Safe Water Network India is a Key Resource Center (KRC) with the Ministry of Jal Shakti to provide Level 3 (community level) training and capacity-building services to various stakeholders such as Elected Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) Members, Gram Panchayat (GP) Officials, VWSC Members, and Members of Implementation Support Agencies (ISAs). The Ministry of Jal Shakti  Safe Water Network India has selected Safe Water Network India to train in five states – Haryana, Telangana, Maharashtra, UP, and Karnataka. The organization has conducted two Level 3 training in the Mahendargarh and Bhiwani districts of Haryana and has trained over 200 participants. Besides creating community sensitization about drinking water best practices, the training also helped the participants in their roles in implementing the flagship government scheme, Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), at the village level. Safe Water Network India has also developed a training toolkit to facilitate institution building at the grass root level for the sustainability of water supply systems. The toolkit can be accessed by clicking here.

Safe Water Network India has collaborated with Universities and Educational Institutions to produce knowledge systems in drinking water to help water entrepreneurs provide safe and affordable drinking water in water-stressed regions. In 2022-23, Safe Water Network India collaborated with Amity University, NOIDA, and PGDAV College (Evening) to deliver ‘Water Enterprise Development’ and ‘Water Entrepreneurship’ training for youth and women under the aegis of SEWAH, a joint initiative between USAID and Safe Water Network India. The trainings were conducted on the respective university campuses benefiting 98 participants. The trainings aimed to develop water-based skills, facilitate social entrepreneurship, and generate livelihoods for youth and women.

The Water ATMs and Water Treatment Plants are efficient and affordable water providers in remote territories and underserved urban agglomerations. Safe Water Network India has been actively providing training and capacity-building services to self-help groups (SHGs), water ATM operators, field service technicians, and small water entrepreneurs in the areas such as water quality management, water treatment technologies, and plant operations and maintenance. Safe Water Network India has also prepared detailed toolkits and training guides with step-by-step instructions to establish, manage, and operate water treatment plants. The Digital Small Water Enterprise Entrepreneur Toolkit can be accessed by clicking here.

Since the onset of mission AMRUT 2.0 in October 2021, Safe Water Network India team has been instrumental in designing and conducting training workshops for states and ULBs nationwide. The first state-level workshop, providing an in-depth understanding of AMRUT 2.0 and its various components, was spearheaded by our team. The ULB representatives were trained on implementing the paperless mission through the digital “AMRUT 2.0. collaboration platform.”  This training was piloted for around 1500 representatives from urban local bodies of Uttar Pradesh in November 2021. This training was later imparted to all states/UTs of the country through physical and virtual modes. The team conducted multiple training rounds for over 2500 ULBs across 12 states and UTs on preparing City Water Balance Plans (CWBPs) and City Water Action Plans (CWAPs), enabling them to share and believe in the vision of AMRUT 2.0 to achieve water security in Urban India.

 Given the enormity and the broad scope of AMRUT 2.0, the team has supported MoHUA in disseminating information by providing refresher training focussing on specific critical components of AMRUT 2.0.

In the past 18 months, training for 2500+ ULBs in 12 states/UTs has been conducted on the following components of AMRUT 2.0:

1. Amrutam application has been developed to help states claim ₹ 3000 per new water/ sewer connection. ULBs and State-Level Authorities were trained to understand the scheme and the digital platform
2. India Water – Pitch Pilot Scale Challenge was a workshop to explain the scheme’s details where a water sector solution would be piloted through a partnership between ULB and a Startup.
3. Urban Waterbody Information System is an application developed by NRSC to help states and their ULBs identify water bodies that need rejuvenation. ULBs with a population of more than one lakh were trained in navigating through the application.
4. Training on Pey Jal Sarvekshan: Pey Jal Sarvekshan was piloted in ~480 cities with more than 1 lakh population. The training was conducted on the methodology of Pey Jal Sarvekshan and PJS portal data entry.
5. Project Progress Monitoring Module: This module was developed on the AMRUT 2.0 collaboration platform recently to update the physical and financial progress of projects approved by the center in the various state water action plans submitted by the state.
6. Reforms module: Physical and virtual training are being conducted for all ULBs to help them understand fund distribution, incentive amount, eligibility criteria, and application process for various urban governance reforms they undertake under AMRUT 2.0. The team also conducts refresher training for any of the above components based on that state’s need.

Safe Water Network India has organized several community sensitization campaigns about the importance of drinking clean drinking water and maintaining personal hygiene. The organization creates community awareness through innovative activities such as water quality test demos through electro-analyzer, storytelling through electronic tablets, village marches, and community pledges. Several important stakeholders, such as key opinion leaders in the village/community, ASHA workers, and Aaganwadi workers, are involved in the community sensitization process. Safe Water Network has also documented community sensitization processes through guides and manuals. Please click here to access the guide.

The dissemination of best practices on personal hygiene in school children results in benefits such as better health, reduced absenteeism, and improved social behavior. Safe Water Network actively collaborates with schools in villages and underserved communities to develop smart and educational workshops on WASH best practices through interactive activities such as organizing quizzes on water and sanitation, essay and painting competitions, and hand washing demos among younger children. Safe Water Network has developed several educational materials for children, such as comic strips, animated movies, posters, and demons. These resources can be accessed by clicking here.