October 22, 2026 :- Gujarat and Maharashtra: The Jal Suraksha Campaign — a bp initiative implemented by INREM Foundation — brought together village representatives, water operators, government officials, students and development partners through workshops in Anand and Junagadh in Gujarat and Thane district in Maharashtra. The workshops focused on local water-quality challenges, practical experience sharing and registration on the campaign platform to support continued engagement on safe drinking water.
The Gujarat workshops were held on September 18, 2026, marking World Water Monitoring Day, followed by the Maharashtra workshop on October 8, 2026. More than 100 participants attended the Anand workshop and more than 80 attended the Thane workshop, alongside participation from villages across Junagadh district.
Mr. Dushyant Sharma, Project Manager, bp flagship programme for safe drinking water, bp India shared about the bp initiative in these programmes. In his addresses, he shared bp’s belief that clean and safe drinking water is the foundation of a healthy and happy village. All three workshops introduced the Jal Suraksha Campaign and bp’s initiatives on water, connecting this vision with local challenges and the experiences of Sarpanchs, water operators and Jal Surakshaks.
The Anand workshop took place at Ravishankar Maharaj Auditorium, N S Patel Arts College (Autonomous), in collaboration with WASMO, Anand and N S Patel Arts College, Anand. Participants included Dr. Sunderrajan Krishnan, Executive Director, INREM Foundation; Dr. Rajnarayan Indu, Director, INREM Foundation; Dr. Prashant Patel, Principal, N S Patel Arts College; Mr. Amit Patel, HOD, Department of Social Work; Mr. Viral Sureshbhai Patel, District Coordinator, WASMO-Anand; Mr. Sanjaybhai Dansangbhai Tank, Coordinator Social, WASMO-Anand; and Dr. Praharsh Patel, Assistant Professor, IIT Gandhinagar.
Sarpanchs and water operators from Anand district, interns from AISW, students of Social Work and Economics, and water quality champions from INREM Foundation and the community also participated. Mr. Vishnu Joshi, Program Officer, INREM Foundation, anchored the workshop.
The Junagadh workshop was held at Bamansa village in collaboration with WASMO, Junagadh. Ms. Sangeeta Babariya, Water Quality Assistant Manager, and other WASMO representatives joined Sarpanchs, water operators and community water quality champions. Mr. Merusinh Dodiya, Program Lead, INREM Foundation, anchored the workshop.
The Maharashtra workshop was organised at Panchayat Samiti Kalyan, Thane district, in collaboration with Thane Zilla Parishad, with support from the Water and Sanitation Support Organisation (WSSO), Thane district. It was attended by Mr. Pandit Rathod, Deputy CEO and Project Director, Jal Jeevan Mission, Zilla Parishad Thane; Dr. Sunderrajan Krishnan Executive Director INREM Foundation; Mr. Raghunath Gawari, Block Development Officer, Panchayat Samiti, Kalyan; Mr. Mahesh Walunj, Draftsman, Rural Water Supply Department, Kalyan; Ms. Sujata Patil, Microbiologist, Ground Water Survey and Development Agency, Zilla Parishad, Thane; Mr. Ramesh Sambre, Health Assistant, Health Department, Thane; and Mr. Sandeep Tendolkar, State WASH Consultant, UNICEF.
Representatives of WOTR, ACWADAM, UNICEF and SATTVA participated, together with district officials of Jal Jeevan Mission and Swachha Bharat Mission, Thane Zilla Parishad, and block-level officials from Panchayat Samiti, Kalyan. Ms. Neha Pawar, Programme Lead, INREM Foundation, led the workshop, while Ms. Namrata Godambe, Consultant, INREM Foundation, coordinated and hosted it. INREM team members from Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat also helped facilitate the workshop.
Across the three locations, government officials discussed local water challenges, while Sarpanchs and Jal Surakshaks shared village experiences. Each workshop concluded with a live demonstration of registration on the Jal Suraksha Campaign platform and participant onboarding for further engagement under this bp initiative.
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