Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

Jal Shakti Ministry Launches Sujlam 2.0 Campaign to Boost Greywater Management

Under the campaign, the government plans to mobilise communities and institutions to undertake greywater management through people’s participation, says Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat
March 24, 2022
Sujlam 2.0 Campaign to Boost Greywater Management

Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat launched the Sujalam 2.0 campaign for greywater management on World Water Day, 2022 on Tuesday.

The campaign was launched at a virtual event hosted by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti. A joint advisory was signed by nine ministries on how greywater management will be taken up at their level.

“Under the campaign, we plan to mobilise communities, our institutions like panchayats, schools, Anganwadi to undertake greywater management. Greywater can be best managed where it is generated and turns into a major management and infrastructure challenge if it is allowed to accumulate and stagnate. Our PRIs would work with people to ensure that greywater is managed at the most appropriate local level through the construction of household and community soak pits,” said Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.

The union minister further said, funds to execute the activities for greywater management can be sourced from Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin Phase II or through the 15th Finance Commission tied-grants or MGNREGS or through the convergence of all.

“This campaign will see people undertake collective situation assessment, plan and implement greywater management activities. IEC efforts for popularising the significance of greywater management and mobilising collective community action will be undertaken at the state, district and local levels. I urge, all my PRI and VWSC members, Swachhagrahis’, SHG leaders to intensify the Sujlam 2.0 campaign at the local level,” said Shekhawat.

The Rural Development Ministry said that one must revisit the learnings drawn from earlier programmes to perform better on the objectives of the Sujalam 2.0 campaign. Rural Development Secretary Nagendra Nath Sinha recalled an initiative taken up in Nandurbar, a tribal district in Maharashtra, where many soak-pits were built to reduce the incidences of malaria, dengue and other water and vector-borne diseases apart from environmental and ecological benefits.

“MGNREGS under Schedule 1 Para 4 has been taking up works related to the construction of soak-pits, stabilisation ponds for greywater treatment, drainage and repair of flood channels on large scale. Over 23 lakh soak-pits, 48 lakh solid and liquid waste management structures and 1 lakh Anganwadi centres are provided with toilets for which Rs 26,000 Crore has been spent over time,” said Nagendra Nath Sinha.

Indevar Pandey, Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, said, “There are about 4.68 lakh kitchen gardens in the Anganwadi centres. The treated greywater can be used to irrigate these kitchen gardens.”