Guwahati, March 5: Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) Assam and Directorate of Higher Education (DHE), Government of Assam today signed an MoU to engage and educate college students on water quality, WASH practices, and the functionality assessment of water supply schemes. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Mission Director Jal Jeevan Mission, Assam, Kailash Karthik. N. IAS and Director, Higher Education, Government of Assam, Smti. Pomi Baruah ACS in the presence of the Special Chief Secretary, Syedain Abbasi, and other senior officials from both the Departments as well as representatives from colleges and PHED district officials.
Under this MoU the Jal Vidya Programme will be initiated under JJM Assam. Upon completion, of the training the College students are expected to serve as advocates for safe practices within their communities, to drive behavioural change. The students can leverage PHED infrastructure for academic pursuits and collaborate with community stakeholders to implement projects under faculty mentorship.
This MoU encourages academic research, critical thinking and innovation, promotes a culture of problem-solving and continuous improvement among young minds. It also cultivates community participation ensuring that local needs and perspectives are integrated into water management practices. It is expected that this collaboration between JJM, PHED Assam, and DHE will act as a paradigm shift in addressing public health challenges by leveraging collective expertise and resources.
Here, it is worth mentioning that Jal Jeevan Mission achieved the milestone of providing Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs) to 75.10% of rural households in the state. The Mission has provided running water to 94.4% of schools and 91.2% of Anganwadi Centres.
Quality assurance is at the forefront of the mission's objectives. Assam has established 83 water testing laboratories, conducting over 2,60,000 tests to ensure water safety. Complementing these efforts are 5-woman groups deployed in every village who have completed over 11,40,000 tests across 20,245 villages field tests in the state. The laboratory network, includes state-of-the-art facilities, is ensuring comprehensive water quality testing. This infrastructure facilitates provides for both academic research and practical fieldwork, enriching students' learning experiences while promoting innovation in water management practices.
