DIGITAL MONITORING OF RURAL WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION SERVICES
DIGITAL MONITORING OF RURAL WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION SERVICES
Since August 2019, Government of India, in partnership with States, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) – Har Ghar Jal to make provision of tap water supply to every rural household. Water is a state subject and therefore, the primary responsibility for planning and implementing piped water supply schemes to provide tap water to their households, lies with the respective State/UT. Government of India supplements the efforts of the States by providing technical and financial assistance under JJM.
Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has developed Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) digital portal and mobile app for Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) to strengthen transparency, data accuracy, and real-time review. Under JJM, the IMIS and online dashboards are functional at Panchayat, District Water and Sanitation Mission (DWSM), State Water and Sanitation Mission (SWSM) and National levels.
To ensure the authenticity of data on the IMIS portal, the Department has implemented a multi-layered verification mechanism. This includes mandatory Aadhaar seeding of beneficiaries, Geo-tagging of assets through Sujalam Bharat App, Uploading of pipelines on PM-GatiShakti Portal. Furthermore, the Department undertakes rigorous ground truthing exercises which involves:
Similarly, the Department has also developed SBM-G Portal & Dashboard – A centralized portal (http://swachhbharatmission.ddws.gov.in) and dashboard (http://sbm.gov.in/sbmgdashboard/statesdashboard.aspx) for monitoring progress under SBM (G) at the National, State, District, Block and village levels.
Among other aspects the portal also offers facility for online application for IHHLs, wherein a citizen can apply online for the incentive support for the construction of IHHL and also, track the application status. The SBM(G) Dashboard captures the progress of all States/UTs against various indicators viz, the Open Defecation Free (ODF) plus status, construction of Individual Household Latrines (IHHLs) and Community Sanitary Complexes (CSCs), Solid and Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) infrastructure, Information, Education and Communication (IEC), Capacity Building activities etc.
Two mobile apps viz, mSBM & SBM 2.0 have been developed under SBM(G). mSBM Mobile app is used for geo-tagging of Individual Household Latrines (IHHL) and SBM 2.0 is used for geo-tagging of Solid/Liquid waste management assets (including CSCs) along with progress reporting of SLWM assets. The Government has operationalised Jal Seva Aankalan- Gram Panchayat–led, community-owned functionality assessment mechanism under the Jal Jeevan Mission, aimed at strengthening rural drinking water service delivery. With a large number of schemes now functional, the initiative focuses on assessing the availability, regularity, adequacy and quality of water services at the village level through structured community discussions, Gram Sabha validation and digital data capture.
The information was provided by THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI SHRI V. SOMANNA in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
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- Functionality Assessment: Annual independent sample surveys to verify the quantity, quality, and regularity of water supply.
- National Level Monitors (NLMs): Regular field visits by National Wash Experts, Central Nodal Officers, NJJM and NPMU members. NLMs to cross-verify reported progress against ground realities.
- Digital Verification: Use of IoT-based sensors in selected villages for real-time monitoring.