Imperative to have tailor-made solutions targeting local villages: Jal Shakti official

It is imperative to have tailor-me solutions targeting local villages and districts as 'one-size-fits-all' strategy will not work for sanitation-related issues, a senior Jal Shakti Ministry official said on Friday.

Vini Mahajan, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti, said solutions must be unique and scalable and should be opted by or villages which are in a similar situation.

"We need to understand that as India is a huge country, issues are diverse. solutions have to be tailored not only to local geography and geology but also have to take into account culture, practices and habits,"she said.

She stressed that Lighthouse initiative will play an important role in this regard.

dressing launch of 'Lighthouse' Workshop, organized by FICCI-India Sanitation Coalition (ISC),  Mahajan noted that India is standing at cusp of transformative change with a "huge opportunity for all of us to transform rural India".

"We are alrey working in this direction, and we believe in it for a very good reason," she ded.

Secretary furr stated that India has been working on making country open defecation-free along with or sanitation-related issues for deces.

"All of us working in this sector clearly understand that re are no full stops to se efforts, but it is an ongoing process," she said.

She ded that government has been working for around two years on SBM-G (Swachh Bharat Mission-Gramin) Phase II, which has target of sustaining ODF status and ensuring that arrangements are in place for solid and liquid waste management in all villages of country.

project, she said, is backed by equate funds, knowledge, and right set of partners.

"It is gram panchayats, block panchayats and zila panchayats who have to take le in not just understanding and planning for it but also to assist in creating required assets which are economically viable and technologically feasible," Mahajan said.

She said government has me available equate funds through SBM-G and tied grants for water and sanitation projects. It is significant that more than 95,000 villages have declared mselves as ODF Plus, secretary said. "It is now time to ensure that efforts are grounded on a proper understanding of situation and making it happen quickly".

Urging corporates to come forward to assist sector, Mahajan highlighted that re are immense opportunities for private sector.

"We are looking at quick deliverables and with very ambitious timelines. We are not looking at corporates for funding assets, but we are seeking ir energy, time, and commitment. With se, we can bring about transformative change," she ded.