Odisha’s Mathi Vathanan Appointed Member Of IWA Advisory Board For Sanitation
The International Water Association (IWA) on Wednesday announced the establishment of an advisory board and task force for its Inclusive Urban Sanitation Initiative to provide guidance, feedback and direction on the initiative’s priorities, activities and performance.
G Mathi Vathanan, Principal Secretary of Housing & Urban Development Department, Government of Odisha, features in 11-member advisory board announced by International Water Association (IWA) on Wednesday.
Reacting for his inclusion as one of the advisors , Mr Mathi Vathanan told “ It’s Team Odisha..Team Urban . All credit goes to Hon’ble Chief Minister , Odisha .” It’s worth mentioning that Mr Mathivathana’s approach of a decentralised strategy with community partnership has become a central aspect of the Odisha model of Urban Governance initiatives which have earned a number of National & International recognitions.
Mathivathana’s approach of a decentralised strategy with community partnership had become the central aspect of the Odisha model of Urban Governance initiatives and earned several national and international recognitions.
The IAS officer is leading some of the flagship urban development missions of the state – Odisha Liveable Habitat Mission (Jaga Mission), Universal Access to Piped Water Supply (Basudha), 24×7 Drink From Tap Mission (Sujal), Decentralised Solid Waste Management System, Decentralised Septage Management System, Garima – a scheme for dignity & safety of manual scavengers and Urban Wage Employment Initiative (MUKTA), which bagged World Resources Institute (WRI) Ross Centre Prize for Cities for the year 2021-2022. The Jaga Mission, which aims at transforming the slums into liveable habitat with all necessary civic infrastructure and services, has also won several global awards, including World Habitat Award in 2019 and the Asia Pacific Housing Forum Innovation awards in 2021.
The other members of the advisory board are from the Philippines, South Africa, Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire, Zambia, Switzerland, Thailand and the Netherlands.
