CIMP Foundation and WaterAid India held a policy dialogue in Patna on sustainable, reliable drinking-water services for Bihar’s small towns.
PATNA (Bihar)/India CSR: The CIMP Centre for CSR & ESG Studies Foundation (CIMP Foundation), Chandragupt Institute of Management Patna (CIMP), in collaboration with WaterAid India, organised a High-Level Policy Dialogue on “Drinking Water Supply for Small Towns: Way Forward for Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal” at the CIMP Campus, Patna, on Friday.
The dialogue brought together senior policymakers, government officials, engineers, development organisations, academic institutions and WASH sector practitioners to discuss the next phase of Bihar’s urban water supply journey.
Debi Prasad Mishra, Director, DMI, emphasised the importance of strengthening systems and institutions alongside infrastructure to ensure effective and sustainable delivery of urban water services S. Siddharth, IAS, highlighted the need to look beyond the creation of water infrastructure and focus on its effective utilisation, sustainability and delivery of services to citizens.
The dialogue also witnessed the participation of engineers and officials from the Urban Development & Housing Department (UDHD), senior representatives from BUIDCo, Janaagraha, UNICEF, NIT and IIT, along with sector experts and practitioners. Their participation brought together perspectives from policy, implementation, research and development practice.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Dr. Rana Singh, Director, CIMP, said, “Bihar has made significant progress in expanding access to piped drinking water. The next important step is to ensure that these systems translate into reliable, safe and sustainable services for every household. Platforms such as this dialogue are important for bringing government, academia, development partners and practitioners together to identify practical solutions for the challenges faced by small towns.”
Sanjay Sinha, State Programme Director, WaterAid Bihar, highlighted the importance of strengthening water governance and service delivery systems to ensure that the gains made in expanding water infrastructure translate into reliable and sustainable services.
Kumod Kumar, Director, CIMP Foundation, emphasised the importance of strengthening institutional capacities, sustainable operation and maintenance systems, and greater stakeholder collaboration to ensure that investments in water infrastructure translate into lasting and effective services.
The discussions focused on service delivery standards, institutional arrangements, operation and maintenance, financial sustainability, water quality, source sustainability, climate resilience, digital monitoring and citizen engagement. The participation of UDHD engineers and BUIDCo officials provided important implementation perspectives on the operational and institutional challenges associated with urban water supply.
The dialogue concluded with a policy-oriented discussion on strengthening institutional mechanisms, improving monitoring and accountability, ensuring financial and operational sustainability, and making urban water services more responsive to citizens.
The convening reaffirmed the shared objective of moving beyond infrastructure coverage towards sustainable, reliable and citizen-responsive service delivery under the vision of Har Ghar Nal Ka Jal in Bihar
