Drinking water for the last person

Training programme for village communities and Panchayat officials

Background
The Department of Drinking Water Supply (DDWS), Ministry of Rural Development, has nominated the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) as a Key Resource Centre by DDWS to undertake activities of research, training and awareness creation.

In April 2009, the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) released the new guidelines for rural water supply namely the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP). The new guidelines gives major emphasis on ensuring sustainability of water availability in terms of potability, adequacy, convenience, affordability and equity while also adopting decentralised approach involving Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and community organisations.

As part of this initiative, CSE will work with Public Health Engineering Department of different states to undertake programmes for PHED engineers, panchayat officials, communities and schools in the state.

The programme for engineers will focus on demystifying some of the aspects of the new guidelines, which aim for universal coverage by March 2012. Workshops for village community members (PRIs, Village Water and Sanitation Committees (VWSCs), Angandwadi workers and other community members) will aim to create an understanding of the need to prepare Village Water Security Plans. The focus of these workshops is on the preparation of village water budget as the starting point for preparing the Village Water Security Plans. CSE collaborates with local NGOs  to undertake these workshops.

Key Resource Centre
With the rural water sector in India poised for change and with the new vision for the sector in the Eleventh Plan, the sector demands newer capacities, skills and orientation of those working in it. The National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) aims at empowered, aware and skilled stakeholders capable of planning, implementation, operation, maintenance and management of water supply and water resources at all levels. NRDWP envisages providing multi level cadre of adequate motivated skilled and trained personnel in rural water supply sector with a view to ensure:

• Sustainability of water supply and water sources.
• Optimally productive utilization of sectoral investments and concomitant enhanced benefits to rural areas

The purpose of the Key Resource Centre is to ensure that sector professionals are sensitized for change in role, responsibility and attitude through need-based in-service training/ exposure utilizing services of specialists/ experts. The KRC will fill the knowledge and capacity gap amongst the sector professionals through specialized training and capacity building programs to meet the challenges of leadership, managerial, administrative, technical, attitudinal and legal aspects. It is also expected to that national Key Resource Centre will help in brining harmonization of sectoral, organizational and individual goals to move forward in the rural water supply sector. The National key

Resource Center will be responsible for:

• Organizing training, orientation and capacity development programme for PHED Engineers, district officials, CCDU staff, panchayat members, line department functionaries, motivators, health worker, religious leader, media agencies, sector professionals, NGOs, self employed mechanics, masons, school teachers and students, etc.

• Extending technical guidance to the State’s Communication and Capacity Development Units (CCDU) and assist in the development of State/ District specific training modules in developing their IEC strategy as well as capacity building of different stakeholders.

• Monitor and evaluate activities implementation, identify problems and propose remedial action to accelerate/improve programme delivery through field visit.

• Documentation of success stories, best practices and various issues.

• Development of training module/manuals to build capacity of PHED Engineers, district officials, panchayat members, VWSC, Pani Samiti functionaries, motivators, school teacher, angwandi workers, student, health workers & support organizations etc.