SHGs play a vital role in securing a safe water future in India’s hinterlands: Mark Duey, CEO, Water For People

Bharat. Mark Duey, CEO, Water For People, and Bishwadeep Ghose, Country Director, India, talk to ET Digital, explaining the role of SHGs in promoting water sustainability and a healthier water future in India.

Water For People is a US-based NGO that has been working in India for the past 15 years to ensure access to safe water.

Economic Times (ET): Tell us about your Jalbandhu initiative. How is it driving employment in rural communities?

Mark Duey (MD): One of the challenges we’ve seen in India at the community level is that minor maintenance issues, such as those related to the supply of drinking water, can sometimes lead to supply disruptions or sustainability issues. So, one of the initiatives that we started to address these issues and timely repairs is the Jalbandhu (Friends of Water) model. It also provides additional employment opportunities at the community level.

Usually, it works like this: one or two people from every gram panchayat are selected, identified and trained on how to perform these minor repairs to keep water services flowing. That’s always done in consultation with the gram panchayat, ensuring that the individuals involved are local so that they are easily accessible and can be called upon to perform these repairs quickly.

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The names of these individuals are usually displayed prominently in public locations in the community so that they’re easily identified. The initiative also provides opportunities for the local youth. We’ve done this initiative in collaboration with the gram