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Department of Drinking Water Supply, is
implementing programmes involving many cross-cutting
issues which are very diverse and complex in the context
of involvement of sectors such as Water Supply and
Sanitation, Heath and Family Welfare, Panchayati Raj and
Rural Development, Public Health Engineering, Women &
Child Development, Education, Tribal Welfare, Social
Justice, etc. All these make inter-sectoral coordination
very important and is essential at all the levels-from
center, state, district, block and village to school
level-so as to improve the implementation of
Department's programmes. In this context, the Department
of Drinking Water Supply has taken several initiatives
to forge a strong coordination with the concerned
departments.
Reforms in the rural drinking water sector were adopted
in 1999 through Sector Reform Project (SRP) on pilot
basis and have been scaled up throughout the country in
the form of Swajaldhara launched on 25th December 2002.
The programme is a paradigm shift from supply driven to
demand driven, centralized to decentralized
implementation and Government's role from service
provider to facilitator. The fundamental reform
principles in Swajaldhara are adhered to by the State
Governments and the Implementing Agencies in terms of
adoption of a demand-responsive approach with community
participation. It is based on empowerment of villagers
to ensure their full participation in the project
through a decision making role in the choice of the
drinking water scheme, planning, design, implementation,
control of finances, management arrangements including
full ownership of drinking water assets. The community
has to share partial capital cost either in cash or kind
or both, 100% responsibility of operation and
maintenance (O&M). An integrated service delivery
mechanism is also promoted which includes taking up
conservation measures through rainwater harvesting and
ground water recharge systems for sustained drinking
water supply.
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