Kolkata, Sep 26 (PTI) Minister of State for Panchayat and Rural Development Becharam Manna on Tuesday warned that the groundwater level in West Bengal is depleting.

"We all have to become aware of the current status of the groundwater, how it is reducing as we are extracting groundwater. We have to change our practice. We have to reduce the use of plastics and make good habits by refusing plastic products in every possible way in our daily life" he said.

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His MoS colleague Seuli Saha said, "We have to make people aware of the challenges to ensure better sanitation and hygiene. We can collaborate with all the respective departments like panchayat and rural development, public health engineering etc.

‘Water For People', an organisation, is working with the objective to promote the development of high-quality drinking water and sanitation services accessible to all, and sustained by strong communities, businesses and government, she said.

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“It is currently working closely with the panchayat and rural development and the Public Health and Engineering departments to extend support for acceleration of the two national flagship programmes - Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachh Bharat Mission,” Saha said.

The ministers were speaking at a programme 'Water for People India'.

The West Bengal State Rural Livelihood Mission (WBSRLM) programme, has been the catalyst for change in the lives of the underprivileged people of the state in a decade, participants at the programme 'Water for People India' said. The programme has created 11,12,805 women-SHGs under the flagship programme the 'National Rural Livelihood Mission'. This triggered upliftment in the lives of over 1.13 crore rural households, the organisers 'Water for People' said in a statement here. Roping in the SHG members is strongly recommended in the guidelines of these programmes, the statement said. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goal acknowledges Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) is the centre of the ambitious agenda for ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, the statement said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)