Andhra Pradesh Reaffirms Commitment to Scale Safe Drinking Water through In-Line Chlorination at State Conclave in Vijayawada

Vijayawada, 6 June 2026: The Rural Water Supply & Sanitation (RWS&S) Department, Andhra Pradesh and Evidence Action (known through its technical partner, EAII Advisors, in India) today convened the ‘State Conclave on Safe Water Through In-Line Chlorination’ at the Andhra Pradesh State Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (APSIRD&PR), Vijayawada, bringing together senior officials, engineers, development partners, researchers and community representatives to accelerate the scale-up of In-Line Chlorination (ILC) across the state for safe water.

Held on World Environment Day, the conclave marked a significant milestone in Andhra Pradesh's commitment to water quality under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) 2.0 under the visionary leadership of the Hon’ble Chief Minister and Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, with the state articulating a clear ambition: to scale In-Line Chlorination across all feasible Single Village Schemes (SVS) in the state.

Shri K. Venkata Krishna, Officer on Special Duty to the Deputy Chief Minister and Additional Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh, delivered the keynote address, outlining the state’s vision and comprehensive strategy for scaling up safe and sustainable water supply systems under JJM 2.0. He emphasized the need for habitation-specific action plans and stronger convergence across all levels of implementation, stating, “Every habitation needs a clear roadmap for safe drinking water. The RWS&S and PR&RD Department have committed to mobilizing local, mandal, and state-level systems to translate these plans into action and accelerate access to safe and sustainable drinking water for all.”

The compendium of community voices titled “Safe Water that Transforms Lives” was released, capturing transformative experiences and impact stories from community members and key stakeholders associated with the safe water initiative. The dignitaries also inaugurated the LIVE ILC Dashboard, a real-time monitoring platform designed to strengthen oversight and tracking of ILC systems across implementation areas.

Shri B. Hare Ram Naik, Chief Engineer and Project Director, RWS&S Department, Andhra Pradesh, delivered the opening remarks, emphasizing safe drinking water as a critical public health priority and underscoring the importance of chlorination in ensuring water safety at the household level, and said, “Through In-Line Chlorination, Andhra Pradesh is strengthening its commitment to ensuring safe and chlorinated drinking water for every household under JJM 2.0.”

Shri Anurag Taneja, Associate Director, India Safe Water Program, EAII Advisors, said, "The evidence is clear, and the technology is ready. What today's conclave has demonstrated is that under the government's leadership and community’s ownership, the State is well-positioned to take safe water to scale through In-Line Chlorination."

A dedicated technical training session was also conducted on In-Line Chlorination installation protocols, operation, maintenance, and dashboard usage to strengthen implementation readiness at the field level. The session was attended by more than 80 Assistant Engineers, Superintending Engineers (SEs), and District Superintending Engineers from across the state.

Senior officials, including Shri Satyanarayana, Managing Director, Jal Jeevan Mission Corporation and former Chief Engineer, RWS&S Department; Shri R. Suresh, Chief Engineer; Shri Ram Mohan, former Engineer-in-Chief; and Shri N. Venkateswarlu, Executive Engineer, all from the RWS&S Department, along with Shri Ramnath Reddy, Joint Director, Panchayati Raj, and Shri Srinivas Chary, Advisor, Evidence Action and former Director, UGID, ASCI, graced the occasion and participated in a panel discussion on scaling In-Line Chlorination (ILC) across Andhra Pradesh, focusing on policy, financing, and implementation pathways.

The conclave underscored the importance of strengthening water quality systems through institutional leadership, technical capacity building, real-time monitoring, and community participation. Evidence Action, in partnership with the RWS&S Department, Andhra Pradesh, will install around 400 ILC devices across the state, and the state will simultaneously develop a roadmap towards scaling In-Line Chlorination across all feasible Single Village Schemes at the earliest. Andhra Pradesh continues to be at the forefront in advancing sustainable and safe rural water supply systems at scale.

User :- Ravanan Raghav

Email :-ravanmkra@gmail.com