DIMAPUR, AUGUST 3 (MExN): A one-day awareness-cum-focus group discussion (FGD) programme on the theme “Socio-Economic and Environmental Impact of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and Its Sustainability: An Empirical Study in Nagaland” was held at the Panchayat Hall in Mopungchuket village on August 1.
The event was organised by the Department of Environmental Science, Nagaland University, Lumami, under a research project funded by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), Ministry of Education, Government of India.
The programme was led by Project Director and Head of the Department of Environmental Science, Nagaland University, Prof. Ashutosh Tripathi. He was joined by Co-Project Director and Assistant Professor, Dr. Ashutosh Tripathi; Head of the Department of Chemistry, Prof. Ambrish Singh; Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of Environmental Science, Fazl Ali College Mokokchung, Nohochem Sangtam; and other core team members.
The session began at 10:30 AM with Research Assistant Imlirenla moderating the proceedings. Arentemsu, Chairman of the Water and Sanitation (WATSAN) Committee of Mopungchuket, delivered the welcome address and highlighted the village’s previous efforts in implementing sustainable water supply initiatives.
In his keynote address, Prof. Tripathi underscored the transformative potential of JJM in strengthening rural water infrastructure and its cascading socio-economic and environmental benefits. He said the project aimed to assess the ground-level impact of the mission and promote long-term sustainability through community engagement and evidence-based policymaking.
The village WATSAN Secretary presented the current implementation status of JJM in Mopungchuket and outlined the progress made and the challenges in achieving fully functional household tap connections.
Dr. Ashutosh Tripathi spoke on the topic “Community Participation in Water Management,” stressing the importance of stakeholder coordination at the grassroots level to ensure the sustainability of water sources.
Assistant Professor Nohochem Sangtam shared the research objectives of the ongoing empirical study and appealed for community cooperation during the fieldwork phase. He thanked the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Mokokchung Division, especially the Executive Engineer and staff, for their support during the preliminary survey. He informed that the study will cover 25 villages in Mokokchung district, and fieldwork had already commenced.
He also expressed gratitude to the Mopungchuket WATSAN and village council for hosting the programme and sought continued collaboration from both community stakeholders and PHED officials.
The programme was attended by Dr. Harish Kumar Tiwari, Deputy Director of Sports, Nagaland University, along with WATSAN Committee members, the village council chairman, and other participants.
The event concluded with group discussions, the collection of water samples, and structured questionnaires.
