Women Are Leading the Change in Water Sustainability

As a woman working in development, I have seen both the triumphs and struggles of women and girls in India.

- MADHURI SHUKLA

I have sat in meetings where men dominated the conversation, where decisions about women's lives were made without their voices in the room. I have also stood in villages where women—once excluded—are now leading, transforming, and redefining their futures.

Today, on the eve of International Women's Day 2025, I saw a vision of hope unfold before my eyes. In Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, a group of women trained under the Jal Jeevan Mission showcased their expertise in testing drinking water quality using a field test kit. These were not scientists in labs or government officials in boardrooms—these were rural women who once had no say in water governance but are now ensuring safe drinking water for their entire communities.

WOMEN ARE NO LONGER JUST BENEFICIARIES—THEY ARE LEADERS

For decades, development programs viewed women as passive beneficiaries, rather than active agents of change. But today, the reality is different. Women are no longer waiting for change; they are making it happen.