, unless the aspect of greywater management is integrated with piped water supply in each household. In this regard, he called for necessary coordination between the Rural Development Department and PHE Department for effective implementation of JJM as the Operation and Management (O&M) part of JJM would be handed over to the panchayats once the mission is completed.
Appreciating the global and national recognition Ladakh received for Jal Jeevan Mission, Commissioner/Secretary, Ajeet Kumar Sahu praised the hard work of all the officers and officials associated with JJM. He shared that techno-managerial assessment and the workshop is essential to understand the successes and failures experienced during the implementation of the mission and to learn and improve on the best practices.
Stressing on the sustainability of Jal Jeevan Mission, Commissioner/Secretary Sahu shared that the design aspect of the JJM work is important to ensure its sustainability in the long run and directed to ensure that designs are within the prescribed parameters. Given the harsh climatic conditions that prevail in Ladakh the tap location and insulation are important parts and studies have shown that tap location is best placed within a closed area or preferably a greenhouse, added Secretary Sahu.
He also instructed to involve villagers to ensure that water sources are protected, notified and annually cleaned as well.
Earlier, Deputy Commissioner, Leh, Shrikant Suse shared that Jal Jeevan Mission emphasises capacity building workshops to enhance the potential of the concerned officials and agencies associated with the mission. He hoped to have a detailed deliberation on the action plan to achieve the targets ensuring functionality and sustainability in the workshop.
The technical session of the workshop focused on topics, such as techno-managerial assessment presented by a representative from National Jal Jeevan Mission, GoI, DPR appraisal given by Water Quality Expert, PMU Ladakh, Parikh Shukla and best practices in cold and hilly areas of Himachal Pradesh presented by a representative of Jal Shakti Vibhag Himachal Pradesh.
Later, the AEEs of all the subdivisions of Leh district, the AEE of Water Quality Management and Sanitation Programme (WQM&SP) and the AEE of Mechanical division shared a presentation on the road map to achieve the targets and the progress of the JJM works.
Similarly, Assistant Commissioner Development, Leh, Sonam Nurboo gave a detailed presentation on Grey Water Management.
Executive Engineer, PHE, Mohd Ali gave the concluding remarks and vote of thanks.
The participants shared their feedback and views in an open discussion held during the workshop.
Several officials associated with the mission were felicitated for their commendable work.