Residential Training on Long-term sustainability, security, recharge and management of drinking water sources and rainwater harvesting technologies, accompanied by field exposure visit under JJM

Date: February 22-26, 2022

A 5-day residential training on “Long-term sustainability, security, recharge and management of drinking water sources and rainwater harvesting technologies, accompanied by field exposure visit” was organized at Anil Agarwal Environmental Training Institute (AAETI) under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) by the Rural Water & Waste Management Unit of Centre for Science and Environment from February 22 – 26, 2022. The training programme was tailor made for Level 2 officials working in Rural Water Supply and implementing Jal Jeevan Mission programme in the different states.

The objective of the training was to provide in depth knowledge and insight of the concepts, activities and technologies to recharge the sources of water supply to maintain their longevity and sustainability. The design of the training program included the topics of groundwater hydrogeology, groundwater recharge techniques, use of traditional water harvesting structures, use of GIS tools for locating and mapping of resources, participation of community for operation and maintenance. A field visit was planned to understand sustainable model for household tap connection and community interaction.

The participants were from the states of Assam, Jammu & Kashmir, Sikkim and Tamil Nadu. They participated with great interaction and gained good insight of the training objectives.

On day 1, the topics covered were: groundwater,hydrogeology,including the recharge options for groundwater recharge to achieve the source sustainability, decision matrix for source recharge and watershed management techniques.

The second day of the training included the topics of sensitization for community participation for ensuring operation and maintenance of water supply systems - experts from fields and academic institutions shared their insights and experiences about their strategies and planning of community participation.

Third day of the training was organized for field visit to a village, Niganiyawas which lies in the Block Dharuhera of Rewari district of Haryana state. The field exposure was planned in a way so that the training participants get an exposure to a sustainable water supply scheme. This was followed by interaction of the participants with the beneficiary communities to understand their perspective and role in operation and maintenance of the water supply system.

On the fourth day of the training programme, the topics covered were on application of Geographic Information System (GIS) tools in locating and planning of groundwater recharge structures for making the groundwater source sustainable; the lecture was supported by group activities and hand hold exercises.

The training concluded on the fifth day, with a discussion on renewable energy options for source sustainability and distribution of certificates to all the participants and getting their feedback.

The participants were very positive about the training and overall arrangements in the green campus of AAETI and provided good feedback. They expect more such trainings to be organized so that regular orientation and support can help in maintaining the pace of Jal Jeevan Mission’s objectives.