By Shuchi Giridhar
New Delhi, Aug 27: Grey water clogs up water bodies such as rivers and lakes which, in most villages, are the only sources of water. To solve this problem, the Jal Shakti ministry has launched a 100-day SUJALAM campaign. The campaign was launched on 25th August 2021 and aims to create one million soak pits in villages all over India in the next hundred days.
What are soak pits and how will they help?
Creating soak pits will help manage grey water. A soak pit, soak away or a leach pit, is a chamber like pit which has porous walls and allows water to slowly sink into the ground. This is mostly used to dispense with waste like grey water. A soak pit can be constructed for around 3000-5000 INR. Arun Baroka, who headed the Swachh Bharat mission is the additional secretary of the campaign.
What are all the features of the SUJALAM campaign?
The SUJALAM campaign aims to create more Open Defecation Free (ODF) villages. In the Swachch Bharat campaign this was achieved by constructing a toilet in every single rural house and making sure every villager uses it. In states like Punjab, where the groundwater table (upper level of an underground surface in which the soil or rocks are permanently saturated with water) is quite high, the installation of soak pits is not an applicable solution. So, all states of the country have been asked to create their own targets since viability of soak pits will differ from state to state. This campaign will also aid in sustainable management of water bodies such as rivers, lakes, and ponds.
What are the key activities that will be undertaken in the villages during this campaign?
• “Khuli Baithak” (open air) community consultations will be organized to review current situation.
• Required number of soak pits will be dug up by end of campaign (in 100 days) to manage grey water.
• Plan will be developed to tackle sustainability and soak pit construction related activities.
• Toilets will be retrofitted wherever needed to ensure installation of usable toilets in every home in the villages.
