#26. Village Maur in district Sri Muktsar Sahib
District Sri Muktsar Sahib is located in the south western part of Punjab and falls in the south-west of Malwa region. The two major canals Sirhind feeder and Sirhind canal are the main source of water supply which are further divided into various distributaries and minors. The area has no river source and is covered extensively by the canal network of Sirhind feeder canal to meet drinking water needs of the people. Groundwater is not suitable for drinking. High Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) at numerous places indicate unsuitability of groundwater for drinking purposes. With an increasingly growing population and consequently increasing water demand, the need for efficient water management has become more and more apparent.
Community participation, whereby partnership is established between government agencies and local communities in planning, implementation and maintenance of water supply and sanitation facilities, is a key factor in the success of projects and programmes. Thus special measures are required to ensure their full involvement in the participatory approach. Creation of Gram Panchayat Water & Sanitation Committees with powers of mobilizing local people, planning, and financing is one of the most promising ways of increasing community participation. Department of Water Supply & Sanitation together with support of Gram Panchayats is exploring possible arrangements which can increase the share of community involvement in the development and operation of water supply schemes.
Further, to initiate community participation and to improve sustainability of schemes, women participation at grassroots levels is utmost necessary. The potential contribution of women to these objectives emerges logically from their traditional participation in water supply and sanitation. As domestic managers, women decide where to collect water for various purposes and in various seasons, how much water to collect and how to use it. In their choice of water sources, they make reasoned decisions based on their own criteria of access, time, effort, water quantity, quality, and reliability. In addition, much of the informal learning about water and sanitation takes place through interpersonal contacts between women. Their opinions and needs have important consequences for the acceptance, use and readiness to maintain new water supplies and for the ultimate health impact of the project. Thus, they are the key agents of change which can drive positive transformation in rural
communities and their involvement in decision-making and implementation of water management practices can lead to increase in efficiency and equity.
In Punjab, more women in leadership roles are positively transforming rural areas and one such example is the story of village Maur in district Sri Muktsar Sahib where Gram Panchayat Water & Sanitation Committee; a village level institution had enabled women to shed their inhibitions and to lead from front and work towards development of their village and amplify their voices in water management i.e. decision making and social processes which drive sustainable growth for community at large.
Project interventions
Field teams of the department conducted community mobilization activities with focus on gender mainstreaming and motivated community to involve women in behavior change activities. Good governance in water management initiatives being done by women in other district were shared with the community.
Sh. Kuldeep Singh, Sarpanch reformed the existing committee and involved all women members to increase their participation in decision making particular on drinking water related issues.’ Local planning by informing all users, including minority and disadvantaged groups, about the project; consulting them about their needs, preferences and expectations; to discuss options and to reach an agreement on all major issues such as community maintenance and finance were deliberated.
He shares, “women and girls plays a central part in the utilization, management and safeguarding of water and if they are engaged in its management situations are likely to be improved. The purpose to form committee with all women members in a village is to link women on water issues, whether water management, conservation, issues such as sanitation, hygiene and overall development of the village”.
How the change happened
- Village level institution (GPWSC) was constituted with women members and five women members from Scheduled Caste (SC) category.
- Focused group discussions, house to house visits, Interpersonal Communication, regular monitoring and setting up rules & regulations were carried out.
- Conducting regular meetings, discussing issues and arriving at conclusions, handling financial transactions and keeping records, understanding the value of a collective, developing relationship with fellow women, etc has helped in Institutional strengthening.
- GPWSC also engage with the community to receive requests and complaints for betterment of the system. It also monitors the work of pump operator and also manages the hiring of labor if repairs are needed.
- Water services in village is improved, leakages are rectified, water conservation steps are taken at household levels with 100% connections with installation of taps/gate valves.
- GPWSC members conducts vigilance at water works to have a glimpse of the storage and sedimentation tank (S&S tank) as during canal closure the raw water can be stored up to fifteen days.
Features of transformation
- Innovative design of GPWSC, representation of women from seven wards which is inclusive.
- Involvement of all stakeholders for wider participation and active support.
- Wisdom, experience and support of elders.
- Trained pump operator Sh. Jagmeet singh who promptly rectifies problem and ensures supply of chlorinated water.
- Village Sarpanch has developed an action plan to accelerate the water bill collection. Whenever the team from electricity department visits village for collection of electricity bills, same time water bills are also being collected. It has generally been seen that more than 50% consumers pay water bills at that time.
Department of Water Supply & Sanitation is also providing support to GPWSC with technical assistance in the infrastructure structure and capacity development for service management, to ensure that they have an efficient water distribution network, a financial management system, and an affordable tariff structure that covers operation and maintenance. GPWSC members in every two months do house to house visits and collect water bills from the consumers. It has been observed that after involvement of women in GPWSC, from last one year all the households have starting paying water bills.
- Five women from community namely Ms. Pawandeep Kaur, Ms. Amandeep Kaur w/o Gurpreet Singh, Amandeep Kaur w/o Kuldeep Singh, Harpreet Kaur and Sukhwinder Kaur are being trained in water quality tests using Field Testing Kits (FTKs) under water quality monitoring and surveillance.
- All households have piped water supply connections.
- With availability of good quality water, general health of livestock has improved, good consumption of water has resulted in more productivity which has benefitted rural populace economically.
Breaking barriers
Making a start was not easy for them. Women in the village had to overcome barriers at every level: family as well as community.
As Amandeep Kaur shares, “Initially when I began to do house hold visits, many people in the village said that I was ruining the culture by stepping out. I discussed with my husband and took him along. When he saw with his own eyes that the work we were doing was for the development of the village, he started supporting me and my mother-in-law also voluntary comes with me, and with involvement of elders things became easier for me as well others. Now water is available as per convenience at Rs 4-5 per day. Otherwise earlier, villagers had to spent Rs 500 on water tanker and which last only for one week”.
Their mission is not yet over. They are dreaming big. In the village there are 6 Self Help Groups (SHGs) and 3 more are being formed. By formation of these SHGs, approximately 90 women are being provided knowledge and skills to save money, access micro credit, engage in income generating activities and become change agents. Women in this village are becoming self reliant and economic condition of families are improving as they have taken loan of Rs 3.5 lacs which is invested in livelihoods activities. This had provided opportunities for the women to increase their incomes.
Takeaways
- Access to adequate water supply empowers people and communities. It helps to transform gender relations and support women and girls as agents of change.
- Engagement of women in decision making and operation and maintenance, makes the scheme self reliant and ensures social sustainability.
- Enhancement of leadership skills and self-confidence and women empowerment.
- Adequate, regular, safe, sustainable and convenient water supply at household level.
Inputs by: – Ms. Mamta Bakshi, IEC Specialist, HOD Office
Paani di Kahaani (ਪਾਣੀ ਦੀ ਕਹਾਣੀ) 