Awareness programme on Jal Jeevan Mission held in Mopungchuket village

DIMAPUR — A one-day awareness-cum-focus group discussion programme on the theme “Socio-economic and environmental impact of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and its sustainability: an empirical study in Nagaland” was held on Saturday at the Panchayat Hall, Mopungchuket village under Mokokchung district.

According to a DIPR report, the event was organised by the Department of Environmental Science, Nagaland University (NU), Lumami, under an Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)-funded research project supported by the Ministry of Education.

The programme was led by Project Director and Head of the Department (HoD) of Environmental Science, Nagaland University, Dr. Ashutosh Tripathi, along with Co-Project Director, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Science, NU Lumami, Dr. Ashutosh Tripathi; HoD, Department of Chemistry, NU Lumami, Prof. Ambrish Singh; HoD, Department of Environmental Science, Fazl Ali College, Mokokchung, Asst. Prof. Nohochem Sangtam; and a core team member of the project.

In his keynote address, Dr. Tripathi highlighted the transformative potential of the Jal Jeevan Mission in strengthening rural water infrastructure and its cascading effects on socio-economic progress and environmental sustainability. He outlined the project’s objective to evaluate JJM’s ground-level impact and promote its long-term viability through community engagement and evidence-based policymaking.

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The current implementation status of JJM in Mopungchuket was presented by the village WATSAN (Water and Sanitation) secretary, who provided an overview of the progress made and the challenges remaining in achieving fully functional household tap connections.

Dr. Tripathi delivered a talk on “Community participation in water management”, emphasising the critical importance of stakeholder engagement and coordination at the grassroots to ensure both the effectiveness and sustainability of water sources.

Nohochem shared the research objectives of the ongoing empirical study and appealed for community cooperation during the upcoming field activities. He expressed gratitude to the Department of Public Health Engineering (PHED), Mokokchung division, particularly the executive engineer and staff, for their coordination and support during the preliminary survey.

He also urged village stakeholders to provide candid and constructive feedback, noting that the study will encompass 25 villages in the Mokokchung district, with field investigators and research assistants having started work since last month, and the remaining villages will be covered for analysis.

While thanking the Mopungchuket WATSAN and council for hosting the awareness programme, he sought active collaboration from both village stakeholders and PHED personnel.

The programme concluded with group discussions, the collection of water samples, and structured questionnaires.