STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: On the request of Commissioner/Secretary to the Government, Housing and Urban Development Department, Mandeep Kaur, the Jammu Municipal Corporation today organises a Capacity Building Workshop focused on Toilet Saturation and Used Water Management.
The workshop, chaired by Rahul Yadav, Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation, was held at the Convocation Center, Jammu. It was jointly hosted by the JMC and the Directorate of Urban Local Bodies, Jammu. Participants included Chief Executive Officers/Executive Officers of Municipal Councils/Committees of Jammu Division, as well as engineers from UEED, PHE, JMC and PIU teams (KPMG). VK Chaurasia and Satish Kumar from CPHEEO (MOHUA) shared their expertise with the attendees.
The workshop covered various techniques for treating used wastewater through Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) and Effluent Treatment Plants (ETP), tailored to the population categories of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). Advisors instructed participants to identify land for wastewater treatment plants in coordination with district administration and to collaborate with consultants and engineers during the preparation of Detailed Project Reports for these plants.
There was a strong emphasis on upgrading Community and Public Toilets and achieving goals for Aspirational Toilets. Participants were advised to ensure that all community and public toilets in their jurisdictions are functional, clean, and inspected at least once a week.
The workshop also highlighted the SafaiMitra Surakshit Shehar Protocol, focusing on the safety of personnel involved in cleaning septic tanks or sewers, and the use of modern equipment for safe desludging operations.
Additionally, the importance of the Swachhata portal components, such as ODF, ODF+, and ODF++, was discussed. Advisors provided guidance on progressing towards ODF+ and ODF++ statuses and preparing for the forthcoming assessment of SBM components to achieve higher levels of certification.
The meeting was attended by the Special Secretary to the Government, H&UDD, Director Urban Local Bodies, Jammu, Deputy Director (Administration), Senior Law Officer, Account Officer (ULBJ), Joint Commissioner (Works), Executive Engineer JMC (Project Division), CEOs/EOs of ULBs, and other officials from the Jal Shakti and UEED departments.
The Commissioner, Jammu Municipal Corporation and Director Urban Local Body Jammu urged the officer to work with zeal and dedication to meet the outcomes with a collaborative approach involving all stakeholders.