Water is the elixir of life. Imagine living without it for even a single day. We follow the maxim, "Atithi Devo Bhava" in India where guests are considered to be Gods. Offering a glass of water to every guest is a part of culture and a basic courtesy. Fetching it from the fridge or even from the taps fitted with RO or aqua guard in our homes is so easy. And while we soak in our bath tubs or cool ourselves under the shower there are millions of people in rural India who have no access to drinking water in their homes.
Women and girls have to trudge for many kilometers to get drinking water for themselves and their families. Many times such water is contaminated .
The Government of India therefore launched the ambitious program of Jal Jeevan Mission to ensure pure drinking water reaches every rural home through functional taps so that women and girls are freed from their drudgery. The central and state governments have an equal share in the expenditure for implementing the project.
Despite covid more than fifty percent of the rural households in Maharashtra have been provided with piped drinking water from taps with at least 40 litres per capita per person drinking water. The Jal Jeevan Mission envisages that all rural households should receive at least 55 litres per capita per person everyday.
A lot of projects are in progress in Maharashtra. Post covid things are different and there is a restriction on travel. It was only since the last week that I have mustered courage to steer out on visits.
When I decided to visit an ongoing piped water supply scheme at Lohgad in Pune little did I realise that I would actually be visiting a village at the foothill of the fort where the famous and revered leader, Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had kept his treasures brought from Surat.
The road winding up the hill reaching the village made me nostalgic as I remembered my trips to the fort as a student of history at the Pune University.
The cool breeze, the pleasant weather, the blue skies and the greenery filled me with joy. I was already in great spirits when we reached the foothills of the fort. A huge tank at the base of the fort would be catering to one side of the village. Smt. Alka Ganesh Dhanivale, member of the Zilla Parishad Pune of the Panchayat Samiti took great pride in telling us about the efforts made by herself and her team to make this possible.
The Executive Engineer, Deputy Engineer and his team led us to the percolation well at end of the lane which was the source of water for the scheme. The other side of the village would be catered by an Elevated Surface Reservoir which was under construction and would soon be completed. A good samaritan, Mr. Atul Barot has promised additional supply of water in the well if and when required. The Sectional Engineer, Shri. Rajendra Sonawane had really put in all efforts to complete the scheme despite the fact that Covid 19 set in as soon as the work started.
An informal chat with Smt. Bhagabai Krishna Gaike a senior citizen revealed how excited she was that tapped water would be soon reaching their homes. Her eyes shone with hope as it was something which she had never dreamt would ever happen.
Lohgad, is a popular tourist destination, regular supply of drinking water would boost the local economy. The people were really excited about the fact that the new year 2021 would be different for them when water would reach their homes. There was joy in my heart and a swagger in my feet as we trudged past the fort and left for our next visit.
I could see the ramparts of the iron like Lohgad fort standing tall. I was reminded of my lessons in history. Jal Jeevan Mission would soon be creating history again by bringing water to the homes on the Lohgad Fort. I smiled for I knew, the coming year would certainly be different and happy.
A lot of projects are in progress in Maharashtra. Post covid things are different and there is a restriction on travel. It was only since the last week that I have mustered courage to steer out on visits.
When I decided to visit an ongoing piped water supply scheme at Lohgad in Pune little did I realise that I would actually be visiting a village at the foothill of the fort where the famous and revered leader, Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj had kept his treasures brought from Surat.
The road winding up the hill reaching the village made me nostalgic as I remembered my trips to the fort as a student of history at the Pune University.
The cool breeze, the pleasant weather, the blue skies and the greenery filled me with joy. I was already in great spirits when we reached the foothills of the fort. A huge tank at the base of the fort would be catering to one side of the village. Smt. Alka Ganesh Dhanivale, member of the Zilla Parishad Pune of the Panchayat Samiti took great pride in telling us about the efforts made by herself and her team to make this possible.
The Executive Engineer, Deputy Engineer and his team led us to the percolation well at end of the lane which was the source of water for the scheme. The other side of the village would be catered by an Elevated Surface Reservoir which was under construction and would soon be completed. A good samaritan, Mr. Atul Barot has promised additional supply of water in the well if and when required. The Sectional Engineer, Shri. Rajendra Sonawane had really put in all efforts to complete the scheme despite the fact that Covid 19 set in as soon as the work started.
An informal chat with Smt. Bhagabai Krishna Gaike a senior citizen revealed how excited she was that tapped water would be soon reaching their homes. Her eyes shone with hope as it was something which she had never dreamt would ever happen.
Lohgad, is a popular tourist destination, regular supply of drinking water would boost the local economy. The people were really excited about the fact that the new year 2021 would be different for them when water would reach their homes. There was joy in my heart and a swagger in my feet as we trudged past the fort and left for our next visit.
I could see the ramparts of the iron like Lohgad fort standing tall. I was reminded of my lessons in history. Jal Jeevan Mission would soon be creating history again by bringing water to the homes on the Lohgad Fort. I smiled for I knew, the coming year would certainly be different and happy.
Very well written piece Vimala Ji. It feels real good to know the development happening at the grassroots level and the efforts government is putting in to it. Rather I feel that it is very important to highlight and let the general public know the difficulties faced at the ground level and the amount of efforts that have to be put in to provide even the basic facilities in the villages and some difficult terrains. Wish you the best in your work!!
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