A Regional Workshop on WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) and Public Health in the North Eastern Region was held at Town Hall, Zone Niathu by the Park in Chumoukedima on Wednesday, March 26. The workshop, an initiative under NeVolution, was organized by NITI Aayog in collaboration with the Government of Nagaland.

The event brought together stakeholders from various sectors, including health experts, policymakers, community leaders, and civil society organizations, to discuss sustainable and community-driven solutions for improving public health in the region. The discussions focused on the intersection of water quality, sanitation, waste management, and public health, with the goal of developing a comprehensive roadmap to enhance health outcomes in the North East.

Addressing the gathering as the special guest, Nagaland’s Minister for Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and Cooperation, Jacob Zhimomi, highlighted the progress made in providing Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) in the state. “Out of a total of 3,63,829 rural households in Nagaland, 3,37,498 households, or 92.76%, have been provided with functional tap connections so far. The state plans to saturate and provide water supply to the remaining 26,331 households by March 2025,” he stated.

Zhimomi also informed that out of 1033 Har Ghar Jal villages reported in Nagaland, 643 (62.25%) have been certified, with the certification process for the remaining villages underway. Kiphire district, an Aspirational/Mission Utkarsh district, has achieved 100% household coverage with functional tap water connections for all 14,991 households, with efforts in progress to certify it as a Har Ghar Jal District.

The minister acknowledged the challenges of implementing piped water supply schemes in hilly terrain, where villages are often located at hilltops, far from water sources. “Depletion of water sources particularly the vulnerable sources of hilltop villages is becoming a common phenomenon in Nagaland due various man-made and natural factors. Ensuring sustainability of drinking water sources and water supply infrastructures created through JJM is a major concern for a hilly State like Nagaland,” he added.

Yugal Joshi, Programme Director of NITI Aayog, highlighted the government’s commitment to improving sanitation and water supply through various mission-mode programs. “The success of India in sanitation and the Jal Jeevan Mission in providing tap water supply is due to strong political will, adequate provision of public funds, partnerships with states, districts, development partners, civil society organizations, academia, and media, and most importantly, grassroots leadership,” he said.

Joshi further praised the North Eastern states for their achievements in sanitation, health, and water management, noting that they have outperformed the national average in several parameters. 

“In many of the parameters in sanitation, health and water, the northeastern states performed much better than the rest of the Indian average. And that’s quite admirable and it shows the kind of political will and people’s participation,” he stated.

The workshop served as a platform to address key public health challenges related to water, sanitation, hygiene, and waste management in the region. The initiative aims to support Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6—universal access to clean water and sanitation—and improve health outcomes across the North Eastern Region.