Empowering communities in addressing drinking water challenges using a systematic, participatory and adaptive approach and sustainable PPP model

Water sustainability poses an intricate challenge that impacts international peace and harmony as well as communal justice worldwide. The multi-dimensional solution entails a harmonious interplay of local water conservation, diligent water usage, maintenance of water quality standards for effective water resource man-agement, cohesive multitier governance, and community empowerment to provide the capability to identify and address water sustainability challenges. This paper previews one such initiative named "Jivamritam: A Com-munity Based Clean Drinking Water Solution". The Jivamritam solution has been deployed in over 250 com-munities in India, each differing in cultural and behavioral aspects, socio-economic status, education and awareness levels, political aegis, water quality, water accessibility, or spatial characteristics. Unique modular water purification technologies were designed and deployed in collaboration with each community. Extensive community engagement, capacity development, and implementation of community specific business models embellished each deployment. Scalability and sustainability were assured by conformance to the PPP model, which orchestrates multidimensional contribution and engagement by the community, local government, uni-versity, and the NGO stakeholders.