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As
per the constitution of India, taking care
of the water supply and sanitation needs
of the citizens is a responsibility of
State Governments and its lower tiers of
governance such as the Zilla parishad,
Urban Local Bodies and to some extent the
Gram Panchayats also.
In
Maharashtra, the Ministry of Water Supply
and Sanitation along with the department of
Water Supply and Sanitation was created in
1996 to exclusively concentrate on the poor
coverage and access to these essential
services in both urban and rural areas. The
Ministry is responsible for setting the
policies for the State in this sector and
coordinate with the Central Government and
other key institutions.
The
Ministry is headed by the Minister of Water
Supply and Sanitation and is supported by
the State Minister for Water Supply and
Sanitation. The Secretary heads the Water
Supply and Sanitation Department (WSSD).
The
WSSD is supported by two technical wings
viz: Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP)
and Groundwater and Survey Development
Agency (GSDA). Besides, the rural water
supply and sanitation programmes are being
implemented through Reform Support and
Management Unit (RSMU) situated at New
Mumbai.
Philosophy
The
State Government has now adopted the
demand-driven and community participatory
policy in the Water Supply & Sanitation
Sector for the whole State. As the new
policy envisages a proactive role and
initiative by the community at all stages of
development of water supply and sanitation
schemes, including identifying the needs of
schemes and planning, designing,
implementation, operation and maintenance
and also reconstruction/ rehabilitation of
the systems, and rejuvenation/ recharge of
water sources, the role of State and Para
State agencies is bound to undergo a
quantitative and qualitative transformation
of its existing role and functioning. The
State Government has taken note of the need
for restructuring of both MJP and GSDA and
has already initiated concrete steps towards
this restructuring.
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