awp advocay report - final

8/14/2019 AWP Advocay Report - Final

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Andaman Islands

Report on Water AdvocacyFebruary March 2008

Emmanuel Hospital Association ANDAMAN WATER PROJECT


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2 EHA-Andaman Water Project

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Long-term decision making in waterby all actors and at every levelshouldlead to sustainable use of the worlds water resources, sustainabledevelopment of societies, and improved, dignified livelihoods for individuals.

Anders BerntellExecutive Director, Stockholm International Water Institute


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CONTENTS

1. Andaman and Nicobar Islands An Overview .............................................................5

2. The Andaman Water Project..........................................................................................7

3. Water and the Islands Development.............................................................................9

4. The Advocacy Initiative...............................................................................................13

5. The Competition ..........................................................................................................15

6. Stakeholders Meetings................................................................................................16

1. Diglipur Stakeholders Meeting.................................................................................172. Rangat Stakeholders Meeting...................................................................................203. Baratang Stakeholders Meeting................................................................................23

7. Regional Seminar.........................................................................................................26

8. Recommendations........................................................................................................31

9. Conclusion ...................................................................................................................32


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1

Andaman and Nicobar Islands An Overview

The Andaman and Nicobar islands (92 to 94 East and 6 to 14 North) is anarchipelago of 556 islands/islets, stretching over nearly 800 kms from north tosouth, in the Bay of Bengal. There are 38 inhabited islands with a total populationof approximately 356,000 1. The islands have three districts - North and Middle

Andaman, South Andaman and Nicobar. The capital of the Andaman & NicobarIslands is Port Blair, situated in South Andaman.

The Andaman islands are hilly and heavily covered with tropical rain forest (about87% of the surface area) 2. The climate is tropical, with the temperature rangingbetween 24 and 30C and is quite humid (mean relative humidity of 78.5%).There is abundant rainfall (the normal annual rainfall of 3180 mm), supportingrich vegetation. The Southwest Monsoon (May to October) predominates, thoughsome rain from the northeast monsoon falls in November and April. Thus it getssome 8 months of rainfall.

While there are no rivers in the Andaman Islands, many creeks traverse themainland with tributaries of varying lengths and during high tide, water from thesea penetrates creating swamps and marshes, which nurture the thrivingmangrove. Coconut, areca nut, banana, and rice are the major crops grown inaddition to forest products. Rain-fed paddy cultivation is harvested betweenOctober and January during the northeast monsoon season.

Political:Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a Union Territory under the governance of thecentre; the local administration led by a Lieutenant Governor. The islands alsohave one elected representative to Indian Parliament. Though the democratic

process is present, the real administrative powers lie with the bureaucrats as ithas a separate structure. These islands are considered of military and strategicimportance to India. For this reason, several groups were brought from themainland to inhabit these islands which are discussed in the following section.

1 http://www.and.nic.in/KnowAndaman/ecostat20072 ibid


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Demographics:The government classifies four groups of people found on the Andaman Islands:Tribals, Pre-1942 (those who settled prior to the Japanese occupation in WW II),Settlers and Islanders. Settlers are those brought by the government, mostlyfrom West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, and leased land in order to safeguard theterritory for India. Islanders are those who have been living on the islands formore than ten years. There is another group which makes up a significantproportion of the population in some areas. They are Encroachers poor peoplemostly from the states of Jharkhand & West Bengal who have settled in theprotected forest and now considered encroachment areas. Thus constructionrequires permission from the forest department, which is rarely given. Theseareas are generally not accessible by road with the result that the encroachersare one of the most marginalized groups on the islands.

Infrastructure:The infrastructure in the Andaman Islands is limited, and in many waysinadequate. There is one primary road called ATR (Andaman Trunk Road) thatconnects the North, Middle and South Andaman areas with Port Blair. A handfulof secondary roads connect to jetties and some of the villages, however manyvillages are accessible only by footpath or by the sea. Transportation is limited tovehicle travel along the ATR and on a handful of ferries running between thelarger centers. Cargo ships arrive only in Port Blair and inter-island freight mustbe sent by truck (who take the ferries) or on a chartered boat. Port Blair is hometo the only airport in the archipelago.

The Public Works Department (PWD) has installed piped water supplies on theNorth, Middle and South Andaman, to most of the villages, however thesevillages have year-round water rationing, ranging from few minutes a day to fewminutes a week, from rainy to dry season. Also those villages not on the mainroads, however, do not have piped water connections.


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The Andaman Water Project

The Andaman Water Project (AWP) of the Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA)has been working on the issue of water in the Andaman group of Island sinceJune 2007. The Andaman group of islands covers an area of 6,408 sq km and is

also the more populous, with a population of 314,084 spread over 24 inhabitedislands.

Soon after the devastating tsunami of 2004, EHA initiated a tsunami rehabilitationproject called the AshaSagar Project in the Andaman islands. During the generalneeds assessment undertaken for this project, the shortage of water and the nonavailability of potable drinking water emerged as the major need of thecommunity. Based on a survey undertaken by a team of engineerscommissioned by the Disaster Management Unit of EHA, a decision was taken toaddress this critical issue of water through a project specifically focussing on it.Thus the Andaman Water Project came into existence to address drinking water

issues in the Andaman group of islands.These islands are covered under two adminstrative districts North and MiddleAndaman and South Andaman. The AWP target is to cover a population of10,000 people in 30 villages located within both of these districts under thefollowing objectives:

Objectives:1. Improve

quantityquality andproximity of drinking water to target population

2. Improve health of local population3. Empower local communities to maintain and promote the systems4. Advocate for improved water supply to island communities (outside target

area)

This project is implemented through faith based groups. These groups have theadvantage of being localised and consisting of members from the target


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community and thus familiar with the particularities of the area. They also bringan extensive network of contacts to the projects and an ability to facilitate actionwithin the local government structure and context. While the first five are involvedin field level implementation of the project, the last will help EHA to operate amobile clinic. These partners are the

Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church (GELC),Indian Evangelical Mission (IEM), the Methodist Church,Shiloh Evangelistic Mission,Hindi Baptist Church andPILARS Health Centre.

The project is in the first year of its implementation - which is a pilot phasecovering 10 villages. All of the water situations are represented within thesevillages and each of the three proposed technical approaches (construction/ rehabilitation of wells, hand pumps and rooftop rainwater harvesting) as well.Thereafter, the strengths and weaknesses of each water supply and treatmentsystems will be assessed by the project team with the village water committeesto help select the most appropriate approach for the remaining of the villages tobe covered in the next phase.

The activities envisaged under the project are as under:1. Household survey of 10 villages to determine the above factors.2. Construct

a. 8 tube wellsb. 1 Rehabilitation existing wellc. 6 community based household rooftop rainwater harvesting systems

(RRWH)d. 50 water treatment systems (water filters) in two villages.

3. Regular testing of drinking water by the village water committees andCommunity Health Volunteers to ensure that water quality meets BIstandards.

4. Conservation practices are taught to populations with year-round adequatepiped water supply

5. Testing of existing water supplies to determine presence of contaminants(faecal coliform, hardness, salinity, chemical contamination etc).

6. Improving awareness of safe water handling practices and personal hygienethrough awareness and trainings

7. Train and capacitate community-based groups to maintain and promote thewater systems.

8. Advocate with government and non government stake holders through themedia and through meetings with district and panchayat level officials, aregional seminar and national workshop for improved water supply andresponsible water usage.


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3

Water and the Islands Development

Water is Life. Yet at least 1.1 billion people lack access to safe water. Target 10of the Millennium Development Goals is to halve the proportion of people withoutsustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 2015 3. Worldwide

6000 children die every day from disease related to water.India falls into the category of those countries where, by 2002, 48% of thepopulation lacked access to improved drinking water sources. It ranks 120 inwater quality and 133 in per capita availability. According to the 10th Five YearPlan, 161 million people in India do not have access to safe drinking water andthere are148,515 habitations which are not covered by drinking water facilities.

An attempt has been made here to survey the water situation in Andaman, agroup of 24 islands with an area of 6408 sq.km. of which 780 km 2 falls underrevenue land. Most of the matter herein is gained through the experience of the

Andaman Water Project of EHA for the past year in the two district of SouthAndaman and Middle and North Andaman.

Rainwater

There is abundantrainfall with averageannual precipitation of3,100 mm. TheSouthwest Monsoon(May to October)predominates, thoughthe northeast monsoonalso brings some rain.Thus it gets some eightmonths of rainfall.

3 Health, Dignity and Development: What Will It Take? UN Millennium Project Task Force onWater and Sanitation, Final Report, Abridged Edition. 2005. pg. 13

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Thus a theoretical estimate indicates

that this is about the 221 times the annual demand andif each person collects all the rainwater that falls on 2 sq m, the area willhave sufficient water throughout the year

Land Description Area(sq km) Rainfall LitresAmountExcess

Total area (incl.Forest land) 6408 3100 17,878,320,000,000 1814 times

Revenue area 780 3100 2,176,200,000,000 221 times

The issue associated with rainwater harvesting is storage, especially for thequantity needed for the lean season. A disturbing fact in a survey done by the

project team in Port Blair shows that 99% of the water harvesting tanks inschools do not function because of minor faults. With only a little mantainencethese tanks could add to the storage capacity of water in Port Blair.

Groundwater

The project team is not aware of any study done on groundwater by relevantauthorities. The Cental Groundwater Authority in its website mentions thatgroundwater has not been assesed in the Andaman Islands. The openwells usedhave an average depth of 15 feet. Such wells are unlikely to deliver potable

water.

During the pilot phase of the project 9 hand pumps (tubewells) were instalted ofwhich only 5 are deliveringsuffcient freshwater.These drillings show thatthe subsurface soil, sittingon hard formations, is inmost cases shallow and oftypes varying from siltyclay to hard black clay.

Clay soils have lowpermeability but highporosity. This means thatthese shallow depth of

clay contains water but not enough to supply sufficient water during the dryseason and most of the rain that falls on this surface is lost in the sea as surfacerunoff. These data compel us to consider constructing ponds with an

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accompanying shallow handpump as a good alternative method of gatheringclean drinking water.

There are also indications that undergroung water levels have been disturbedafter the tsunami due to the Burma microplate on which the islands sits - hittingagainst the India plate, causing the islands to rise in southern Islands and slumpin northern parts. This change in groundwater dynamics needs to be studdiedand taken into consideration while planning appropiate water source for anyplace.

Surface Water

Surface water is the most commonly used water resource in the islands. TheAndamans PWD has done a commendable job, especially when compared totheir counterparts in the mainland, considering the difficulties of reaching thedifficult terrain. They have connected about 70% of villages with a piped watersystem. Checkdams are constructed at several elevated springs that collect thewater and supply water through the piped network. The fact that several sourcesare attached to the piped supply increases the availability of water; should onesource dry up, other sources meet the water need. However, these sources areinsufficient to provide water throughout the year. In many cases one pipeconnection is shared between five or six households. Furthermore, manypipelines are old and rusted which reduces water quality and also reduces wateravalability.

The average dailywater demand for theAndaman Islands isapproximately 27million litres per day.A study by ZilaParisad on Port Blairshows only 40-50%demand is met.During rainy seasonthe populationovercomes theshortage by harvestingrainwater while rest ofthe year it is left

thirsty. The situation in Port Blair is an example with about 50% shortage. Watersupply is rationed and provided for few minutes from alternate days to once in aweek.

Port Blair Situation

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Quality of Piped Water Sand bed filters and bleaching powder are used to treat water in the Island.There is lack of adequate treatment plants and water is not always adequatelytreated. This is evident from the colour / turbidity of water supplied especiallyduring the eight months of rainy season . Effectively there is no quality monitoringsystem in place in the Island. It is a matter of serious concern calling for promptaction.

Forests and Water

The islands are hilly and heavily covered with tropical rain forest (87% ofAndaman surface area). Most of the freshwater sources are found in the forest.There are villages which are not piped that rely on these springs deep in the

jungle. Villagers are forced to hike further (up to 2 hours each way) as the nearbysources dry up. Women are the most affected, spending several hours each daycollecting water, particularly in the dry season. Stakeholder meetings indicatethat opposed to popular opinion the Forest Department is open to working withthe the PWD on the issue of accessing freshwater sources in the forest. Througha joint venture water sources in the forest could posibly be tapped to supplythose living in the area.

Disaster and Water

This area is prone to earthquakes (falls in Zone V), tsunamis, cyclones,landslides and floods. The devastating tsunami of 2004, crippled the system uptoa month in some parts of the islands. Since then there have been 315earthquakes & aftershocks in the Island measuring 5 or above on the RichterScale. Are the systems then, greared to face future disasters or do we need tothink about alternatives such decentralization of the water supply system andcommunity management of water.

Water and the Community

In the Andaman Islands the major player for water supply is the Public WorksDepartment (PWD). The Zilla Parishads and Panchayts also play a part in supplyat the local level. From the funds allocated to the them, the Panchayats createlocal initiatives such as digging katcha wells. Effective water suppy andmaintainence could be gained at the local level if the Panchayats are empoweredthrough training and allocation of sufficient funds to manage water.


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The Advocacy Initiative

Arising out of the understanding of the situation as presented in the previouschapter, certain concerns came into the forefront with regards to water,especially safe drinking water, that need attention and addressal. These being:

Augmenting the shortfall in supply Optimising water harvesting Effective water treatment Proximate access to drinking water in remote villages, especially

those which have a small population. Community involvement in water resource management is it

needed? If yes, how can it be done? The right of those living in encroached areas to drinking water Complex issue of forest, water and people. Is the water supply system geared for disaster situations

Thus it was thought expedient to take up these issues with various stakeholdersin the water sector, focussing particularly on drinking water issues. The fourthObjective of the Andaman Water Project is to Advocate for Improved WaterSupplies to Island Communities wherein this initiative was undertaken.

The key objectives of the initiative were to:1. Highlight the water issues that are common to Islands and unique to Andaman

(which often go unnoticed)2. Give opportunity to different stakeholders to listen to on another on drinking

water issues by bring them together on the same platform3. Document the findings and present suggestions to the state Administration.


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The Approach

The initiative consisted of a series of stakeholder meeting and a competition onAlternative models of water Augmenting followed by a Regional Seminar in PortBlair. The theme for all these gatherings was Water and the IslandsDevelopment. Learning and inputs from the Stakeholders Meeting were carriedto the Regional Seminar, with representatives from these meeting presentingtheir points before the local administration in the Seminar.

The schedule for the competition & meetings was as given below:

Competition date: Port Blair 6 th Mar 2008

Stakeholders meeting North Andaman

Diglipur 1 st Mar 2008

Middle AndamanRangat 3 rd Mar 2008Baratang 6 th Mar 2008

The Regional Seminar Port Blair 12 th Mar 2008


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The Competition

The competition of technical papers was conducted on the topic AlternativeModels of Water Augmentation in the Island . The objective of thecompetition was two pronged first to generate awareness - interest on water

situation among the students and thereby encourage their participation in aconstructive way, two it was a build up towards the Regional Seminar whereinstakeholders start talking on the issue well in time.

The call for competition was disseminated through advertisement in the localnewspaper and letters were sent to the Principals of the various institution. About22 students participated in the competition. The technical papers were evaluatedon the basis of contents, originality of ideas, contextual relevance of Andaman,technical details and sequence of presentation.

Mr. Neeraj from Dr. Abedkar Govt. Polytechnic won the first prize, for his novel

idea of recharge wells on the river beds.Ms TK Saptha Rishika who discussed on rainwater harvesting and communityparticipation from Kamraj English Medium School won the second prize,

Mr. Mohd. Kamran Khan from Jawaharlal Nehru Rajkeeya Mahavidyala (JNRM)in his paper presents a fine balance between tradition & technology along withstrategy required was the third prize winner.

The consolation prize went to Mr.Jaikaar Singh Sahi who discussed on differentmethods of recharging & rainwater harvesting was from Naval Children School.

All the winners were honoured with prizes and certificate in the Regional Seminarthrough the Partners. The first prize winner Mr. Neeraj was also given anopportunity to share a summary from his paper during the seminar. Thecompetition drew interest from all sections of people including PWD and themedia.


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Stakeholders Meetings

The Stakeholders

The stakeholders included members of the village community and community

based organisations, leaders from the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI), ZillaParishad, officials from the Administration, Public Works Department (PWD), theForest Department, representatives from other Non-Government Organisations(NGO), Educational Institutions, Students, Print and Electronic Media.

The meetings

These meetings lasted about three hour and followed a similar pattern of anintroduction to EHAs Water Project in the island, presentation of the backgroundpaper, presentations from the PWD, Forest Department or other stakeholder, and

open forum, group discussion and presentations, concluded by a sessionconsolidating the main points emerging out of the meetings. The meeting endedor began with lunch.

Details of each meeting are given below.


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1. Diglipur Stakeholders Meeting

i) Dates and CoverageThe first meeting was in Diglipur town on 1 st March 2008 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30p.m. covering following gram panchayats

1. Kishorinagar2. Radhanagar3. Kerelapuram4. Subashgram

5. Kalighat6. Shibpur7. Diglipur

ii) Proceedings

1. Welcome and Introduction to EHA ( 20 min)

The dignitaries were welcomed and Power Point presentation introducing EHAsand its work in the island through the Andaman Water Project was done by Ms.Suman, Programme Officer for the AWP.

2. Background Paper ( 20 min)The purpose and the context of the meetings were set before the people througha background paper presented by Mr. Abraham Dennyson, Project Manager AWP, as given in Chapter 2 of this report.

3. Chief Guests Address (10 min)The Executive Engineer of the PWD in Diglipur, Mr. Tej Badhur, addressed thegathering, appreciating the efforts of EHA to organise such an initiative.

4. Presentation - APWD (20 min)Following which a presentation was done by the Junior Engineer, PWD Diglipuron the work of the PWD and the plans it had for the future.

5. Presentation - Nandi Foundation (7 min)Mr. Joseph Royal, Project Manger for the Livelihood Project of Nandi Foundationpresented the work of Nandi Foundation in the island and their efforts throughpublic private community partnership in addressing rural drinking water needsin Andhra Pradesh. The drinking water treatment plants work on UV technologyand provide affordable water at about Re. 1 for every 15 litres. This can be triedout in Island if Panchayats come forward he mentioned.

6. Open Forum (50 min)This was a time given to the floor to talk about the issue of water specific to theirarea. People were asked to take five minutes each to state the issue and suggestrecommendations for improvement if they had any.


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2. Rangat Stakeholders Meeting

i) Dates and CoverageThe first meeting was in Rangat town on 3 rd March 2008 from 12:00 noon to 4:00p.m. covering following gram panchayats

1. Rangat2. Parnashala3. Dashratpur4. Sabri

5. Nimbutala6. Urmalapur7. Panchvati8. Betapur

ii) Proceedings

1. Welcome and Introduction to EHA (15 min)The audience was welcomed and Power Point presentation introducing EHAsand its work in the island through the Andaman Water Project was done by Ms.Suman, Programme Officer for the AWP.


3. Welcome of Dignitaries (7 min)The key people present, the Executive Engineer PWD Rangat, the AssistantConservator of Forest d the Point Person from the partners were recognised andwelcomed with bouquets.

4. Presentation - APWD (20 min)The Executive Engineer, Mr. K Das of the PWD in Rangat gave a presentationon the work of the PWD and the plans it had for the future. He stated that allvillages, except encroached villages had been covered by the PWD to supplypiped water. Apart, from Baratang where water scarcity has risen after thetsunami, he stated that they have sufficient water supply capacity for the next 30years. Augmenting the scarcity in Baratang will be looked at, he added. Further,a new filter is also being installed to improve water quality in the area.

5. Presentation Forest Department (10 min)The Assistant Commissioner of Forest (ACF) of Rangat, Mr A K Mondal talkedabout the importance of maintaining forest for stabilizing rainfall patterns andconserving water. Before 1960, there were a lot of perennial sources in theforest, but due to deforestation and encroachment, these sources are fast dryingup. As to rights of those living in encroached areas, as per government


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regulations, the pre-1970 settlers have been regularised and the other cannot, hesaid.


7. Group Discussion (30 min)Groups were made as per the gram panchayats represented by them, so thatthey would be able to discuss the issues pertinent to their area and collectivelycome up with recommendations for the same. The group discussion was guidedby a set of questions given to them. These questions were:

1. What are the different drinking water sources?2. What are the most important problems related to water in your villages?3. How can the problems be solved?

c. By the communityd. By the Government

4. How can we optimize the use of rain water?5. Do encroachers have rights to water?

Since there were many Assistant and Junior Engineers present in the audience,they were given asked to comment on the issues raised in the back groundpaper, which were:

How to supply the shortfall (about 50% ) ? Optimising water harvesting. Is the water supply system geared for disaster situations? Effective water treatment Proximate access to drinking water in remote villages, especially those

which have a small population. Can the community be involved in water resource management? Do people living in encroached areas have right to drinking water? Complex issue of forest, water and people.

( Note : For the presentations from the group discussion refer to Annexure 1.)

8. Consolidation of GD (10 min)The main points that arose from the meeting were consolidated and presented tothe audience by Ms. Esther Ghosh.


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9. Vote of Thanks (5 min)Rev. Santosh Surin, point person from the partners Gossner EvangelicalLutheran Church (GELC) presented the vote of thanks.

iii) Highlights

There is a shortage of water, especially during the dry season.

Water supplied is not always clean.A dam was promised to Nimbutala has not yet been built. This should be takenup so that the people in this have enough water.

Shiv nagar can get water from Panchvati

Rainwater Harvesting not done. If this is taken up, much of the water problemswill be solved.

Water supply is just for half an hour every other day, which is not enough to meetall the needs.

The claim of the 100% coverage under the PWD water supply system wascontested by the people. The PWD agreed that due to increase in population andaddition of newer households, the entire village may not in effect be covered bythem. This could be amended if the PRI approached the Revenue Departmentafter every two years to show the increase in population, then the PWD canprovide them partially covered status and submit a proposal and get funds tocover the entire village under their system.


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3. Baratang Stakeholders Meeting

i) Dates and CoverageThe first meeting was in Rangat town on 6 th March 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00noon covering following gram panchayats of Baratang and also Kadamtala sub-division

1. Uttara2. Nilambur3. Sundergarh

ii) Proceedings

1. Welcome and Introduction to EHA (15 min)The audience was welcomed and Power Point presentation introducing EHAsand its work in the island through the Andaman Water Project was done by Ms.Suman, Programme Officer for the AWP.


3. Presentation - APWD (10 min)The Junior Engineer, Mr. Pradeep Kr. Roy of the PWD in Kadamtala gave apresentation on the work of the PWD and the plans it had for the future.

4. Presentation Forest Department (10 min)The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Baratang, Mr Saurabh Kumar there are nolaws to prevent people from accessing water, laws only tells one how to get it inthe appropriate way. For a basic necessity like water, basic measure should betaken to access it. He further stated that the impression that the ForestDepartment is creating hindrance in accessing water is not logical. The need isfor all to be aware of the laws and it provisions and for the coming together of allplayers to work on this issue.



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6. Group Discussion (30 min)Groups were made as per the gram panchayats represented by them, so thatthey would be able to discuss the issues pertinent to their area and collectivelycome up with recommendations for the same. The group discussion was guidedby a set of questions given to them. These questions were:

6. What are the different drinking water sources?7. What are the most important problems related to water in your villages?8. How can the problems be solved?

e. By the communityf. By the Government

9. How can we optimize the use of rain water?10. Do encroachers have rights to water?

The PRI and Zilla Parishad leaders and representatives from NGOs andeducational institutions in the audience, with their wider range of experience wereasked to comment on the issues raised in the back ground paper, which were:

How to supply the shortfall (about 50% ) ? Optimising water harvesting. Is the water supply system geared for disaster situations? Effective water treatment Proximate access to drinking water in remote villages, especially those

which have a small population. Can the community be involved in water resource management?

Do people living in encroached areas have right to drinking water? Complex issue of forest, water and people.


7. Consolidation of GD (10 min)The main points that arose from the meeting were consolidated and presented tothe audience by Mr. Dennyson Abraham

8. Vote of Thanks (5 min)Pastor Newton, point person from the partners Indian Evangelical Mission (IEM)presented the vote of thanks.

iii) Highlights

There is a shortage of water, especially during the dry season.


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In dry season, piped supply hardly suffices and water in the wells also dry up asin South Creek.

Villages with small population neglected, as a village in Kadamtalla consisting of20-25 in a secluded place. They have piped water but a single connection whichis not sufficient for the entire village.

Since after the tsunami, there has been a change in the ground water dynamic,bore well, may not be a suitable option for Baratang, the best option would be tohave small check dams.

Rainwater harvesting at the village level will help solve problems of waterscarcity.

In Roglachang piped water supply from the stream could be looked at as thewater in the bore well there are brackish. Water from these well also reduce shelflife of food cooked in it.


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Regional Seminar

The Stakeholders Meetings culminated in a Regional Seminar held on Port Blairon the 12 th of March 2008 at Megapode Resort. The theme of the day longSeminar, as that of the Stakeholders Meetings, was Water and the IslandsDevelopment . The Seminar started at 9.00 a.m. and ended at 4:00 p.m.

The purpose of the Regional Seminar was to get people bring people withexperience to present their point before those in position of authority and capableof bring change.

Proceedings

1. WelcomeThe guest and audience present were welcomed and introduced to the purposeof the Seminar

2. Introduction to EHAA brief introduction to EHA and its projects in the Andaman Islands was given byMr. Gladstone Rajesh, Project Manager of the Asha Sagar Project of EHA.

3. Background Paper Again Mr. Abraham Dennyson, Project Manager AWP, set before the audiencethe purpose and the context of the Seminar through a background paper asgiven in Chapter 2 of this report.

4. Chief Guests AddressThe Chief Guest for the occasion was Shri Arvind Ray, Commissioner cumSecretary for Higher Education in the Andaman and Nicobar Administration. Healso holds additional charge as Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor, Andamanand Nicobar Islands. He was deputed on behalf of the Chief Secretary, ShriCherring Targay, who due to unavoidable circumstances could not attend thefunction as earlier planned.


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Shri Arvind Ray appreciated the efforts of EHA to be so selflessly involved in theissues affecting the people of the island, especially the issue of water. He statedthat since his arrival in the islands last august, he was faced with problem ofsevere water shortage in Port Blair town. To address which they had to transportwater from the nearby Rutland Island in barrages.

He also mentioned the various water projects which were on in the island and theprojects which were in the pipeline, like the submarine water channel fromRutland Island to Port Blair, the Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant, etc.

In the end he said the administration would welcome the resolution coming out ofthis Seminar and would look how they could be used.

5. Address by Guest of Honour The Guest of Honour was Ms. Miriam Bibi, Chairman of the Zilla Parishad in theAndaman and Nicobar Islands. Miriam Bibi talked about the schemes that theZilla Parishad had to augment the water situation in the island and theconservation of water and rainwater harvesting was essential.

6. Keynote AddressThe Keynote Address was given by Mr. R.C. Srivastava, who is the Director ofthe Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) in Port Blair. He has done aresearch on the water situation of the island, especially with regards toagriculture and irrigation.

Mr. Srivastava emphasized that a decentralized water supply and managementsystem, implemented through the PRI, would be better since the PRI system inthe island functions well and they are directly responsible to the people.Maintenance could be done locally by Water Users Associations.

7. Presentation - Water Quality in the Inter-IslandsA presentation was made by the faculty of the B.R. Ambedkar GovernmentPolytechnic on the quality of water in the inter-islands. Mr. Jensen Daniel andMrs. Rita, who had undertaken a research funded by the WHO on the quality ofdrinking water at the source, presented their findings.

The study showed that faecal coliform contamination was found in most (95%)samples much beyond the permissible limits; even ground water was not freefrom these indicating faulting construction of septic tank - the prevent humanexcreta disposal method in the island, which allowed seepage from it.

The team was also apprehensive of desalination system, as the prevalentmethods do not address UV radiation in the desalinated sea water.


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8. Water Vision - Role of PWD and Zilla Parishad in tackling water issues in the IslandIn this section, engineers from the PWD and Zilla Parishad presented the roles oftheir respective bodies in augmenting the water situation in the island. Thepresentation of the PWD was made by Mr. S.C. Nath, Executive Engineer Public Health Engineering Department and for the Zilla Parishad by the AssistantEngineer Planning, Mr. S. Ganeshan

The PWD said that it intended to create a sweet water lake at Sippighat bystopping the inflow of sea water into the low lying areas and collecting rain waterin it. They also intended to tap 5 of the 11 freshwater streams in Rutland Islandand transport the water through a submarine channel as being explored by theNational Institute of Ocean Technology.

9. Presentation by ADRAMr. Rajesh Kashyap, Project Director with Adventist Development ReliefAssociation (ADRA) who heads the Nancowarie Water Project of ADRA gave apresentation. The emphasized the need for both community and householdrainwater harvesting in rural and urban areas and showed what his organisationwas doing in this area.

10. Prize Distribution to winners of writing competitionIn the post-lunch session, the winners of the writing competition on the themeAlternate Models of Water Augmentation in the Island organised by the AWPwere recognized. The first prize of went to Mr. Neeraj - 6 th Semester student ofDr. B.R. Ambedkar Government Polytechnic for his concept of Percolation wellsin the stream/river bed to charge underground aquifers. The second prize wasgiven to Miss. T. K. Saptha Rakshika a student of Class VII in Kamraj EnglishMedium School. The third prize to Mr. Md. Kamran Khan, a B.Com 1 st Year ofJNRM College and one consolation prize went to Mr. Jaikaar Singh Sahi, a ClassX student of Navy Children School.

11. Open ForumThe session was opened to the floor for their inputs. The following suggestionscame up during this session.

1. Water is wasted as no taps or valves are there on the public supply lines.Municipality needs to keep a check on this by maintaining proper taps andvalves.

2. What about the rights of the encroachers to water? Bing human they toohave the right to water. If they have the permission to live in the forestthey must have the provision of water as well. Water can be provided tothem by means of ring well, tube wells, and piped water from the streams.

3. Adequate treatment of drinking water, especially during the rainy season,needs to be looked at by the administration.


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4. Tanks do not have floating valves; so much water is wasted due tooverflow. The PWD should provided floating valves in all their storagetanks.

5. PRIs from Baratang to Diglipur are not given sufficient funds for water.The plans made are only short term plans which do no help the poor ormiddle class with water. The Zilla Parishad has crores of rupees underthe water sector which is not used. But PRIs are only given 2, 3, or 5Lakhs per year, under minor water screams.

6. 80% of the freshwater sources are in the forest. But the forest departmentdoesnt allow its usage even if the community [PRI] suggest eco friendlymethods for tapping these sources. Most Pradhan are not highlyeducated so are not aware of the Forest conservation laws. Due to whichhe or she is not able to provide water for his/her people.

7. Suggest that EHA do a survey on the quality of water form Baratang toDiglipur. The NGOs are working with the funds provided by people out oftheir salaries but the Gov has lots of money which they do not use. TheGov in the centre says that they have money under water that theAndaman administration needs only to send a proposal. Theadministration is sleeping and needs to wake up on this.

8. If the administration encourages rainwater harvesting and storage bymeans of providing easy loans, the stress on piped water can belessened. Rain water harvesting can especially be encouraged in Hotelsand big establishments.

12. Group ActivityThe participant divided in four groups. Questions mentioned below were given toguide their discussions. Two groups used the first set of questions and other twothe next set of questions.

SET 1 for Group 1 & 2How can rain water harvesting be optimized in the island? Also consider(1) storage and (2) who can be the players involved in it.How do we address issues related to ground water in the island?Community based water management how can this done? Consider theoption of decentralized water supply system.

SET 2 for Group 3 & 4How can we address water quality related issues?How can we work on inter-departmental cooperation to augment the watersituation in the island?Consider the rights of forest dwellers/encroachers to water and what mustbe done about it?



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13. ConsolidationThe main points emerging from the presentation and discussions were enlistedand presented before the participant for additional inputs. The final recommendsthat emerged are enlisted in the next chapter.

14. Vote of ThanksMr. Abraham Dennyson, Project Manager AWP concluded the Seminar with avote of thanks to all who contributed to the Seminar.


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8

Recommendations

1. Administration should make rainwater harvesting mandatory both forexisting and new buildings in urban areas and promote it by way ofsubsidy and easy loans.

2. Ground water assessment needs to be done urgently and a MonitoringBody need to set up to regulate ground water extraction.

3. Watershed management should be taken up all over Andaman, includingforest land.

4. Strengthen the existing water treatment system and put monitoring systemin place to follow BIS guidelines on water.

5. The administration provides health and education services to encroachers

and similarly there need for clean drinking water has to be met.6. Empower & decentralize water supply system under PRIs

7. Introduce water meters to make users accountable.

8. Enhance Inter-departmental coordination and cooperation to expedite(Forest Department, PWD, Zilla Parishad and PRIs) to access and protectsources in forests using environmentally sustainable technology.

9. Strengthen regular maintenance of existing supply and storage systems toprevent wastage.

10. Measures need to be taken to protect supply sources from contaminationincluding those in the juggles.

11. Promote awareness of relevant laws e.g. forest conservation act andscheduled tribes and forest dwellers (recognition of forest rights)


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9

Conclusion

Water is Life. This oft repeated statement will never lose its essence orimportance, especially in present day world scenario. So also in the Andamanarchipelago, with its population of some 3.56 lakh, besides the additional touristin-flow of some 75,000 per year!

As mentioned earlier in this report, statistics show that the present municipalsupply meets only about 40-50 % of the demand. Therefore to be able to cater

just to the present population the system has to increase the supply by double. Ifthe increase attributable to tourism and population growth is to be kept in mind,the present system has to augment its supply by at least 60-70 %.

To be able to meet this challenge, the strategy should look at involvement ofstakeholders, through the process of decentralisation partial, if not complete.This would thus entail diversification of water sources and access for theremotest villages and settlements. Panchayati Raj Institutions, which are

remarkable active in this part of the country, should be a more active player inthe area of localised supply, quality management and maintenance.

Across the lines during the stakeholders meeting people had agreed that accessto potable drinking water is a right of every citizen including those who live inforest land. Government should rethink its policy of denying any drinking waterfacility rather in lines with primary education and health, potable water should bemade available to these forest dwellers.

Speaking of quality management and maintenance, this aspect too needs lookinginto. Quality monitoring system put in place and BIS guidelines need to befollowed in supply system. Poor quality of the water supplied was an issue theemerged time and again in the course of meetings held with variousstakeholders.

Since water is an issue which involves many stakeholders, more so in this regionwhere many departments of the State have a stake, it would be worthwhile forthe administration to think of a high level Inter-Departmental Body to solely caterto the sustainable extraction and utilization of water. This body could consists of


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members from the Public Works Department (PWD) the major player of watersupply in the Island, the Forest Department, the Agriculture Department, ZillaParishad and Panchayati Raj representatives and other necessary stakeholder.Such an independent body could also suggest and implement such laws andpolicy relevant for the sustainable usage of water, such as building laws makingrainwater harvesting structures mandatory, or awareness on sustainable use andstorage of water in schools, etc.

This body could also look at issue of right of encroachers to water. This is vitalas there is this sizeable chunk of population, especially in the target area of thisAndaman Water Project, which belongs to this category but do not figure inGovernment plans and schemes.

The beautiful islands of the Andamans are a heaven for many, and many comefrom far o taste of its splendour. But without adequate and safe water this heavenwill lose its life for WATER is LIFE!


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Annexure


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Annexure 1 Presentations from Stakeholders MeetingsGroup Discussions

Questions for discussion1. What are the different drinking water sources?2. What are the most important problems related to water in your villages?3. How can the problems be solved?

g. By the communityh. By the Government

4. How can we optimize the use of rain water?5. Do Encroachers have rights to water?

Points of discussion on Background Papera. How to supply the shortfallb. Optimising water harvestingc. Is the water supply system geared for disaster?d. Effective water treatmente. Proximate access to drinking water in remote villages, especially those

which gave a small populationf. Community involvement in water resource managementg. Do people living in encroached areas have right to drinking water?h. Complex issue of forest, water and people

Group 1 [Kishorinagar Gram Panchayat]1. Existing check weir at K. Nagar may be heightened or repaired. Two

more natural sources may be tapped by crating check weir at K. Nagarand Parangara. By constructing dug well at K. Nagar 1 and 3 and

Parangara 1 and 2. By constructing RCC ring wells in various pocketsof these villages. Rain water harvesting tank may be constructed.2. Main problems; a huge shortage of drinking water for domestic us and

animals. Existing pipelines are rusted and need replacement.3. By constructing check weirs and tapping existing wells. By replacing

old rusted pipelines both at K. Nagar and Parangara villages. Theworks may be executed by Gram Panchayat or APWD along withactive support of NGOs. Sufficient funds should be made available by

Diglipur Stakeholders Meeting


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the administration to the Panchayat. By constructing ponds and katchawells by the villagers.

4. ---5. Encroachers have rights. All the encroached areas can be covered by

constructing RCC ring wells and pipelines.

Group 2 [ Kerela Puram Panchayat]1. Rain water, wells, streams in the forest, ponds, nalla.2. We have small diggies that dry up and become murky in summer. In

the rains they become murky as well.3.

a. Support from the villagers.b. Katcha diggies should be made pucca.

4. Rain water can be harvested by making ponds.5. Encroachers have rights to water, everyone needs water.

Group 3 [Village Paloon and Srinagar]1. We can get water from wells, nallas, wells and streams in the forest

and ponds and by collecting rain water.2. We have to go a long distance to get water. Water is not clean or

enough. During dry seasons we have severe water problems. Due todeforestation we have less rain. We do not have wells and handpumps

3.a. The villagers can get together to dig a well.b. The Government can provide ring wells and hand pumps.

4. Rain water can be stored in big Sintex drums and tanks, and bymaking ponds.

5. Encroachers have a right to water, everyone needs water.

Group 4 [Radhanagar]1. Nallas2. The water in the nalla is always dirty so we get diseases. Everyone

used the same source of water, humans and animals, which makes itdirty. During summer the water level gets reduced.

3. Having pucca wells and bore wells will solve the problem.4. ---5. Encroachers also have a right to water.

Group 5 [Swaraj Gram Ward #1 and 4]1. Wells, ponds, rain water.2. During summer wells and ponds dry up and we have no facilities for

rainwater harvesting. We also cant go to the forest to collect water.3.


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a. It is beyond us to change the situation because we do not havefunds.

b. If the Government can provide water through the pipelines from thestream in Badahur Tikrey forest area then our problem would besolved.

4. ---5. Everyone in this world needs water.

Group 6 [Village Millan Gram]1. ---2. We have to walk a long distance to get water. Provide bore wells, and

make pucca diggi.3.

a. We can make a pucca diggi to store rain water.b. The Government can provide bore wells.

4. We can boil rain water and use it. We can also make ponds to storerain water.

5. ---

Group 1 [Naya Savera and Shakti, Lakhinallah]1. Nalla, well, streams in the forest, and diggies, rain water.2. They do not have a pipeline in their village, so they have to get water

from a diggi, but the water here is very dirty.3. The Government can dig a pond to collect rainwater. We can also do

roof top rainwater harvesting.4. ---5. Encroachers have a right to water.

Group 2 [Kiran, Nimbutalla]1. Rainwater, nallas, streams in the forest, pipelines, wells ponds.2. We get water for a very short duration. And during rains the water that

comes from the pipe is dirty.3.

a. We can collect rainwater, filter it and add chlorine tablets.b. The Government can give us pipelines. And make diggies in more

places. They can also make a pond and Dam4. We can collect rain water, and filter it; it can also be boiled for use.

Rangat Stakeholders Meeting


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5. The people who live in the forest also have rights to water; they cancollect rain water and make kutcha diggies.

Group 3 [Chitrakut]1. We can get water from wells, nallas and taps.2. ---3. ---4. We can collect rain water and use it for gardening, washing clothes

and toilets.5. Encroachers also need water.

Group 4 [Shivapuram]1. Rainwater, wells, streams in the forest, ponds, lake.2. There is a scarcity of water during the dry season.3.

a. The villagers can provide labour.b. If the source for rain is connected to panchvati then the problem will

be solved. Also Rain water can be stored filtered and supplied withthe help of a pump set.

4. We can use rain water for agriculture, animals, washing clothes and fortoilet purposes.

5. Encroachers have full rights to water, without water there is no life.

Group 5Gave recommendations for various areasRangat bay

1. Regular water supply for summer season.2. Ward # 5 needs water tank.3. Nimbutala village needs main pipeline4. Fillter method to be used in main water tank.

Parnashala1. Increase the duration of water supply during summer2. Water should be filtered

Yeratta1. Pipeline should reach interior areas.2. Duration should be increased during summer season.


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Discussions on Background Paper

Group 1a. Proper distribution system and proper utilization of available waterb. Water harvesting need not be done as this scheme has failed herec. The system is well planned to meet any disaster situation. Hence no

need to gear up the systemd. Effective water treatment: the process is in progress to provide portable

dinking watere. Need sufficient funds to provide water supply network for proximate

access.f. PRI are doing the job and it is excellentg. Matter is related to the Government of India.h. No comments

Group 2a. Shortfall can be augmented by:

a. Rainwater harvesting facility in every houseb. Wastage should be minimisedc. Water meter to be installed

b. ---c. Water sources have dried up after the disasterd. ---e. ---f. Community should be involvedg. Getting drinking water is the fundamental right of every Indianh. ---

Group1 [Foster Valley, Kadamtala]1. Nalla, rain water, wells, piped water supply, Streams in the hills.2. During the dry season we have a lot of problem because the wells and

stream dry up. They have to dig small holes in the stream to get water.This water is salty and dirty, so people get sick.

3. Have a hand pump. Have pipe line. Dam the streams in the hills andconnect pipelines to it.

4. Make ponds to collect rain water.5. Everyone has the right to water

Baratang Stakeholders Meeting


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Group 2 [Naveen SHG, Katakhari Baratang]1. Streams in the forest, diggi.2. During the summer the water dries up and we have to go a long

distance to collect water.3. If the Government listens to us and we work together we can improve

the situation.4. ---5. Everyone has a right to water

Group 3 [Roshan group, Rochlachang]1. Streams in the forest, wells, ponds, hand pumps and collecting rain

water.2. We have to get water from a distance of 2km. In the summer the well

dries up and we have to get water from the forest.3.

a. We can put in a hand pump, or we can collect rain water in pondsb. The Panchayat

4. Every house can have a rain water harvesting tank, and the waterflowing through the stream can be dammed.

5. Everyone has a right to water, because without water there is no life.

Group 4 [Rajat Garh, Kattan]1. Rain water, well, pond, nalla, streams in the forest, check dam on nallas,

pipe line from a stream in the forest. Make a dam on Hudi Tikrey.2. In the summer the water dries up, the pond water becomes dirty, and the

water level in the stream goes down.3.

a. Make a number of wells, dig more ponds, hand pumps, collect rainwater,

b. Government should provide more pipelines.4. We can collect rainwater in a tank and use the water after filtration. Dams

can be created on the nalla to collect rain water, which can then beprovided through pipes.

5. Encroachers have a right to water because without water there is no life.And they are our brothers and sisters.

Group 5 [Teachers, Baratang]1. Rain water, water from wells, pipes, streams in the forest, water from

the sea, water from the ponds and Hand pumps.2. Shortage of proper storage, lack of interest on the peoples part

towards this issue. Someone to initiate people to work towards this.Wastage of water, dirty water.

3.a. Providing simple technology and crating awareness among people.


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b. The Panchayat can help dig wells and harvest rain water4. Collect rainwater in tanks from rooftops. Create check dams.

Increasing ground water level by making check dams on the hills sothat ground water is recharged and wells at lower level will continue tohave water.

5. Encroachers have a right to water because they are human andhumans need water to survive.

Group 6 [Kanchangarh]1. Wells, streams in the forest, ponds, sea, check dams, rain water2. There are no dams ponds or rainwater harvesting systems in our

village.3.

a. The villages can come together to make katcha wells and checkdams

b. The Government can provide us pipelines and help in making wellsponds and check dams.

4. We can effectively use rain water by making check dams diggingponds and making tanks.

5. Encroachers have a right to water, because water is life and likefishes they will die without water.

Group 7 [Village Flat Bay, Baratang]1. Rain water, water from wells, taps, streams.2. We diseases do to unclean water. Wastage of water3. Each member of the family should save water, and thats how water in

the community will be saved. And if families in the village cometogether, then we can ask the Government to help us.

4. Boil it and use Halogen tablets.5. Everyone has a right to water.

Group 8 [Santanu, SHG]1. Wells, rain water, streams in the forest, ponds, taps.2. Scarcity of piped water, wells and hand pumps. Water supply is for a

short duration and the pipes are narrow so they do not get enoughwater. During rainy season the water in the pipes is murky.

3.a. If 10 or 15 people in the village are trained they can do

maintenance work.b. The Government can provide pipelines.

4. Rain water can be stored in tanks and used.5. Everyone needs water for life.

Group 9 [SHG Nishi, Adazig]


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1. Streams in the forest, wells, ponds, rain water2. Diseases due to unclean water. Scarcity of water during the summer.3.

a. Boil water,b. Filter and purify water.

4. To use rain water more optimally we must make ponds and dams tocollect rain water.

5. Everyone needs water to live and eat.

Discussions on Background Paper

Group 11. Planting trees, and organizing Van Mothatsav (Forest Festival).

Preventing the cutting of trees. Preserving ecological balance.2. Not disturbing ground water sources, preventing soil erosion, creating

check dams.3. Make people aware and get their participation.4. Through small ponds, making wells, through rainwater harvesting.

Proving water from smaller sources through gravity.5. The community should work together and be part of every program

related to water. And also understand its importance.6. Yes, according to the Indian Constitution every citizen, whether

encroacher or allotted land has been given the provision of land rights.7. Especially small sources in the forest should be tapped and water

provided to the villagers through gravity.Group 2

1. By creating katcha check dams we can stop the flow of small streams.2. Make ponds to stop rain water.3. Make overhead tanks to stop rain water.4. Make wells and hand pumps.5. Make provisions for harvesting rain water in schools and Government

buildings for use.6. Before and earthquake we should have wells in various places to stop

rain water. Also have hand pumps and store water in big Sintex tanks7. Each village should have two filter beds to purify water.8. In small villages where the population is not big the Government

should provide pipelines and wells.9. Some people from the village should be involved in the supply of

water.10. In places where Encroachers live water should also be provided.11. There should be flexibility in the Forest conservation law to allow

tapping of water sources in the forest if they are plenty.


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Annexure 2 Presentations from Regional Seminar GroupDiscussions

Group 11. Storage: plastics, cement tanks, GI tanks.

Players: Household, PRI, Hospital, other departments, other NGOs,Hotels Community Based Organizations

2. Semi-Salinity, hard water, chemical composition, limited water found.Continuous drawing of ground water will lead to brackish watera. Solutions:can be used for cleaning washing and secondary usage.

Filtration either by aqua-guard or boiling. Limited usage, plantingmore trees, water recharging though wells, ponds check dams.

3. A mega rainwater harvesting tank can be set up in the communitywhich can be run though village participation.

Group 21. Storage:

a. Every house should have a rainwater harvesting plant.b. Construction approval should only be granted if they show

rainwater harvesting plan, as in Tamil Nadu.c. Catch water where it falls: make percolation ponds, check dams,

ponds, ridges and furrow, trenches and bunds, across the waterflow

Players:a. Every individual, government, APWD, Panchayat and NGOs

2. Moral education to school students. Involves scouts, NCC, NSS, ecoclubs. Local concert, advertise and publicize in India, Create theawareness to all stakeholders to SHGs

3. Could have village level, Panchayat level, water storage system bytapping water resources.a. Could introduce water meter for every household, like an electricity

meter.

Questions for Discussions (Group 1 & 2)1. How can rain water harvesting be optimized in the island? Also consider

(1) storage and (2) who can be the players involved in it.2. How do we address issues related to ground water in the island?3. Community based water management how can this done? Consider

the option of decentralized water supply system.


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Group 31. Muddy water: to build wall or ring around the source and use alum.

a. Micro organisms and other contamination: Filter, chlorination,boiling, RO, fining right source.

b. Quality monitoring by health department or PWD2. Public awareness, village water committee and area level development

meeting.3. Like health and education services being provided by the

administration the encroachers must also be provided with water.a. Proper settlement or replacement of these people.

Group 41. Necessary regulation must be made for preservation of water quality.

Regular water quality monitoring. Water quality checkups. Properchlorination. Maintenance of water storage tanks. Clean thecatchments area. Free from excreta. Shallow wells need to be madepucca. Wells can be covered with nets or nylon.

2. Regular coordination meetings between forest departments APWD,Municipality, PRI/Tribal Counsel. Cooperation of forest department.Awareness among departments about projects.

3. Rights of forest dwellers, as per the Supreme Court directiveEncroachers should be removed. Proper watch on Encroachers.Right to hold as per act.

Questions for Discussions (Group 3 & 4)1. How can we address water quality related issues?2. How can we work on inter-departmental cooperation to augment the

water situation in the island?3. Consider the rights of forest dwellers/encroachers to water and what

must be done about it?


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Annexure 3 Media Clipshots

awp advocay report - final

Documents