Chandigarh | A new water conservation campaign has been launched in Haryana. The state government has implemented a major administrative overhaul of the drinking water system in all districts as part of the Rural Water Conservation Campaign. Under the Public Health Engineering Department’s new Operation and Maintenance Policy 2026, gram panchayats in all districts are now fully responsible for village water supply, maintenance, and bill collection.
The most important thing about this new policy is that whatever revenue the Panchayats collect in the form of water charges, the government will deposit the same additional amount i.e. matching grant in the Panchayat’s account, that is, the government will return the amount collected by the Panchayat by doubling it, which can be used for expanding water facilities in the village.
Women will get employment in Haryana
This scheme will utilize self-help groups to financially connect rural women. Women from these groups will collect water bills. As an incentive, 10% of the total bill collected will be deposited directly into the bank accounts of these women. This will not only speed up recovery but also create employment opportunities for rural women.
Panchayats will now have the power to grant new water connections, take action against illegal connections, ensure metering, and resolve complaints online. Panchayats will manage new connections and sewerage work through the Biswas Portal.
The Panchayat will keep an eye on it.
Panchayats will also be responsible for informing consumers of billing via SMS and monitoring digital payments. The primary goal of the scheme is to provide 55 liters of clean drinking water per day to every villager. This new system will not only make drinking water supply in rural areas more transparent and accountable, but will also strengthen the financial position of panchayats to maintain infrastructure.
