Getting basic rights to water and sanitation at the grassroots level has always been a challenge for India. But Bastar shows a solution is possible
This is Tusel, a tribal village in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district.
A couple of years back, you would have seen a long line of women trying to use unwieldy handpumps or walking to distant water sources to fetch clean water for their households.
But today the situation has changed for the better. The village of Tusel is benefitting from individual household tap connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission using solar energy.
So why is it important? Getting basic rights to water and sanitation at the grassroots level has always been a challenge for India. Having a stable water source is vital for rural households and is imperative for the overall social and economic growth of rural India.
On August 15, 2019, the central government started the Jal Jeevan Mission to make sure rural India gets access to clean drinking water. And the villages of Bastar are prime examples of using renewable energy to provide basic facilities in rural India.
Women who used to walk kilometres to fetch fresh water for their homes, today have time for work and leisure as the water reaches their doorsteps. Access to clean water has really changed the face of rural villages in Bastar.
Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, the Indian government aims to provide clean water to every household by 2024. And even though they have a mammoth task at hand, the women in Bastar is an example that they certainly are going in the right direction.
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