Assures of collaboration with regard to safe storage of water, new and cost-effective water treatment technologies and impact studies on tap water availability in villages
NEW DELHI (India CSR): Nobel laureate Professor Michael Kremer today interacted with Smt. Vini Mahajan, Secretary and senior officers from the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, UNICEF and other sector partners at Antyodaya Bhawan, here today.
Prof. Michael Kremer is an American development economist who was jointly awarded the Nobel prize in Economics in the year 2019 with Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, for their experimental approach to alleviating global poverty.
Prof. Kremer while addressing the officials said that one important finding from his study was that nearly 30% of infant deaths can be reduced if safe water is made available to families for drinking. Diarrhoea is a very common ailment, especially among newborn children.
Newborns are susceptible to water ailments and a survey undertaken during their research, draws a conclusion that 1 in every 4 deaths, pertaining to children can be prevented with the provision of safe water. Therefore, the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ programme plays a crucial role in improving health parameters, especially among children.
Prof. Kremer was happy to learn that Jal Jeevan Mission was not just making water available in rural households, but also ensuring that the water supplied was of prescribed quality. In this regard, regular testing of water sources and endpoints was carried out through a water testing laboratory and community surveillance using Field Test Kits (FTKs).
Smt. Mahajan highlighted the challenges of sustainability and suggested that behavioral change is required at the ground level to ensure that the water is used judiciously.
Nicholas Osbert, Chief-WASH from UNICEF, India spoke on the impact of safe water on child health. Other sector partners like WaterAid and Wash Institute shared their views on the importance of safe drinking water.
Vikas Sheel, AS & MD, National Jal Jeevan Mission said that JJM offers new opportunities for undertaking operational research. He said it was the right time to undertake such studies as the villages are at different stages of coverage. While few villages have 100% coverage, many villages have partial tap water supply while some were still dependent on fetching water from the stand post.
Prof. Kremer assured of collaboration in the future with regard to safe storage of water, new and cost-effective water treatment technologies and impact studies on tap water availability in villages.
