Community Effort for Drinking Water Management near India- China border at Jamak Village district Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, India

In Uttarakhand, drinking water is a major problem and a burning issue for the last decade. Many natural springs that dotted the hillside have been damaged due to the climate conditions and other unplanned or illegal activities such as deforestation and human-made forest fires have affected spring catchments, resulting in reduced discharge from springs. To tackle this major problem of drinking water security, the community of mountain village Jamak, district Uttarkashi came together for community-led drinking water supply by adopting participatory planning and ownership. The village community’s participation and ownership improved the village’s drinking water situation, and villagers are now getting 70 liter of water per person per day. The supplied water is safe for drinking; this has reduced women’s struggle, minimized water-borne diseases, and increased the village community’s level of attention to revive mountain water spring. The genuine participation in critical stages of water supply and ownership of the Water Management Committee in the management of water supply is most significant, and this is also gaining pace for proper functioning of the water supply system.