Source: UN News: Saturday, June 13, 2026 00:02 AM
Solar-powered pumps are now delivering safe drinking water directly to homes in remote tribal villages in India’s eastern state of Chhattisgarh. This is not only reducing the burden on women and girls, but also making rural communities stronger to deal with climate challenges. When 35-year-old Pooja Sahu came to Darba village in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district after her marriage, the problem of water was one of the first challenges that she experienced closely. Pooja says, “When I came to this village after marriage, I came face to face with the problems of the people of the community, especially the problem of water supply. I became the sarpanch only last year.” Pooja today, as the elected sarpanch of Darba, Trained women water volunteers, called ‘Jal Bahini’, are helping to manage and monitor the village’s solar-powered drinking water system. This work is part of a broader transformation taking place in Chhattisgarh, where clean energy is bringing tap water to communities where traditional infrastructure has long been inaccessible. In fact, bringing water to women and girls in Chhattisgarh’s remote tribal villages is not a daily task, but a It was like punishment. Hours of time were consumed every day in this journey, and there was no easy option to reduce it. But today, this picture is changing. The same sun, which once made this long journey more difficult, is now helping in providing water directly to the homes through solar pumps. © UNICEF India Solar pump based water supply is reducing the burden of women in the villages of Chhattisgarh. Access to off-grid villages Nestled amidst dense forests and rolling hills, rural Chhattisgarh is one of the most geographically difficult areas of India and is home to one of the largest tribal populations in the country. Laying electricity cables in such remote terrain was neither easy, nor was it cost-effective. There is no electricity here, so there is no pump. No pump, no water from tap or pipe. This lack of infrastructure was, in fact, also a problem of geography. Under India’s Jal Jeevan Mission, Chhattisgarh took an important decision. Instead of waiting for the power grid to reach remote villages, the state installed self-powered solar pumps and piped water to settlements that were never touched by traditional infrastructure. In Chhattisgarh, famous for coal production, most grid-based water schemes depend on electricity generated from coal. In contrast, off-grid solar systems operate completely independently and receive energy directly from sunlight. © UNICEF/Anita Khemka For children like 12-year-old Nisha Salame, safe water means better health and more time in school. Lasting impacts As climate patterns change and energy costs rise, UNICEF and governments are working together to promote solar-powered and energy-efficient water supply systems in rural areas, with the aim of making WASH services more resilient to climate change. These systems make the supply of clean drinking water more reliable while reducing costs, reliance on traditional energy sources, fossil fuel use, and burden on communities. This model is as simple as it is sustainable. A 1.2 kilowatt solar pump, a 10,000 liter water tank and a network of door-to-door tap connections. Each unit runs entirely on solar energy and provides water twice a day, every day. No fuel, no electricity costs, no hassle of any external grid. By April 2026, about 7 and a half such schemes had been started in all 31 districts of Chhattisgarh, which accounts for 25 percent of the single-village piped water supply systems of the state. Dhamtari district is now recognized as a model solar hub. Here 226 schemes are providing water to more than 6 and a half houses. These are generating approximately 5 lakh 94 thousand units of clean energy every year and avoiding more than 420 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. This also strengthens India’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) 3.0 target. What started as a solution to address the infrastructure gap has now quietly become a climate solution. © UNICEF/Anita Khemka Jal Bahains go door to door to collect monthly water charges and promote water sanitation and conservation. Women handling the system But the success of this model does not depend only on technology. In villages like Darba, women are at the center of service delivery. Village Water and Sanitation Committees, with the help of trained water sisters, handle the daily operations. These include collection of water charges, monitoring water distribution and quality, and providing information about repairs in case of any malfunction. These women are not just beneficiaries of this system, but its real custodians. For Jyoti Verma, Darba’s Jal Bahini, this change is visible in everyday life. “Earlier, it was very difficult to get water from borewells,” she says. “Solar pumps have made water supply much more convenient. What used to take hours earlier is now done in a matter of minutes at our doorstep. Now I get to spend my precious time with my young child. For women who earlier used to take hours to fetch water, having a tap connection at their doorstep is more than a convenience. It is time saved for them, which they can now use with their children, to enhance their livelihood, to relax and for themselves. This is a quiet but profound change in access to the most essential thing in life, water. © UNICEF/Anita Khemka Jal Bahini Jyoti Verma with her 8-month-old son Dogendra, at her home in Darba village of Dhamtari district. From access to ownership, the story of Chhattisgarh’s solar water supply is real and remarkable. But this story is not over yet. Solar powered water supply in the state is no longer just a pilot initiative. This has become a proven and scalable model. It’s bringing clean water to remote homes, reducing carbon emissions and operating costs, and strengthening the role of women in water service delivery. Chhattisgarh has shown that when technology is adapted to local needs and geography, communities are trusted to lead, and clean energy and clean water are combined, big change is possible. For Pooja Sahu, this change is also deeply personal. She says, “Ever since I I have become a sarpanch. They see me attending meetings and solving people’s problems.” But Pooja Sahu also clearly understands the next responsibility – saving water, which has now finally reached people’s homes. “I want to urge all the community members to understand the importance of water and not waste it, now that it has reached their doorstep, it is also important to use it wisely. Is.” © UNICEF/Anita Khemka Tomanshu Dewangan, 11, drinking water from a community tap, in Darba village of Dhamtari district. The Right of Every Child Every morning in Chhattisgarh, the sun rises over the forests and hills that once kept its people from the most basic rights. Today that same sun shines on solar panels that slowly activate, drawing water up and delivering it to homes, kitchens and the hands of school-going children. The technology is simple. But its impact is very deep. This change is not limited to any one plan or data. This is the beginning of a new trust between communities and their future, based on the belief that clean, safely managed drinking water and the dignity that comes with it is a right of every person. For children, this means better health, more time in school, and the opportunity to grow up in communities where access to safe water is no longer uncertain. This article first Here Published.
