The Jal Swarajya project was undertaken to increase the capacity of rural community members to demand clean water. This government scheme ran for 2 years in 2006 and 2007. HMF monitored the project and helped to implement its goal of ensuring that every village received clean drinking water. Additionally, we intended for village members to be able to plan, implement, monitor, and maintain the water supply themselves. Ten villages in Osmanabad District (Kasthi Budrukh, Khandala, Wadgav Lakh, Kantekoor, Amrutwadi, Mesaitawarga, Keshegao, Vhonala) benefited from this project.
The project helped to increase women’s involvement in the water supply development process. To achieve this, rural communities participated in a skills development workshops and went on exposure visits to water sanitation projects in Akluj, Satara, and Kholapur. Each project village oversaw the construction of a drinking well to provide the community with clean drinking water. Community members were instructed in well maintenance and taught proper skills to ensure its sustainability. Additionally, two water tanks with a capacity of 250,000 liters were constructed in the villages of Kasthi Budrukh and Wadgav Lakh.
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