A group of leaders from Sri Lanka has come to India for a week to learn how India is working in the field of water supply and sanitation and how they are providing clean water.

During the visit, the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti organised a session on Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen, which focus on improving water supply and sanitation in rural areas.

During this interaction, it was explained that India has a huge government programme that are planned at national and state level but are implemented locally through village bodies called Gram Panchayats. This ensures that basic services reach to people more effectively. It was also explained that India is currently implementing two big programmes in rural areas for water and sanitation services and they are Jal Jeevan Mission started in 2019, and Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen started in 2014.

Some of the important learnings from these programmes are that local communities need to be involved in managing these services, different government departments need to work together, and technology has to be used for better monitoring, and solutions such as rainwater harvesting and wastewater management are required for better management of these facilities. A detailed presentation on drinking water cooperation between India and Sri Lanka was also made. In this context, it was mentioned that “the concept of providing drinking water facilities through taps in every household in the rural areas was initiated in 2019, which gave rise to the Jal Jeevan Mission. The mission is based on five pillars: political support, financial support, partnerships, public participation, and coordination at the local level.”

It was also stated by the officials that there is a significant increase in the budget allocated for this mission. Also, the rural areas covered under this mission for providing drinking water facilities via taps have increased from 17% to 82%, which covers over 15 crore households.

It was also explained that in the extended period of the mission, which was approved in March 2026, more attention would be given to the maintenance of the systems, service quality, financial and operational sustainability, and data management. This would ensure the long-term functioning of rural water supply systems with clear roles at all levels.

Another presentation was made on the Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen, which was initiated in 2014 with the objective of making India an open-defecation-free country. This objective was achieved in all villages and districts by 2019. The present phase is focused on sustaining these results and developing better waste management systems in rural areas.

Under this program, more than 12 crore household toilets have been built, and more than 2.7 lakh community sanitary complexes have been built. Financial assistance is also provided for the construction of toilets, particularly for vulnerable sections like low-income households, SC/ST households, and women-headed households.

During this discussion, the challenges faced in Sri Lanka were also mentioned by the members of the Sri Lankan delegation. The challenges faced by them are:

• The water is getting contaminated by heavy metals like mercury.
• The cost of water treatment is high.
• The water is being used for multiple purposes like cleaning and washing after treatment.

The discussion ended by stating that affordable technologies are to be developed to treat water and to develop good water management systems in both countries. Cooperation between both these countries is also required.

The discussion ended with the sharing of knowledge to develop better water supply and sanitation systems in both countries.