Empowering Women in Uttar Pradesh: 5 Lakh Women Test Over 14.3 Million Water Samples

Lucknow, October 16 (Daily Kiran) : In Lucknow, as the festival of Navratri highlights women’s strength and resolve, women across rural Uttar Pradesh are playing a crucial role in ensuring the quality of drinking water in their communities. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, nearly five lakh trained women are using Field Test Kits (FTKs) to assess water purity.

Organized as Sujalam Shakti groups, these women are not only monitoring drinking water quality but also educating villagers about safe water usage and conservation. Their involvement has strengthened the monitoring system for drinking water quality in villages, while also providing them with income opportunities. A robust framework has been established at the village level to oversee the quality of drinking water reaching every household.

In the first phase of the Jal Jeevan Mission, five women from each revenue village received training for water quality testing. These trained women are now part of the Sujalam Shakti groups, overseeing drinking water quality under the second phase of the initiative. Data shows that from the fiscal year 2022-23 to 2026-27, a total of 14,321,260 water samples have been tested. This includes 3,947,102 samples in 2022-23, 3,668,743 in 2023-24, 3,819,440 in 2024-25, 551,221 in 2025-26, and 2,334,754 samples tested so far in 2026-27.

Women from self-help groups, along with Anganwadi workers and ASHA workers, are trained based on eligibility criteria. After training, they are provided with FTKs, which allow them to conduct preliminary tests for impurities such as iron, nitrate, and chloride. The quality of drinking water reaching households is assessed according to Indian standards IS-10500:2012.

Trained women test water samples from various sources, including Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs), schools, Anganwadi centers, health centers, and hand pumps each month. They receive payment based on the established rates for these tests. Thus, the Sujalam Shakti groups are not only monitoring water quality but also serving as a source of income for rural women. According to a senior official from the Rural Water Corporation, these trained women are also responsible for raising awareness among villagers about safe drinking water, water conservation, and rainwater harvesting.

Competent women from the Sujalam Shakti groups are also included as members of water committees formed at the village level. A network of Sujalam Shakti groups has been established at the village, block, and district levels under the Jal Jeevan Mission. This network plays a role in both the regular monitoring of drinking water quality and awareness programs related to water conservation.

Yogesh Kumar, Managing Director of the Uttar Pradesh Rural Water Corporation, emphasized that providing pure and quality drinking water to every household in rural areas is a top priority for the department. He noted that linking trained women to water quality testing has strengthened the monitoring system. The department is also continuously working to address complaints related to water supply swiftly. Significant progress has been made in the field of drinking water supply and quality monitoring under the Jal Jeevan Mission, with plans to further enhance the monitoring system and service quality going forward.