Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs to Host Inaugural Pey Jal Survekshan Awards on March 5

New Delhi:   The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has announced the first-ever Pey Jal Survekshan Awards to recognize and reward excellence in the water sector. Scheduled to take place on the 5th of March 2024 at Vigyan Bhawan, the prestigious event will be graced by Smt. Droupadi Murmu, the President of India.

The Pey Jal Survekshan Awards aim to honor cities and states for their outstanding achievements in the water domain. A total of 130 awards will be presented across various categories, showcasing the remarkable efforts made by urban areas to ensure clean and sustainable water resources for their communities.

The awards include the highly coveted Pey Jal Gold, Silver, and Bronze City Awards, with distinctions for top performers in different population categories. The meticulous evaluation, conducted under the AMRUT 2.0 initiative in 485 cities, covers essential parameters such as access, coverage, water quality, sustainability, SCADA/flowmeters availability, and reuse of treated water. Cities will be rated on a star scale, reflecting their performance in these critical criteria.

The event is expected to bring together over 1,500 awardees and participants, celebrating not only excellence in the water sector but also marking the launch of the AMRUT Mitra initiative. Stemming from the successful “Women for Water, Water for Women” Campaign conducted under AMRUT 2.0, AMRUT Mitra aims to actively involve women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in urban water management. These women will play key roles in executing AMRUT 2.0 projects, fostering inclusivity and diversity in traditionally male-dominated sectors.

The Pey Jal Survekshan, conducted through independent NABL lab testing and citizen-end assessments, prioritized comprehensive evaluation, including testing over 24,000 water samples. The results are expected to drive Urban Local Body (ULB) decision-making, enhance service delivery, and promote citizen engagement, fostering a sense of ownership and knowledge dissemination about water conservation and optimal use.

As India gears up for this historic event, the Pey Jal Survekshan Awards are set to become a pivotal platform for acknowledging and encouraging sustainable practices in the crucial domain of water management.