Speaking at the 2025 Water Summit of Toi, experts and policy formulators underlined the need for a multiple approach to guarantee safe access to water in the discussion of the panel “Sanitation and public health of water – Safe Water for All”. The session, moderated by Daksh Sethi, founder of Guby Rogers & The Wolf Media Co., gathered key government voices, research and civil society to discuss challenges and solutions.
The panel presented Hera Lal, IAS, Nodal State officer, Prime Minister’s agricultural irrigation scheme; Divyendu Kumar Singh, Coordinator of the Unit (Technical), SWSM (UP); Prashansha Gupta, CEO, Institute of Water and Climate Initiatives; and Mr. Hari Prakash Haihyvanshi, manager of attachments, water and wastewater wastewater, CSE India.
Prashansha Gupta highlighted the gaps in the water supply infrastructure, particularly in regions at high altitude where the maintenance of the pipe is still a challenge. She advocated the property and education of the community to guarantee the efficient use of water and reduce waste. “A well -built system is as good as its users,” he said, emphasizing the importance of water pumping stations with solar energy as a sustainable alternative.
Divyendu Kumar Singh provided ideas about Jal Jeevan missionIt was launched in 2019 to provide tap water connections in rural India. He detailed the progress of Uttar Pradesh, citing the placement of 51,000 km of pipes, connecting 48,000 villages with the network and certifying 24,000 villages such as ‘Har Ghar Jal’ (each home with water). He also highlighted the adoption of solar energy for water supply schemes, indicating that 900 MW of solar panels have been installed in 33,000 schemes, reducing operating costs and guaranteeing sustainability.
While the infrastructure is crucial, experts agreed that sustainability depends on community participation. Mrs. Gupta emphasized that awareness campaigns, especially attacked to children and social networks, could promote a change in water conservation practices. “The mentality must change. If people do not value water, no system will work efficiently in the long term,” he added.
Heera Lal asked to rethink large -scale water storage and, instead, prioritize localized conservation efforts. Citing Iit Kanpur’s investigation, he said: “The big dams are no longer the solution. On a small scale groundwater and rainwater harvest It must be prioritized. “
The discussion concluded with a consensus that a combination of infrastructure, innovation of policies and public awareness is essential to address the challenges of India’s water. The sustained government investment, solutions with solar energy and conservation efforts led by the community will be key to ensuring safe and accessible water for all.