Pey Jal Survekshan Awards aim to foster healthy competition among cities: Secretary MoHUA

Pey Jal Survekshan (PJS), as part of AMRUT 2.0 mission, aims to evaluate the service level achievements in the quality, quantity, and coverage of water supply; sewerage and septage management; the extent of reusing and recycling of wastewater and the conservation of water bodies within the city, said Shri Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA).

While briefing the media on Pey Jal Survekshan Awards to be conferred by President of India Smt Droupadi Murmu on 5^th March, 2024, Shri Joshi said that first edition of awards focuses on the provision of water-linked services and covers all 485 AMRUT cities. This initiative aims to foster a healthy competition among cities and serve as a monitoring tool and catalyst for the mission's progress.

The Secretary also elaborated on the criteria on basis of which cities were assessed. The cities were assessed and scored based on the criteria including Access and Coverage (tap connection at Household level); Water Quality of samples at household & water treatment plants; and Performance on Sustainability Parameters which includes health of water bodies, availability of SCADA & Flowmeters, water quality of samples taken from STPs and extent of reuse of treated used water. 

The Secretary noted that in this survey, more than 5.21 lakh household responses were captured. Direct observation and assessments were carried out in 830 water treatment facilities, 941 water bodies, 1044 used water treatment facilities and 2,005 parks were visited for assessing availability of rainwater harvesting structures.

The survey was launched in September 2022 and the field assessments were conducted from December 2022 -November 2023 which includes direct field assessment, citizen feedback collection, data reconciliation and data validation exercise. 

Elaborating on various categories under Pey Jal Survekshan Awards, he said that based on the scores of the survey for access & coverage; water quality and sustainability parameters, 9 awards are being given to cities and 9 awards to states based on their cities’ performance. Special awards are being given to cities for good quality water bodies, reuse of treated used water and pioneers in sustainable water use. Certificates for appreciation

• For achievement of good Water Quality – 46 cities 
• For achievement towards City Saturation– 54 cities
• AMRUT 2.0 Rotating Trophy of the Year -1 

During the briefing, Shri Joshi also mentioned about the AMRUT Mitra Initiative that will be launched at Pey Jal Survekshan Awards Ceremony on 5^th March 2024. This initiative emphasizes on the role of women in urban water management by designating them as “AMRUT Mitra”. They will be engaged in carrying out water quality testing at household level, billing and collection of water charges, support in public grievance redressal and enhancing citizens experience for getting water connection (last mile connectivity). The initiative will not only uplift the socio-economic status of women SHGs and enhance their quality of life, but it also aligns closely with the objectives of AMRUT 2.0.