Harjinder Kaur, the sarpanch of the village received ‘Swachh Sujal Shakti Samman 2023’ by President Droupadi Murmu on March 4 for a commendable work in the sanitation sector.
Chandigarh:
Peroshah village in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, with a population of over 1,000, has earned national-level recognition for properly managing solid and liquid waste.
Harjinder Kaur, the sarpanch of the village, which has been declared a model ODF Plus (open defecation free), received ‘Swachh Sujal Shakti Samman 2023’ by President Droupadi Murmu on March 4 for a commendable work in the sanitation sector.
The event was organised by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in Delhi to honour the women achievers who have contributed towards the cause. Ms Kaur said that it was a proud moment to receive the award in presence of Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
Recently, Peroshah village was declared a model ODF Plus village for fulfilling the criteria stipulated in the Swachh Bharat Mission-Grameen (SBM-G, Phase II) guidelines.
Under the mission’s guidelines, the ODF plus title is given to a village that sustains its ODF status, ensuring visual cleanliness and proper solid and liquid waste management.
Punjab’s Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Bram Shanker Jimpa congratulated the residents of Peroshah village for achieving this feat.
A solid waste management and water treatment plant has also been set up in the village.
A Peroshah resident Sukhraj Singh said that the village manages its solid waste here and generates several kilograms of compost through effective management of biodegradable waste. For this, compost pits have also been constructed for converting wet waste into compost.
He said four years ago the villagers had studied how dirty water should be treated and in April, 2019 work was started to set up the plant and six months later it was set in motion. Dirty water is collected and treated at the plant and an underground pipeline is laid for supply to the fields of farmers for irrigation purposes.
The village Panchayat has also set up a ‘mini-jungle’ in the village and there is a further plan to build a stadium so that the energy of the youth is channelised in a positive manner, stated by Ms Kaur.
