Dimapur: Pongidong village under Wokha district became the first village in Nagaland to successfully implement the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scheme.

A population of about 2813 and 466 households, as per the 2011 census, of the village will benefit from the scheme by way of getting sufficient water supply as every household has been connected with tap water. Tap water connections have also been provided in the village community hall, government middle school, primary health centre, and church which is a first of its kind in the village, official sources said.

The scheme was inaugurated on May 11 in the presence of Wokha PHED executive engineer Imnazuliu Ao, village functionaries, gaon burhas (village heads), church leaders and PHED officials.

With the implementation of the JJM, there is abundant availability of water in the village. It has also reduced the economic burden on the villagers from the purchase of water from private water suppliers which is not affordable for all of them.

It was a major relief for those rearing livestock who had experienced water scarcity in the past and a source of encouragement, especially for those engaged in the animal husbandry sector.

The Pongidong Village Council and Village Development Board expressed sincere appreciation to the Nagaland government and the PHED department for successfully implementing the mission on time. They have also expressed gratitude to the Union ministry of drinking water and sanitation under whose direction and guidance the work has been executed.

Apart from the JJM, under the Swatch Bharat Mission (SBM) the villagers have constructed toilets, which contributed to making the village an open defecation-free village. Under this mission (SBM), community dustbins and common urinals and toilets in public places have also been constructed.

With the implementation of the two missions in the village, a sense of awareness was instilled in the minds of the villagers on the importance of hygienic living conditions. The villagers have now taken up the habit of using dustbins more frequently instead of throwing waste randomly.

Bhadra Gogoi is Northeast Now Correspondent in Nagaland. He can be reached at: [email protected]