rainwater harvesting - catalyst for human development

WATERWATERCatalystA P L A T F O R M F O R P E O P L E , P R O J E C T S & P R O G R E S S

FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT M A R C H 2 0 0 7

Safe Drinking Water Rain Water Harvesting Facing the Water CrisisWaste Water ManagementIndia Water Portal Water Bond

compiled by Ms. Shivangini Tandon, Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, USA.’

TEAMCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

03

EDITORIAL TEAMDr. Bhamy V. ShenoyChief [email protected]

Ms. Bharati KalasapudiMr. Nasy SankagiriMs. Aarti IyerMr. Lakshman KalasapudiMs. Padmaja AyyagariMr. Rajesh Satyavolu

Dr. Srinivasa Rao (Editor)[email protected]

Advisory BoardDr. Thomas AbrahamDr. Nirupam BajpaiDr. Suri SehgalMr. M. ChittaranjanDr. Rao V.B.J. Chelikani

Editorial BoardDr. Abraham [email protected]

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Mr. Ram [email protected]

Mr. Balbir [email protected]

Mr. Yogi [email protected]

Dr. Raj [email protected]

Dr. Viral [email protected]

Ms. [email protected]

DisclaimerThe views and opinions expressedherein by authors are not necessarilythose of Catalyst for HumanDevelopment magazine, its Staff orEditor, and they assume noresponsibility for them. Catalystaccepts no responsibility, directly orindirectly, for the views and opinionsexpressed by the authors as well asfor the pictures used in the articles.Any omission of reference tomaterialfrom web or other sources isunintentional.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

convets it thanks to

HIGHLIGHTS OF JANUARY '06 ISSUEu Scaling up Primary Education Services in Rural Indiau Healthcare in IndiauWater Management in 21st Century - Policy and Planningu Food and Nutrition Through Value Addition to Agri Resourcesu Scaling up Primary Health Services in Rural Indiau Cross-Fertilization Needed Between Universities & Scientific Labsu Balasakhi - A Village Voiceu NRI Pioneers - Catalytic Agents for Development

TITLE PAGES OF FIRST FOUR ISSUES OF CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

HIGHLIGHTS OF APRIL '06 ISSUEu Agenda For the Nation: An Approachu Economic Reforms in India - The Unfinished Agendau A Villager's Agenda For a Healthy Indiau Consumer Movement - An Agendau India's Development - Agenda for NRIsu Stop Child Povertyu Could Our Classrooms Shape India's Destinyu Unscrupulous NGOs are Denting Movement

HIGHLIGHTS OF OCTOBER '06 ISSUEu Scaling up Primary Education Services in Rural Indiau Healthcare in IndiauWater Management in 21st Century - Policy and Planningu Food and Nutrition Through Value Addition to Agri Resourcesu Scaling up Primary Health Services in Rural Indiau Cross-Fertilization Needed Between Universities & Scientific Labsu Balasakhi - A Village Voiceu NRI Pioneers - Catalytic Agents for Development

HIGHLIGHTS OF JANUARY '07 ISSUEu Non Resident Indians' contributions - Answering a Call to Ationu Eliminating Elephantiasis and Waterborne Diseasesu Association for India's Development - Improving Literacy in Rural Indiau Leading India toward Millennium Development Goalsu How Can NRIs Help in Poverty Alleviationu Is Mega Philanthropy Going to Make a Difference?u Nobel Peace Prize 2006 - Muhammad Yunusu Indian National Development Congress

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CONTENTSCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

07

P R E F A C E

08 h Preface by Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy

W A T E R

10 h Case Study of Bhavani River Basin

12 h Safe Drinking Water in Villages: A Step

towards Rural Transformation

15 h Rain Barrels Catalyze Water Harvesting

17 h Empowering Indian Communities to Face

the Water Crisis

19 h WaterHealth International Partners with

Community Leaders and NGOs to Bring

Clean Water to India's Underserved

23 h Rainwater Harvesting in India

25 h The India Water Portal

28 h Odyssey of an NGO: Lessons to Be Learnt

30 h 'Oorani'- Rain Water Harvesting for Villages

32 h Pala Thulli - Community Wide Rain Water

Harvesting

33 h Integrated Water Systems Management in

South Asia - A Framework for Research

34 h The Benefits of WaterPartners

International's Water Credit Initiative

36 h Innovative Approaches to Water Projects

in India

38 h IIM Kozhikode Runs on Rainwater

39 h China's Water Crisis

W A S T E M A N A G E M E N T

41h Benefits of Using Wastewater in the

Production of Agricultural Products

42 h Promoting Effective Waste M anagement:

The Clean Himalaya Initiative

N G O A C T I V I T Y

54 h Meeting Reports

P O R T R A I T

57 h Portrait of Dr. K.L. Rao

E S S A Y

58 h Water Bond for Safe Drinking water, Essay

by Dr. Srinivasa Rao

W A T E R

18hWater Wars: National Problemsfrom a Regional Perspective

21h Rain Centre in Chennai, India

W A T E R R I G H T S

40hGet Real, Coke: Water Rights Protest

C A S E S T U D Y

45hGravity Head Ensures a Green Plant and Sustainability: A Case Study of Gangtok City

47hSustainable Rural Water Management - A Replicable Case Study

S O C I A L C O N T R I B U T I O N S

44h Examples of Social Contribution from IIT Madras

Alumni

PREFACECATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

08

W hile several aspects of India's multi dimensional water crisis have been discussedin this issue of Catalyst, there are many which remain conspicuous by theirabsence. Because of the interest of the President Abdul Kalam, the Supreme Court

and the political class, interlinking of rivers has been put on the national agenda.

Privatization or corporatization of water distribution system versus status quo under theinefficient and often corrupt administrative set up of local bodies is another critical issue.Productivity of using water for growing different crops and optimum way of allocating waterfor growing different crops, supplying water as free good versus collecting full or partialcost of supplying, supplying at least 50 liters per person per day of clean water to all andresolving interstate water conflicts are some of the other water related issues remainuncovered in this issue.

Thousands of NGOs are involved with water issues. But most are involved often in the noncontroversial projects like water harvesting or development of low cost technology to reusewaste water. It is because of this, most of our articles may be dealing with this aspect ofwater crisis.

No substance is more valuable than water, but none is likely to be more free. In Wealth ofNations, Adam Smith has referred to this phenomenon as "Diamond-water paradox". We allknow that any good that is available for free is likely to be misused. Still it is difficult to findNGOs who have the courage to convince the government to price water either in residentialsector for drinking purpose or agricultural sector for producing food crops. In the case ofpower sector, at least the central government having realized the folly of giving free powerto farmers are asking the state government to change their policy. But in the case of water,no political party has dared to take this up.

Because of free power, farmers are depleting ground water at frightening rate. Bore wellsare going deeper. As wells go deeper, arsenic and saltwater can begin to seep in. Already inPunjab brackish water has infiltrated in several places. There can be no two opinions on theneed to support farmers and so also the poor who are below the poverty line. At the sametime, studies after studies have shown that subsidies do not reach the intendedbeneficiaries. In this case these subsidies have created huge problems. Free power alongwith free water has given rise to water shortage sometimes on a semi permanent basis.

Unlike energy security which is a well recognized issue by the government, water securityhas not yet got the attention it deserves in India. Contamination of water is causing havocthroughout India causing totally avoidable illness like diarrhoea and sometimes even killingpeople. India's NGO movement need to take this problem on a war footing since thegovernment machinery is totally incapable of solving it despite having many laws andregulations.

History has shown that from the time of Sumeria water has been a principle source ofconflicts between nations. We in India have started to see the first signs of water conflictbetween states in recent years. These can result in constitutional crisis. At this issue goesto press, Karnataka is in turmoil because of the Kaveri Tribunal's award going against it.We are likely to see more such conflicts in the future. We need to develop a soundmethodology to settle such interstate water problems in a more objective and scientific waykeeping aside the political and emotional factors.

Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy

WATERCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

10

IN INDIA, like in many other developing countries inSouth Asia, water scarcity and deterioration in waterquality threaten the basics of food security and the

foundation of society. Increase in population, escalatedcompetition from urbanization, growing urban-ruralconflicts over water, over-exploitation of ground water,frequent droughts and floods are the major watermanagement issues that the country faces. Managingcompeting demands from irrigation, urban and ruraldrinking, industrial sectors and minimum flows forenvironmental purpose, has become a major challenge in21st century. The existing system of sectoralarrangements for water management is no longeradequate, and there is an urgent need for an integratedapproach to deal with these challenges. Integrated WaterResources Management (IWRM), through River BasinOrganisations (RBOs), is the main strategy advocated forachieving better water management and sustainabledevelopment of natural resources. It is also emphasizedas one of the means of achieving the MillenniumDevelopment Goal (MDG) of reducing poverty.

IWRM and River Basin Management (RBM) in India -Policy IssuesIndia accepted IWRM and RBM as a strategy for waterresources development in 1992 following the Dublinconference. However, the progress on this was dismaluntil 1998, when the Government of India appointed acommittee to recommend ways and means forIntegrated Water Resources Planning and Development.The committee recommended the river basin as a unit forIntegrated Water Resources Planning and Development.

The National Water Policy, 2002 also emphasized theimportance of river basin management. It left the scopeand power of the basin organisations to be decided bythe states themselves. Most of the rivers in India areinter-state in nature, and hence, there is a need for acomprehensive approach to address the many issues ofriver basin management. However, in practical terms, theexperience in RBM is very limited and the country has togo a long way in realizing the benefits of IWRM throughRBM.

India has few RBOs and all of them are managed bythe State. They are not functioning well due to excessivecontrol by the State, and the interests of stakeholders,especially the poor, are hardly represented in themanagement. Given this, it is necessary to explore thescope for an alternative bottom-up approach thatinvolves stakeholders. This article analyses theopportunities and constraints for such an approach in theBhavani river basin in South India.

Case Study of Bhavani River BasinBhavani is an important tributary of the Cauvery River inits mid-reach in Tamilnadu. The river originates from theSilent Valley forest of Kerala, and flows in the south-eastern direction for 217 kms. The total area of theBhavani river basin is 6000 sq km, a major portion (87%)of which is situated in Tamilnadu (See Map 1).

The 'Lower Bhavani Project' (LBP) is a multi-purposereservoir project, constructed mainly for water storageand distribution to canal systems in the basin. Thereservoir is also used for hydel power generation andfishing. Apart from this, water diversion dams, viz.Kodiveri and Kalingarayan, divert water into differentcanal systems that have existed for centuries. The Upperpart of the basin is not well developed and dependsmostly upon ground water and rain for agriculture. The

DR. A. RAJAGOPAL is a DevelopmentEconomist with a Ph.d from Centre ForDevelopment studies, Trivandrum affiliatedto Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.Since 1991 he has been working on a numberof policy issues in water resourcesmanagement. Presently he is ExecutiveDirector of SaciWATERs (South Asian

Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resources Studies),Hyderabad.

Case Study of Bhavani River Basin Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is the need of the hour and River Basin Organisations (RBOs)

are using this for better water management and sustainable development of natural resources. This article highlights lessons learnt from the Bhavani River Basin Action Research Project.

Map 1 Location of the Bhavani riverbasin in the Indian sub continent


11WATERCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

11

mostly upon ground water and rainfor agriculture. The river plays animportant role in the economy ofCoimbatore and Erode districts byproviding water for agriculture, drinking,industrial purposes and for over alleconomic development. Due to anincrease in population, unplannedexpansion in the command area, andincrease in the demand for domestic andindustrial water supply, the basin isalready 'closing' and stressed. There isintense competition among water usersand a sizeable gap between demand andsupply in the agriculture and domesticsectors.

There are conflicts between the oldsettlers and the new command farmersregarding water use in the basin. Under the 'riparianprinciples', the old 'ayacutdars'- command farmers - wereentitled to 11 months water supply for growing two orthree paddy crops or annual crops like sugarcane, bananaetc, whereas the new 'ayacut' farmers could only grow asingle paddy crop or a dry crop like maize in a year. Aslong as water supply in the dam was adequate, theconflict was not pronounced. However, in 2002 thesupply was at an all time low and water was not releasedto the new command areas at all. This prompted the new'ayacutdars' to file a case in the High Court seeking watersupply for at least one crop. The court asked theGovernment to prepare a compromise formula forsharing water among farmers, but this was rejected bythem, Negotiations organized by local politicians alsofailed. The court, in its interim order, has asked the Stateto obtain its permission before opening the dam eachseason. Thus, the conflict situation led to the interventionof the court in the operation of the reservoir, instead ofthe normal procedure of operation by the IrrigationDepartment.

There is also a conflict between upstream and downstream users of the water in the basin. Many upstreamusers have resorted to direct pumping from the river andthis has resulted in a court case by the down streamfarmers. Thus, it is seen that farmers have increasinglyresorted to legal remedies rather than their ownnegotiated efforts. There are also other issues in basinwater management such as increase in demand for waterfor domestic and industrial uses, and the problem ofpollution of the water by industries. Farmers affected bypollution have sought legal remedies and have got closedsome of the polluting textile and chemical units, whichhas affected employment opportunities in the area.

Importance of Multi-Stakeholders Dialogue (MSD)

ApproachThe basin water management situation has becomeprecarious due to the uncoordinated actions ofstakeholders. Based on our studies and meetings withdifferent stakeholders (organized by SaciWATERs andTamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore), werealized the need for involving the stakeholders in theefforts of the State in addressing the issues of waterresources management in an integrated manner.Consequently, we organized a Multi-StakeholdersDialogue meeting in 2005 wherein farmers, NGOs,government departments, industrialists, social activists,etc. discussed various issues. In that meeting, thestakeholders agreed to establish a forum to discuss theseissues further rather than resorting to court cases andagitations. The work of the forum, which is likely tobecome an RBO in the future, continues.

Lessons from the experience: The action research inthe Bhavani basin has brought out the following lessons:l There is a need for coordinated action by the State inplanning for the development of water resources in anarea and the river basin offers the scope for suchplanning as a logical -hydrological unit.l Stakeholders increasingly resort to legal courses (whenthey lack faith in the existing mechanism) that are costlyand time consuming.l The role of an external party, as an unbiased facilitator,is important in building confidence among differentstakeholders in undertaking stakeholders' dialogues.l Stakeholders gain faith in the process of dialogues andnegotiated settlement of problems only when theparticipation of the State is assured.l The 'bottom-up approach' needs to be built up as a partof the State programme on a large scale.

Dr. A. RajagopalEmail: [email protected]

Map 2;Bhavani basin map withrivers and tributaries

WATER, ONE of nature's most important gifts tomankind, is an essential element to goodhealth. Though 70% of the earth's

geographical area is covered by water, only 1% of it ispotable, the rest being unsafe for consumption. Naturalwater sources, especially rivers, canals, ponds, wells, etc.are being exploited, mistreated and contaminated,making drinking from them unsafe. Unlike in the inlandareas, in delta regions, an adequate quantity of water ismade available for drinking purposes, often throughirrigation canals and sometimes through subsurfacesources. Over the years, however, the canal water hasbecome highly polluted with presence of physical andchemical impurities, as well as harmful bacteria.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported thatmore than 1.1 billion people across the globe draw waterfrom unsafe sources, causing widely spread diseases likediarrhoea. Nearly 70% and 80% of these people live inrural areas. It is difficult to control the quality of drinkingwater even in the most developed countries, and smallcommunity water supplies frequently fail on basicmicrobiological quality and other physical impurities, like,suspended solids in case of surface water, and totaldissolved solids (TDS) mostly in ground water.

The Byrraju Foundation, a not-for-profit organisationdedicated to rural transformation, has embarked uponproviding safe drinking water, conforming to WHO'sstandards, and improving the quality of life in 156villages. In most of these villages, tests conducted on theavailable water indicated failure in meeting the drinkingstandards, even after filtration and chlorination. Toaddress this issue, the Foundation concluded that oneviable option was to separate the drinking water from therest of the water supplied through Rural Water Supply(RWS) scheme in villages.

Foundation's Efforts Towards Provision Of SafeDrinking Water in the VillagesThe Foundation is presently working across EastGodavari, Guntur, Krishna, Ranga Reddy, Visakhapatnamand West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh, directlyimpacting over million people, and over double thatnumber indirectly. Its interventions are in the fields ofhealthcare, education, adult literacy, water environment,

sanitation, agri-advisory services and livelihoods. Thevision for the water programme is to provide safedrinking water, as per WHO standards, in all theparticipant villages.

Supply of Drinking Water in VillagesImprovement in the quality of drinking water significantlybenefits the health and well being of people. 63% ofvillages the Foundation is working in are dependent onirrigation canals, while the remaining 37% are dependenton ground water. Under RWS Scheme, most of thevillages, especially in delta region, have a pond, fed bythe irrigation canal at regular intervals, and storing therequired quantity of water. The water in the pond ispassed through slow sand filters (SSF) followed bychlorination and pumping into an overhead tank fordistribution through a system of pipes.

The quality of raw water in the pond is extremelypoor, resulting in frequent clogging of SSFs, which aredesigned for the raw water turbidity up to 30 NTU.However, the actual turbidity is much higher, especiallyduring the monsoons, going up to 130 NTU. The SSFsare designed for 16 hours operation, with 3-phasepower, so as to supply 40 litres of treated water percapita per day. The 3-phase power is only available for 6-7 hours a day in most of the villages, making it necessaryto pump untreated water as well. Furthermore, lack ofadequate funds does not allow proper maintenance of the SSFs.


12

DANDU RADHA PRASADA RAJU holdsdoctoral degree in Mechanical Engineeringjoined the Government of India two decadesago. Presently, while holding the position ofAdviser in Department of Science andTechnology, he is on sabbatical for over 3years with Byrraju Foundation, an NGOdedicated to rural transformation, working

in 172 villages across 6 districts of Andhra Pradesh, impactinga million people. His association with Byrraju Foundationresulted in setting up of a number of community based waterplants, in public private partnerships, providing safe drinkingwater in 130 villages on sustainable basis. Byrraju Foundationhas been awarded 'Best Water NGO-Water Quality' in Indiaduring 2006-07 by Water Digest and UNESCO.

Safe Drinking Water in Villages: A Step Towards Rural Transformation

This article highlights the system adopted by Byrraju Foundation to provide safe drinking water in villages. The Foundation set up 'Sujala' water treatment plants in over 45 villages through public-private partnerships.


13

Tests on water samples from 153 villages of WestGodavari, East Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and RangaReddy districts, supplied through RWS scheme, afterfiltration and chlorination, indicated the presence ofcoliform, turbidity, chlorides and other physical andchemical impurities. It was observed that 78% of thesamples did not meet the safe requirements on accountof the above parameters. If the need for 0.2 ppm ofresidual chlorine is also considered, 96% villages failed inmeeting such norms. In case of upland areas, whichdepend on ground water, high levels of TDS, includingfluorides, in excess of WHO norms, were observed.

Foundation's Initiatives in Supply of Pure DrinkingWaterIn order to reduce the levels of pollution in the irrigationcanals, various initiatives like treating and diverting liquidwaste into the drainage canals, converting solid wasteinto compost manure, burying dead animals, and so on,must be followed. Addressing these issues is a gigantictask, requiring a lot of resources, time and effort. Whenthe Foundation highlighted the bad condition of SSFs, theGovernment made a one-time intervention, taking verylimited measures in terms of repair and maintenance.However, realising the problems, the Foundationdeveloped a strategy to address the situation.

Strategy for the Supply of Pure WaterOut of 40 litres per capita per day supplied by RWS,about 2 litres - 5% of the total - are used for drinking andneed to be supplied to the villages. Since it is much easierto raise 5% of the water to drinking standards ratherthan the entire quantity, the Foundation came up with

the idea of setting up one plant for every three villagesproducing 1000-2000 litres of pure water an hour, to beoperated by trained youth from the villages, who ensuresustainability by collecting user charges. The quality ofthe produced water is strictly monitored and local ScienceColleges are involved in regular testing and controls.

A pilot plant, named Sujala, was set up in July 2004 ina village called Gollalakoderu (near Bhimavaram in WestGodavari district), jointly supported by Gram Panchayat,Village Community and Byrraju Foundation. Based on itssuccess and the responses from other villages, 45 plantshave been set up (as on March 2007) in as many villageson Public-Private Partnership model.

A schematic diagram outlining the purification systemis given above with a period.

Operation and Maintenance of Sujala plantsIn order to ensure 100% satisfactory performance of theSujala plants, the quality of input water is checkedthoroughly for various parameters like turbidity, physicaland chemical impurities, and bacteria, on a continuousbasis. Based on the levels of impurities and bacteria, theprocess parameters are set for effective removal of thesame. To overcome the power-cuts, the plant is operatedon single-phase for 12-16 hours a day on flexible timings,using voltage stabilisers for maintaining quality of thepower. 100% standby for all the critical components, likepumps, motors, UV lamps, voltage stabilisers, multi-portvalves and adequate stocks of consumables are ensured.Annual maintenance contract is entered into, initially for5 years, with the suppliers of the plant to ensure troublefree operation. For every 5 Sujala water plants, amaintenance team, deployed within close vicinity of the

(In case of conventional treatment, membranes, high pressure pump and softner are not needed)


14

WATER, ONE of nature's most important gifts tomankind, is an essential element to goodhealth. Though 70% of the earth's

geographical area is covered by water, only 1% of it ispotable, the rest being unsafe for consumption. Naturalwater sources, especially rivers, canals, ponds, wells, etc.are being exploited, mistreated and contaminated,making drinking from them unsafe. Unlike in the inlandareas, in delta regions, an adequate quantity of water ismade available for drinking purposes, often throughirrigation canals and sometimes through subsurfacesources. Over the years, however, the canal water hasbecome highly polluted with presence of physical andchemical impurities, as well as harmful bacteria.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported thatmore than 1.1 billion people across the globe draw waterfrom unsafe sources, causing widely spread diseases likediarrhoea. Nearly 70% and 80% of these people live inrural areas. It is difficult to control the quality of drinkingwater even in the most developed countries, and smallcommunity water supplies frequently fail on basic

microbiological quality and other physical impurities, like,suspended solids in case of surface water, and totaldissolved solids (TDS) mostly in ground water.

The Byrraju Foundation, a not-for-profit organisationdedicated to rural transformation, has embarked uponproviding safe drinking water, conforming to WHO'sstandards, and improving the quality of life in 156villages. In most of these villages, tests conducted on theavailable water indicated failure in meeting the drinkingstandards, even after filtration and chlorination. Toaddress this issue, the Foundation concluded that oneviable option was to separate the drinking water from therest of the water supplied through Rural Water Supply(RWS) scheme in villages.

Foundation's Efforts Towards Provision Of SafeDrinking Water in the VillagesThe Foundation is presently working across EastGodavari, Guntur, Krishna, Ranga Reddy, Visakhapatnamand West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh, directlyimpacting over million people, and over double thatnumber indirectly. Its interventions are in the fields ofhealthcare, education, adult literacy, water environment,sanitation, agri-advisory services and livelihoods. Thevision for the water programme is to provide safedrinking water, as per WHO standards, in all theparticipant villages.

Supply of Drinking Water in VillagesImprovement in the quality of drinking water significantlybenefits the health and well being of people. 63% ofvillages the Foundation is working in are dependent onirrigation canals, while the remaining 37% are dependenton ground water. Under RWS Scheme, most of thevillages, especially in delta region, have a pond, fed bythe irrigation canal at regular intervals, and storing therequired quantity of water. The water in the pond ispassed through slow sand filters (SSF) followed bychlorination and pumping into an overhead tank fordistribution through a system of pipes.

The quality of raw water in the pond is extremelypoor, resulting in frequent clogging of SSFs, which aredesigned for the raw water turbidity up to 30 NTU.However, the actual turbidity is much higher, especiallyduring the monsoons, going up to 130 NTU. The SSFsare designed for 16 hours operation, with 3-phasepower, so as to supply 40 litres of treated water perPrasada RajuEmail: [email protected]:

Statistics on water:

WaterPartners International http://www.water.org/resources/waterfacts.htm

Aquastat http://www.fao.org/ag/agl/aglw/aquastat/main/index.stm

Byrraju Foundation: http://www.byrrajufoundation.org/villagesfaq.htm

Statistics: http://www.unicef.org/wes/index_statistics.html

Cost of Sujala Plant:1. Cost of building(civil construction) 500 sq feet : Rs 300,0002. Plant and machinery :

a.Conventional UV process (TDS in raw water <500 ppm) : Rs 400,000

b.Reverse osmosis process (TDS in raw water >500 ppm) : Rs 500,000

Requirement of Infrastructure:Connected load (single-phase): 5 KW (for RO plant), 3 KW

(non-RO plant)Land (for building) : 1500 sq ft (near main water

source of Gram Panchayat)

Ecomomics of Operation:a. Rated capacity of plant : 1000 litres per hour

(output-RO process)b. Number of hours of operation : 7 hoursc. Production of pure water : 6500 litres a day

(minimum/average)d. Distribution of water : 6000 litres a day

(minimum/average)e. Expenditure (per month): : Rs 17500- Emoluments/wages : Rs 7500 (operator/helper- 3 persons @ Rs 2500 pm)- Power (Rs 4 per unit, 20 units a day) : Rs 2500- Consumables : Rs 2000(alum, chlorine, detergent, filters, etc)

- Annual maintenance charges : Rs 2000- Depreciation : Rs 2000- Incidental expenses : Rs 1500

f. Collection of user charges(@ 12.5 paise a litre): Rs 22500 g.Surplus : Rs 5000

‘The facility of levying concessional tariff for consumption of power, as

allowed to Public water Schemes in villages, usually 10% of normal rate

as mentioned above, reduces the charges for running of plant making the

unit break-even at 5300 litres of water distributed a day’.


15

The potential of rainwater harvesting has been muchtalked about in recent times. But that an ordinaryplastic water storage drum, connected to the roof

through a pipe, can harvest water is a fact that manycitizens in the Bangalore-Mysore region of India findsurprising.

The Rainwater Club of Bangalore is an organizationintent on disseminating information on rainwaterharvesting. It is run by S.Vishwanath, a water activist ofinternational repute. When Vishwanath showed a smallplastic drum that collects rainwater to a team of womenslum dwellers of Chamarajpet, Bangalore, theyexclaimed, "Ishtena, ishtena?" (Is it this simple, thissimple?).

These women will now install rainwater tanks in atleast 200 houses with the help of a local NGO,Rayapuram Development Society.

On another occasion, a Gram Panchayat memberfrom Anekal was so moved by this simple idea that heimmediately decided to build a 10,000 litre RainwaterStorage tank in his village.

This system, presented to the slum women and GramPanchayat member, is called a 'Rain Barrel', "A simple wayfor people to start harvesting rainwater", according toVishwanath.

Most people are not aware of how much rainwaterpours on their house-site or campus, and are notpsychologically prepared to accept such water as potable."It is this entry barrier that is most difficult to break",opines Vishwanath. Here the rain barrel comes in handy,easing away the mental block, and serving as a catalystfor rainwater harvesting.

The rain barrel system is based on an ordinary plasticrainwater storage drumavailable anywhere. Thecapturing area (roof orterrace) is cleaned onceat the beginning of themonsoon. Due to thegravitational pull, therain that falls on theroof reaches the drumthrough a PVC downpipe. For convenience,the rain barrel is placedon a platform 18 inchesabove the ground tofacilitate the drawl of

water by a bucket or by using a hosepipe.A gate valve is fitted at the end of the down pipe to

allow the water from the first rains of the season to runout. After 2-3 rains, the valve is closed and the rainwaterflows into the barrel. On top of the drum is a filter toimprove the quality of the collected rainwater. This is asmall-perforated aluminium/stainless steel basin with twolayers of sponge on it. Regarding the thickness of thesponge, Vishwanath says, "Oh! Don't worry much onthis. If sponge is not easy available, you can place athree-fold layer of ordinary dhoti."

The sponge filter can be seen from the outside, andwhen it is visibly clogged, it is cleaned by washing in abucket of water. Cleaning 3 or 4 times in a year may beenough and thereis no need toreplace the spongesheet.

A rain barrelcan collect asubstantial amountof water, given it isemptied every timeit rains. Assuming that the user empties the barrel onceeveryday (during the rainy season), a 50 sqm roof,connected to a 500 litre rain barrel, can collect nearly23,000 litres of rainwater in a year, under Bangaloreconditions. Similarly, a 1000 litre rain barrel can collectnearly 35,000 litres of water in a year. In many parts ofKerala, with over 100 days of rain annually, a 500 litrecan collect around 40,000 litres!

The space required for a 500 litre rain barrel is fourcubic feet and has an installation cost of about Rs 2500,while a 1000 litre rain barrel would cost approximately Rs 4300.

Every rain barrel has a tap and an overflow outlet. Thewater collected can be used to recharge open wells orbore wells. Using a hosepipe and a Zero-B type filter,which costs about Rs 60, the tap can be connected to the

SHREE PADRE is a journalist with manyyears of experience in agricultural reporting.He is the author of several books, includingone on rainwater harvesting, published byAltermedia.

Rain Barrels Catalyze Water HarvestingRainwater harvesting through the rain barrel generates water for productive use that would otherwise go waste.

This article shows how the Rainwater Club of Bangalore has used this approach effectively.

A rain barrel connectedto the roof through aPVC pipe.

The rain barrel's filter is sponge.


16

The potential of rainwater harvesting hasbeen much talked about in recent times.But that an ordinary plastic water storage

drum, connected to the roof through a pipe, canharvest water is a fact that many citizens in theBangalore-Mysore region of India find surprising.

The Rainwater Club of Bangalore is anorganization intent on disseminating informationon rainwater harvesting. It is run byS.Vishwanath, a water activist of internationalrepute. When Vishwanath showed a small plastic drumthat collects rainwater to a team of women slum dwellersof Chamarajpet, Bangalore, they exclaimed, "Ishtena,ishtena?" (Is it this simple, this simple?).

These women will now install rainwater tanks in atleast 200 houses with the help of a local NGO,Rayapuram Development Society.

On another occasion, a Gram Panchayat memberfrom Anekal was so moved by this simple idea that heimmediately decided to build a 10,000 litre RainwaterStorage tank in his village.

This system, presented to the slum women and GramPanchayat member, is called a 'Rain Barrel', "A simple wayfor people to start harvesting rainwater", according toVishwanath.

Most people are not aware of how much rainwaterpours on their house-site or campus, and are not

psychologically prepared to accept such water aspotable. "It is this entry barrier that is mostdifficult to break", opines Vishwanath. Here therain barrel comes in handy, easing away themental block, and serving as a catalyst forrainwater harvesting.

The rain barrel system is based on an ordinaryplastic rainwater storage drum availableanywhere. The capturing area (roof or terrace) iscleaned once at the beginning of the monsoon.

Due to the gravitational pull, the rain that falls on theroof reaches the drum through a PVC down pipe. Forconvenience, the rain barrel is placed on a platform 18inches above the ground to facilitate the drawl of waterby a bucket or by using a hosepipe.

A gate valve is fitted at the end of the down pipe toallow the water from the first rains of the season to runout. After 2-3 rains, the valve is closed and the rainwaterflows into the barrel. On top of the drum is a filter toimprove the quality of the collected rainwater. This is asmall-perforated aluminium/stainless steel basin with twoShree PadreEmail: [email protected]

Rainwater Club#264, 6TH Main, 6th Block, Vidyaranyapura, BEL Layout,Bangalore 560097. Phone: +91-80-23641690http://www.rainwaterclub.org

S.VISHWANATHof Bangalore's

Rainwater Club

Water is everywhere. Yet about 97% of it is salty sea water and 2% is frozen in glaciers and polar ice caps, whichmakes the remaining 1% a precious commodity, indispensable for our survival. This lifeline is today - contaminatedand polluted. So water and other natural resource conservation are regarded seriously in the Bosch EnvironmentalManagement System. Environmental protection plays a significant role in stimulating and guiding productinnovation. The pollution control measures we practice at Motor Industries Co. include automated effluenttreatment plants, prevention of soil and ground water contamination, and minimized usage of hazardous chemicals.

Water treatmentAt Motor Industries, we employ technologies like Extended Aeration, Reverse Osmosis and Ion Exchange fortreatment and reuse of domestic and process waste water. This has resulted in 40% reduction of fresh water usage.

Treated effluentAbout 800,000 litres of treated effluent per day are reused for secondary purposes like gardening and toilet flushing.More than 10,000 trees of different species, in addition to a garden of medicinal plants, are nurtured with the treatedeffluent.

Rain water harvestingAt our Jaipur Plant (Jaipur receives less than 300 mm of rainfall annually), the entire rain water runoff from thepremises is recharged into the ground, thereby improving the quality and quantity of available ground water. In thelast three years, more than 12 Million litres of rain water have been recharged in to the ground.

by K.P. Murthy, Mico Bosch, India

Water Conservation at Motor Industries Company in India

Water Conservation at Motor Industries Company in India


17

FRESH WATER, that was once considered to be aninfinitely renewable natural resource, is no longeravailable in plenty. Several countries are now

experiencing serious fresh water supply problems onaccount of increasing demand due to populationpressure, over exploitation, rapid growth in agriculture,industry and urbanization. In India, the per capita wateravailability, which was over 5,000 cubic meters perannum in 1950, has now come down to less than 2,000cubic meters*. Though the country has made significantprogress with regard to drinking water, thanks to thesustained efforts of the Central and State Governments,heavy dependence on ground water, coupled withinadequate recharging efforts and the neglect oftraditional practices like rain water harvesting, haveresulted in the depletion of ground water levels. This hasbrought about water quality problems in several parts ofthe country. This article will examine the qualityproblems, which, so far, have not received adequateattention in the Indian context.

Despite improved coverage and access to watersupply, nearly 400,000** children, under the age of five,die in India due to diarrhoeal diseases attributable tocontaminated water and poor hygiene practices. Apartfrom this, other major water quality problems includehigh salinity and high fluoride, arsenic, iron and nitrateconcentrations. While some water quality problems areof geological origin, others are man-made. Unlike ironand salinity, the presence of arsenic, fluoride orbacteriological pollution does not result in an easilyidentifiable change in colour or taste. As a result, a largenumber of people unknowingly drink contaminatedwater.

Water quality testing infrastructure in India is stillweak. Some districts do not have qualified labs, whileothers do not have qualified staff or adequate transportfacilities. The dispersed nature of water sources posesimmense logistics problems in transporting samples tothe district labs and conveying results to the community,as frequently as is necessary. Although regular sanitaryinspections are prescribed to prevent bacteriologicalpollution, these are seldom conducted.

What then is the solution? Provision of safe watersources and treatment units should get the highest priority. In addition, a decentralized system of water

testing has to be introduced. Adoption of communitybased water quality monitoring, and involvement ofhealth department in water quality surveillance, mightalso mitigate the quality problems. A "catchment areaapproach", involving locally available infrastructure andinstitutions for water quality testing at the habitationlevel, with the help of village panchayats and the districtlabs, needs to be advocated.

To implement the community based catchment areaapproach on a large scale, user friendly and reliable waterquality field test kits should be made available. Althoughsome test kits are now seen in the Indian market, it isnecessary to closely scrutinize their efficacy on the twocounts - user-friendliness and reliability - so that theirpotential for large scale use can be determined. Secondly,standardization of these kits may be necessary tofacilitate local manufacture, training communityrepresentatives, as well as for decentralized marketing ofthese kits in district/block level shops. There is also aneed for an institutional arrangement for assuring quality,receiving feedback from the users, and periodical designrefinement of these kits. There is a substantial scope forprivate-public participation in designing, producing andmarketing these kits. Empowering the communities intesting water quality of their own sources is the only wayfor users to know if their water sources are safe. Onlythen they can initiate timely remedial action.

SS MEENAKSHI SUNDARAM has had 36years of experience as officer of the IndianAdministrative Service. Besides working inthe Prime Minister's Office with threedifferent Prime Ministers, he was Secretary toGovernment of India in the Ministries ofRural Development, Disinvestment, Spaceand Atomic Energy. After retiring from the

IAS, he is currently a Visiting Professor at the National Instituteof Advanced Studies, Bangalore.

Empowering Indian Communities to Face the Water Crisis

Water quality testing infrastructure in India is still weak. This article recommends decentralized system of water testing alongwith community-based quality monitoring and the use of field test kits.

S.S. Meenakshi SundaramEmail: [email protected]

References:

* Centre for Science and Environment: http://www.cseindia.org/dte

supplement/industry20040215/ agriculture.htm

** UNICEF

UK:www.unicef.org.uk/fundraising/resources/unicef_interfaith_action_hindus.pdf


18

There have been inter-state water disputes ever sinceIndia gained independence. Inter state disputesinclude the disputes between Punjab, Haryana and

Rajasthan over Sutlej-Yamuna,Tamilnadu and Karnatakaover Cauveri waters, and Andhra Pradesh and Karnatakaover Krishna waters. Tribunals were constituted todevelop a formula but political undertones pushed thesetribunals into inaction. The most glaring example is theCauveri water tribunal to sort out the claims ofKarnataka, Tamilnadu and Kerala. The award declaredafter an inexplicably protracted delay of seventeen yearsin February 2007 received more criticism thanappreciation. As the river flows through several states, anideal apportionment has been a challenging task and haseluded a universally acceptable verdict. The announcedverdict is not acceptable to Karanataka and the state ispreparing for long verbal, legal and social wars throughlife paralyzing bandhs and an all party delegation ofpoliticians taking the matter to courts and to the CentralGovernment. What goes beyond the imagination of sanethinking citizens is the lack of realization that gone arethe days of easy availability of surface and ground water.Due to the lack of control over sinking of bore wells and

awareness and implementation of water saving practices,the problems of water shortage are actually accentuated.

While interlinking of rivers advocated by Late K.L.Raowho was dreaming of National water grid has beendiscussed and debated several times, regional andwithin the state water resources could be linked. Forexample linking of Godavari - Krishna, Galeru - Nagari,and Handri - Neva in Andhra Pradesh may provide muchneeded access to water for irrigation and drinking inseveral districts. This is what is being done in AndhraPradesh.

If a concerted proactive approach is made, manywater problems could be solved.Success stories such as Krishnawater being sent to Chennaithrough the Telugu Ganga projectis solving to a great extent thedrinking water problems ofChennai. This should act as amodel for social political vision forState leaders. Public /privatepartnerships and industryinvolvement should lead the wayfor quenching thirst of millionswhose basic access to cleandrinking water is denied. TheOlavanna experiment in Kerala, theByrraju Foundation projects inAndhra Pradesh and Sri Satya Saiwater projects have shown the wayfor public/private partnerships and

PROF. RAMAMURTHI RALLAPALLI(Ph.D., D.Sc) is a former Vice-Chancellor ofS,V.University in Tirupati, and is GeneralPresident of the 2008 Indian ScienceCongress. 'He is an Environmental andBiomedical Scientist of internationalreputation. He is a fellow of Indian NationalScience Academy (F.N.A.Sc)., National

Academy of Sciences,India (F.N.A), Received ISCAMillennium Plaque of Honor award from Hon'ble PrimeMinister of India, Jan, 2006

Water Wars: National Problems from a Regional Perspective

Shortage of water and inefficient management of water resources have led to several inter-state water disputes in India.This article points out the necessity of adopting a regional focus iin the resolution of water problems at the national level.

Ramamurthi RallapalliEmail: [email protected]


19

APPROXIMATELY 70 percent of India's citizens livein rural communities, with poor, if any, access topotable water*. Addressing this need has been a

daunting challenge for governments, private industry andNGOs alike. In response to the crisis, WaterHealthInternational (WHI) is redefining the way potable wateris provided to the world's underserved populations.

Breakthrough TechnologyThe foundation of the company's products is a versatile,innovative technology platform. The patented, award-winning technology, UV Waterworks™, employs aunique air-suspended ultra-violet process that is gravitydriven, and features a contoured flow channel instead ofa cylindrical pipe. UV disinfection is an extremely safe,reliable and environmentally superior method ofdisinfecting water. UVW delivers a high dose of thisradiation that inactivates micro organisms throughdisruption of their DNA processes. The technology wasinvented at the, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratoriesin California by Dr. Ashok Gadgil, a Staff Scientist, whoalso holds the position of VP of Scientific Affairs of WHI.He has received wide international acclaim for hisinvention and its ability to deliver high-quality water atvery low cost. The high quality of water meets thepotable water standards of the World HealthOrganization.

In both its operational characteristics and applicationpotential, the UV Waterworks process and system designrepresent a significant departure from the existingpurification processes. For deployment in ruggedenvironments and locations with little technologyinfrastructure it has significant advantages overtechnologies such as conventional UV systems, reverseosmosis, ozonation and chlorination, among others.Benefits of the technology include high efficacycombined with high throughput, a small footprint, andlong-term reliability. The modular design means thatsystems can be scaled to serve communities of various

sizes. Non-proprietary components that are coupled withUVW in WHI's installations are readily available in mostparts of the world. Ease-of-use and low maintenancerequirements mean that the systems can be deployedeven in the most remote locations.

A Unique Approach to SustainabilityWaterHealth International's unique business approach toreaching the underserved includes financing for thepurchase and installation of the systems. This makes itpossible to deliver comprehensive and integratedproducts for safe, clean water, even to communities onceconsidered "unreachable".

User fees for treated water are used to service thefinancing costs and to cover the expenses of operatingand maintaining the equipment and facility. Thecompany hires and trains local residents of thecommunities it serves to operate and perform the day-to-day maintenance of these "micro-utilities". This createsemployment and builds capacity, as well as spawnsentrepreneurial opportunities for local residents toprovide related services, such as delivery of the purifiedwater to outlying areas.

Because the facilities are owned by the communities inwhich they are installed, the user fee becomes animportant source of revenue for communities after the

TRALANCE ADDY earned BA and BSdegrees in chemistry and mechanicalengineering simultaneously fromSwarthmore College, Pennsylvania, in 1969,and subsequently earned MS and PhDdegrees in engineering from the University ofMassachusetts at Amherst. Prior to joiningWaterHealth, Dr. Addy was an international

vice president of Johnson & Johnson, and a member of theGlobal Management Committee of Johnson & Johnson Medical,Inc. He is a recipient of several corporate awards for innovationand entrepreneurship, and the holder of 13 US andinternational patents.

WaterHealth International Partners withCommunity Leaders and NGOs to Bring

Clean Water to India's UnderservedThis article presents the experience of WaterHealth International in catering to the water needs of rural communities. It

uses a partnership approach to extend ongoing outreach and education programs that effectively communicate therelationship between clean water, improved hygiene and good health.


20

APPROXIMATELY 70 percent of India's citizens livein rural communities, with poor, if any, access topotable water*. Addressing this need has been a

daunting challenge for governments, private industryand NGOs alike. In response to the crisis, WaterHealthInternational (WHI) is redefining the way potable wateris provided to the world's underserved populations.

Breakthrough TechnologyThe foundation of the company's products is a versatile,innovative technology platform. The patented, award-winning technology, UV Waterworks™, employs aunique air-suspended ultra-violet process that is gravitydriven, and features a contoured flow channel instead ofa cylindrical pipe. UV disinfection is an extremely safe,reliable and environmentally superior method ofdisinfecting water. UVW delivers a high dose of thisradiation that inactivates micro organisms throughdisruption of their DNA processes. The technology wasinvented at the, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratoriesin California by Dr. Ashok Gadgil, a Staff Scientist, whoalso holds the position of VP of Scientific Affairs of WHI.He has received wide international acclaim for hisinvention and its ability to deliver high-quality water atvery low cost. The high quality of water meets thepotable water standards of the World HealthOrganization.

In both its operational characteristics and applicationpotential, the UV Waterworks process and system designrepresent a significant departure from the existingpurification processes. For deployment in ruggedenvironments and locations with little technologyinfrastructure it has significant advantages overtechnologies such as conventional UV systems, reverseosmosis, ozonation and chlorination, among others.Benefits of the technology include high efficacycombined with high throughput, a small footprint, andlong-term reliability. The modular design means that

systems can be scaled to serve communities of varioussizes. Non-proprietary components that are coupled withUVW in WHI's installations are readily available in mostparts of the world. Ease-of-use and low maintenancerequirements mean that the systems can be deployedeven in the most remote locations.

A Unique Approach to SustainabilityWaterHealth International's unique business approach toreaching the underserved includes financing for thepurchase and installation of the systems. This makes itpossible to deliver comprehensive and integratedproducts for safe, clean water, even to communities onceconsidered "unreachable".

User fees for treated water are used to service thefinancing costs and to cover the expenses of operatingand maintaining the equipment and facility. Thecompany hires and trains local residents of thecommunities it serves to operate and perform the day-to-day maintenance of these "micro-utilities". This createsemployment and builds capacity, as well as spawnsentrepreneurial opportunities for local residents toprovide related services, such as delivery of the purifiedwater to outlying areas.

Because the facilities are owned by the communities inwhich they are installed, the user fee becomes animportant source of revenue for communities after theloans are repaid.

Partnering for Effective Public Outreach andEducationCommunity involvement and knowledge are vital factorsin the widespread and lasting adoption of practices towin the fight against waterborne diseases. In thecommunities it serves, WaterHealth developspartnerships with healthcare professionals andDr. Tralance AddyEmail: [email protected]

1. The leading cause of child death in the world is Diarrhea.

2. Of the 37 major diseases in developing countries, 21 are water and sanitation related.

3. Each year, children under five suffer 1.5 billion episodes of diarrhea, four million of which are fatal.

4. No intervention has greater overall impact upon national development and public health than does the provision ofsafe drinking water and proper disposal of human excreta.

5. At any given time, half the people in developing countries are suffering from water-related diseases

Water-Related Disease Facts

Reference: WaterPartners International Fact Sheet from www.water.org, Email: [email protected]



21

AFEW like-minded people formed the Akash GangaTrust in January 2001. On August 21, 2002, the Trustlaunched Chennai's Rain Centre, the first of its kind in

the country, is a one-stop information and assistance centeron rainwater harvesting. This Centre was inaugurated by theHonorable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

The initial seed money for the Center came from a fewnon-resident Indians living in the U.S. Further support, in theform of resource material, was provided by the Centre forScience and Environment, an NGO headquartered in NewDelhi. The State Government of Tamil Nadu is also one of theco-sponsors.

The Rain Centre, which is open to all, charges no fee forits services. Its activities, carried out with the funds receivedby the Akash Ganga Trust through donations, aresummarized below. The Centre has been involved in thepromotion of urban Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) since itslaunch three years ago.

Education1. A number of large sized colorful poster panels,

highlighting the value of water and the importance ofRWH, are on permanent exhibition in the Rain Centre.

2. Working models in the Centre demonstrate RWH bothfrom flat and sloping roofs and from ground surfacerunoff.

3. Different types of actual RWH systems have been installedin the Centre's premises, e.g.:

a. Diversion of rooftop rainwater into plastic tanks aboveground, for immediate use;

b. Diversion of rainwater into below-ground masonry

cisterns equipped with sand filters to enable immediateuse of the water, and with overflow directed to traditionaldug wells for use and recharge purposes;

c. Trapping of surface runoff on individual properties throughshallow trenches dug and directed in such a way as todirect the trapped water into a recharge well.

4. Video film shows on RWH are presented periodically forthe general public.

5. Resource materials like booklets, posters etc. have beenprepared in English and Tamil and are provided at anominal cost. The posters have also been pasted in publicplaces, where people tend to assemble, like the Divisionaland Zonal offices of the Municipal Corporation andChennai Metrowater, post offices, marriage halls, bankbranches, and school and college notice boards.

6. A publicity button was prepared and worn by Trustmembers in order to publicize RWH. A sign saying"RAINWATER HARVESTING DONE IN THIS PLOT",distributed to people who have implemented harvesting

in their respective premises, also generatespublicity when it is fixed on the gates so asto attract the curiosity of passersby. 7. During the last couple of years, studentsfrom several schools and colleges havevisited the rain centre and learnt aboutRWH. Key persons from the centre havealso visited several institutions, both withinand outside the city and the state, to givetalks, make video presentations andorganize exhibitions about RWH.8. Several NGOs, working in both watersector and other areas, have visited the raincentre. 9. Seminars and workshops have also beenorganized in the centre.

Rain Centre in Chennai, IndiaThis article showcases the activities of the Rain Centre, the first Indian organisation to provide assistance and

information on rainwater harvesting. Situated in Chennai, the rain Centre also serves as a one-stop information centre.

SHEKAR RAGHAVAN is a Physicist byeducation and training. He received his Ph.D.in 1976 from Madras University in the area ofHigh Energy Physics. For the past ten years,he has been involved in a door to doorcampaign in the city of Chennai trying tocreate awareness about the importance ofRWH in urban areas. It all started in Besant

Nagar. For the past four years, he has been with the Rain Centreas its Director. Before that he was with Centre for Policy studiesfor about eight years where he met Mukundan.


22

AFEW like-minded people formed the Akash GangaTrust in January 2001. On August 21, 2002, the Trustlaunched Chennai's Rain Centre, the first of its kind in

the country, is a one-stop information and assistance centeron rainwater harvesting. This Centre was inaugurated by theHonorable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.

The initial seed money for the Center came from a fewnon-resident Indians living in the U.S. Further support, in theform of resource material, was provided by the Centre forScience and Environment, an NGO headquartered in NewDelhi. The State Government of Tamil Nadu is also one of theco-sponsors.

The Rain Centre, which is open to all, charges no fee forits services. Its activities, carried out with the funds receivedby the Akash Ganga Trust through donations, aresummarized below. The Centre has been involved in thepromotion of urban Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) since itslaunch three years ago.

Education

1. A number of large sized colorful poster panels,highlighting the value of water and the importance ofRWH, are on permanent exhibition in the Rain Centre.

2. Working models in the Centre demonstrate RWH bothfrom flat and sloping roofs and from ground surfacerunoff.

3. Different types of actual RWH systems have been installedin the Centre's premises, e.g.:

a. Diversion of rooftop rainwater into plastic tanks aboveground, for immediate use;

b. Diversion of rainwater into below-ground masonrycisterns equipped with sand filters to enable immediateuse of the water, and with overflow directed to traditionaldug wells for use and recharge purposes;

c. Trapping of surface runoff on individual properties throughshallow trenches dug and directed in such a way as todirect the trapped water into a recharge well.

4. Video film shows on RWH are presented periodically forthe general public.

5. Resource materials like booklets, posters etc. have beenprepared in English and Tamil and are provided at anominal cost. The posters have also been pasted in publicplaces, where people tend to assemble, like the Divisionaland Zonal offices of the Municipal Corporation andChennai Metrowater, post offices, marriage halls, bankbranches, and school and college notice boards.

6. A publicity button was prepared and worn by Trustmembers in order to publicize RWH. A sign saying"RAINWATER HARVESTING DONE IN THIS PLOT",distributed to people who have implemented harvesting

Shekar RaghavanExecutive Director, Rain CentreEmail: [email protected]

Rain Centre is located at 4, Third Trust Link Road in Mandavallipakkam. It

is located off Santhome High Road near the Registrar's office. The

telephone number at the centre is (044) 2461-6134. The website is

http://www.raincentre.org.

Collect roof water First flush Filter Sump Well


23

CAPTURE RAIN water, store it and use it - it is assimple as that". Collect the rain water falling onhouse tops, collection ponds, lakes, open areas

with natural grading. Rain water is naturally pure(excepting where it becomes acid rain due to industrialpollution); ground water could be brackish or pollutedwith various contaminants.

Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) was practiced in Indiaeven before the British installed municipal pipelines. Asthe population of India rose from 100 million in the1900's to 1,027 million in 2005, the demand for drinkingwater increased many fold. The population increase alsosaw many water bodies in both urban and rural areascovered by buildings and other structures.

Water Everywhere Starts as RainRain is the source of all water in the world. 97.5% of

the world's supply of water is salt water in the oceans and1.5% of water is in the arctic glaciers. The remaining 1%goes through the water cycle. India receives the 6th

highest rainfall country in the world and almost 90% ofthis rainfall reaches the ocean.

RWH in Urban LocationsRain falling on the roof and the sides of the building is

collected, filtered and charged. For a single family housein a metro city, the only additional investment (about Rs2000) is the installation of PVC pipes. Installing a RWHunit in a multiple tenant flat complex with 25 families willcost about Rs 50,000.

In the picture on the left, a metro home owner needsto install only items 2, 3, 4 and 9. All other items - sump,electric pump, overhead storage - already exist to receiveand distribute the city delivered water.

RWH Unit Costs - Starting Estimates (2001 Costs)The actual costs depend upon specific RWH design,

size of the facility/ house, and percent of rain waterharvested and stored. Given below are a few unit costs:lSump: (only if required) 12,000 litre sumps costs aboutRs 50,000 (about Rs3.50 per litre for largesumps).lDrain pipes cost aroundRs 15 to Rs 30 perrunning foot.lBends and elbows

around Rs 20 to Rs75 per piece.

lFilter chamber 2'x2'x2'with pebbles andsand cost Rs 1,500.

l10' deep percolationpit with sand,pebbles, air vent anda perforated slab on

Rainwater Harvesting in IndiaRainwater Harvesting (RWH) is known to India from the past few centuries. With increasing water crisis, there is an urgent

need for practising and popularising rainwater harvesting. The article provides an insight into the prevalent practices.

RAM KRISHNAN was born in Trivandrum,schooled in Madras, Delhi and Bombay. Ramis an alumnus of IIT Madras. He graduated in1967 with a B.Tech and M.Tech. He foundedand operated a Logistics Consultingcompany for 15 years in the US. Afterworking in the Minnesota, US for 30 years,Ram Krishnan, for the past few years, spends

3 months in India every year, learning, working andadvocating for the poor in India's villages.


24

CA P T U R ER A I Nw a t e r ,

store it and use it- it is as simple asthat". Collect therain water fallingon house tops,collection ponds,lakes, open areas

with natural grading. Rain water is naturally pure(excepting where it becomes acid rain due to industrialpollution); ground water could be brackish or pollutedwith various contaminants.

Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) was practiced in Indiaeven before the British installed municipal pipelines. Asthe population of India rose from 100 million in the1900's to 1,027 million in 2005, the demand for drinkingwater increased many fold. The population increase alsosaw many water bodies in both urban and rural areascovered by buildings and other structures. Water Everywhere Starts as Rain

Rain is the source of all water in the world. 97.5% ofthe world's supply of water is salt water in the oceans and1.5% of water is in the arctic glaciers. The remaining 1%goes through the water cycle. India receives the 6thhighest rainfall country in the world and almost 90% ofthis rainfall reaches the ocean.

RWH in Urban LocationsRain falling on the roof and the sides of the building is

collected, filtered and charged. For a single family housein a metro city, the only additional investment (about Rs2000) is the installation of PVC pipes. Installing a RWHunit in a multiple tenant flat complex with 25 families willcost about Rs 50,000.

In the picture on the left, a metro home owner needsto install only items 2, 3, 4 and 9. All other items - sump,electric pump, overhead storage - already exist to receiveand distribute the city delivered water.

RWH Unit Costs - Starting Estimates (2001 Costs)The actual costs depend upon specific RWH design,

size of thefacility/ house,and percent ofrain waterharvested andstored. Givenbelow are a fewunit costs:lSump: (only ifrequired) 12,000litre sumps costs

about Rs 50,000 (about Rs 3.50 per litre for large sumps).lDrain pipes cost around Rs 15 to Rs 30 per running foot.lBends and elbows around Rs 20 to Rs 75 per piece.lFilter chamber 2'x2'x2' with pebbles and sand cost

Rs 1,500.l10' deep percolation pit with sand, pebbles, air vent and

a perforated slab on the top costs Rs 2,500.

RWH in the Hostel Sector of Educational Institutions(IIT Madras)

Roof rainwater from 12hostels isdiverted to 4large wells andrecharges theunderground.Months afterthe rainyseason, water isavailable inthese wells. Thisproject serves45% of thewater needs of3,600 students.

RWH inFactories andBuildings

Many industrial units like Ashok Leyland (top), AsianPaints (bottom), Escorts, and TVS have installed RWH tomeet their drinking water needs as well as their industrialprocessing needs. All units in the State of Tamil Naduhave installed RWH, thanks to the Governmentordinance. It is important to note that the ordinancecovers "All" (not just new) buildings, houses, public placesin the "Entire State".

RWH in Rural Areas - Community Wells, Village

Statistics on water:

WaterPartners International

http://www.water.org/resources/waterfacts.htm

Aquastat http://www.fao.org/ag/agl/aglw/aquastat/main/index.stm

Few key links:

Center for Science and Environment -

http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org

Arghyam and India Water Portal - http://www.arghyam.org and

http://www.indiawaterportal.org

Rainwater Harvesting - Tutorial -

http://adshare.adayana.net/suneer/index.htm

International Rainwater Catchment Systems Association

American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association -

http://www.arcsa-usa.org/


25

On Jan 12th, 2007, the Prime Minister officiallylaunched the India Water Portal, along with theIndia Energy Portal, at a function held at his

residence. The occasion was the submission of the 2006report of the National Knowledge Commission (NKC).The NKC had mooted the idea of 'knowledge portals' inseveral areas, and as a first step, the Water and Energyportals were launched. These websites are dedicated toall the issues related to their areas and are run as acommunity partnership without undue influence oragendas.

There is a need for a neutral and open platform wherethe power of discourse can be deployed for problemsolving and improving governance practices. The IndiaWater Portal then becomes a hub where the interactionof different stakeholders can enhance the creation, the

sharing, and the application of "water knowledge".Coordinated and funded by Arghyam, a public charitabletrust based in Bangalore (www.arghyam.org), this Portalis a collaborative space for sharing water managementknowledge amongst practitioners. It draws on theexperience of experts, adding value to it throughtechnology and then disseminating it to a larger audiencethrough the internet.

The Water Portal is packed with resources andapplications, some of which are groundbreaking. One ofthe key innovations is the extensive use of GIS(Geographical Information Systems). A prime example isthe Meteorological Data application, which imports datasets of 9 climate parameters (e.g. precipitation,temperature, cloud cover) covering the entire country on a .5 by .5 degree latitude/longitude grid, and spanningthe time period from 1901 to 2002. This has beenintegrated into a GIS administrative map of the country.

The end user can zoom into the map to pick aparticular area of interest, choose climate parameters and

The India Water Portal

The Prime Minister launching the India Water Portal at a function on January 12th 2007.Also in the picture are Mr. Sam Pitroda, Chairman of the National Knowledge Commission,

and Ms. Rohini Nilekani Chairperson, Arghyam.

The Meteorological Data Application

ROHINI NILEKANI is Founder-Chairpersonof ARGHYAM, a public charitable trust shehas personally endowed with Rs 100 crores.She is also Chairperson, Akshara Foundation,Karnataka. She is Founder-Chairperson,Pratham Books, a non-profit publishing houseset up to create high quality, low cost booksfor children. She is Chairperson, Unmeelan,

the arts and the ideas forum at Infosys Technologies Ltd.


26

On Jan 12th,2007, the PrimeMinister officially

launched the India WaterPortal, along with theIndia Energy Portal, at afunction held at hisresidence. The occasionwas the submission of the2006 report of theNational KnowledgeCommission (NKC). TheNKC had mooted theidea of 'knowledgeportals' in several areas,and as a first step, theWater and Energy portalswere launched. These websites are dedicated to all theissues related to their areas and are run as a communitypartnership without undue influence or agendas.

There is a need for a neutral and open platform wherethe power of discourse can be deployed for problemsolving and improving governance practices. The IndiaWater Portal then becomes a hub where the interactionof different stakeholders can enhance the creation, thesharing, and the application of "water knowledge".Coordinated and funded by Arghyam, a public charitabletrust based in Bangalore (www.arghyam.org), this Portalis a collaborative space for sharing water managementknowledge amongst practitioners. It draws on theexperience of experts, adding value to it throughtechnology and then disseminating it to a larger audiencethrough the internet.

The Water Portal is packed with resources andapplications, some of which are groundbreaking. One ofthe key innovations is the extensive use of GIS(Geographical Information Systems). A prime example isthe Meteorological Data application, which imports datasets of 9 climate parameters (e.g. precipitation,temperature, cloud cover)covering the entire countryo na .5 by .5 degreelatitude/longitude grid,and spanning the timeperiod from 1901 to 2002.This has been integratedinto a GIS administrativemap of the country.

The end user can zoominto the map to pick aparticular area of interest,choose climate parametersand period of time, and

immediately get the datain the form of tables andcharts. Such ease ofavailability ofmeteorological data on afree, public website isprobably a first for thecountry. One can lookforward to fresh andinnovative usage of thisdata that was hithertonot in public domain.

On the Water Portal,the "Tools andTechniques" section hasinformation on watermanagement, organized

into practice areas that are widely acknowledged ascrucial for both short term and long term sustainability ofwater resources, and are:

l Rainwater HarvestinglAgriculturelDrinking waterlWaterbody Restoration lUrban WaterlGroundwaterlWatershed Developmentl SanitationlWastewaterlWater Quality

Case studies, slideshows, courses and movies havebeen collected, developed or documented for eachPractice. An effort to bring together the relevant policies,research papers and reports for each practice, has alsobeen made.

One of the key investments has been in the area of E-Learning courses. Such courses are being developed in

collaboration with domainexperts in 3 areas -W a t e r s h e dDevelopment, withSamaj Pragati Sahyog,G r o u n d w a t e rManagement withA C W A D A M(www.acwadam.org), andFluoride Mitigation withBIRD-K (www.birdk.org).The partners provide thecontent, drawing heavilyfrom their experience infield work and in training

A slide from the e-learning course on Watersheds

India Water Portal


27

and mentoring. The courses are designed using audio,animation and 3-D simulations to bring the topics to life.Links to courses offered by other organizations have alsobeen added to make it a comprehensive repository overtime. These courses will be put on CDs and used attraining workshops, NGO centres and in kiosks, toachieve scale in capacity-building.

An Organisation Locator has also been implemented,again coupled with GIS, to allow users to findorganisations that work on a water-related topic in anypart of the country through an easy 'Search' facility. Theorganisations are shown on an interactive map of thecountry, each of them represented by a marker, clickingon which provides available information on the

organisation. Users can add their own organisations byfilling out a simple form. This is a powerful way to quicklyscale up the database to many hundreds and eventhousands of items.

River Basins: It is commonly recognized that river-basin planning, based on natural watershed boundaries,leads to optimum solutions in water resourcemanagement. To facilitate this, a diverse range of datahas been collected on climate, culture, land use, wateruse, groundwater, water quality, and wastewater fromthe Government and other published sources. This datahas been shown on maps and provides a holistic picture

A screenshot of the Organisation Locator application

The India Water Portal: www.indiawaterportal.org The India Energy Portal: www.indiaenergyportal.org.

Arghyam Trust is a public charitable foundation setup in 2001 in India with a personal endowment from Rohini Nilekani.

Our mission is “Enough water, safe water ….. always and for all”.

Arghyam seeks to support strategic and sustainable efforts in the water sector that enhanceequity in access to water for all citizens. We emphasize sustainability - environmental,

financial, social and technical - as the key desirable outcomes in all projects we support. Working with diverse partners,including NGOs, research institutions and government agencies, we give special attention to people’s participation,capacity building, awareness and education with a potential for scale in our work. Current project areas includeIntegrated Domestic Water Management, Rainwater Harvesting, Groundwater Management and Water Quality

We are working with several partners to develop the India Water Portal, which is an open, inclusive, web-basedplatform for sharing knowledge, information and data on the water sector in India.

The objective of the Portal is to create a collaborative space for those interested in water and related issues likesanitation, agriculture, wastewater management etc. Through this effort, we want to leverage knowledge to addressequity and sustainability issues in the Water Sector and we will actively support alternate outreach methods that makethis knowledge work for those on the ground who need it most.


28

KAVERI RIVER and Krishna Raj Sagar (KRS) dam areless than 15 kilometers from Mysore. Sir M.Visweswarayya had the foresight to develop a

world class water supply system to pump water from theKRS reservoir to the city and citizens got 24 hours watersupply till a few years back. However, today the peopleof Mysore face water crisis irrespective of the level ofwater level in the KRS reservoir.

Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) is a consumerorganization that began in 1989 and that has about 700members. It has been fighting to improve water supply tothe city with very little success. This article gives a briefaccount of its odyssey and the lessons learnt. What is truefor Mysore city is likely to be even truer for other Indiancities, which do not have the advantages of Mysore.

Mysore, with a population of about one million, needsnearly 135 million liters per day (LPD), on the assumptionthat per capita water need per day is 135 LPD.Theoretical supply capacity is about 218 million LPD.Assuming transmission and distribution losses of 30%,the city should get a supply of 153 million LPD, whichshould be more than adequate to meet the need of thecity. However, this is not the case.

First of all, since maintenance is poor, the actualpumping capacity is much below the design limit. Watersupply department often puts the blame on powerfailure, which may be the case some times, but notalways. Standby pumps are not kept ready, and when themain pump fails, there is no backup. Also, engineers andthe staff in charge of the pumping stations do not have

proper training and when something goes wrong, it takesa long time to get it fixed.

About 15 years back, water supply was under thecontrol of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply andDrainage Board. But Mysore City Corporation (MCC)decided to take over the responsibility of supplying watergiving the local political class a bigger clout. MGPvehemently opposed such a move since MCC had notechnical capability to manage such a complex operation.

Since MCC still uses single entry book system, it hasno idea of the cost of supplying water to its customers.When MGP asked the accounts officer of MCC for suchdetails, the response was that since MCC is bound by lawto supply water to every citizen, it should not worryabout making profit and so there is no need to have suchinformation. Prof. G S Sastry of the Institute for Social andEconomic Change has estimated that it costs Rs 23 tosupply one kiloliter of water to Bangalore. The cost forMysore is probably much less, but not less than Rs. 5-6per kiloliter. However, MCC is not able to collect even Rs2 per kiloliter. This is because 50% of MCC's customersdo not have meters, and 50% of the meters do notfunction. MGP has been pressurising the authorities torectify these meters at the earliest and also to disconnectthose connections that are without meters - this hasfallen on deaf ears.

Most new mayors, after taking office, promise thatwater supply will be restored to all citizens and that everyone will get water supply every day. Of course, no suchpromises are ever kept. When there is shortage of water,politicians favour some by sending water tanks or forcingwater supply to some preferred areas. Water supplyauthorities can collect charges higher than the officialrate, while supplying water through tankers In short,

BHAMY V. SHENOY is an IIT Madrasalumnus. He earned his M.S. in IndustrialEngineering from Illinois Institute ofTechnology-Chicago in 1962, Ph.D. inBusiness Administration in 1972 from theUniversity of Houston and MBA fromColumbia University in 1982. Dr. Shenoycontributed to India's development in the

areas of Consumer Movement, Energy Industry Development,Environmental Movement and Education from 1987-1997 &2003-present. He has published hundreds of articles on varioustopics in Indian newspapers.

Odyssey of an NGO: Lessons to be LearntThis article is about Mysore Grahakara Parishat, an organisation that has been

struggling for the last 17 years to improve Mysore's water supply.

(Water coming from the right is mixed with sewage getting into the canal on the left)


29

even an essential good like water is exploited for makingillegal monetary gains.

MGP periodically tests water for quality. When itfound the water to contain E. coli, authorities, instead oftrying to solve the problem, blamed MGP for causingpanic. Using a simple Manja Test, which is approved byWHO, the presence of E. coli can easily be detected at asmall cost of Rs. 30, whereas the elaborate procedure cancost more than Rs 250 per sample. MCC always tookexception to Manja test calling it unscientific. Even whenMGP used an elaborate testing procedure, MCC did notaccept the findings. Once, because of watercontamination, more than 15 people died and an IASofficer conducted an inquiry. The report concluded thatinstead of using bleaching powder, chalk powder wasused in the water supply. MGP took up this issue. But thegovernment did not take steps to punish the concernedemployees!

In June of 2006, MCC announced that the city willhave reduced water supply because of the maintenanceof a canal feeding the water pumping station. WhenMGP went to find the real reason for the reduction, itfound that just by diverting water, bridge across the canalcan be built. Canal repair was conducted by a differentauthority which is in charge of the Cauvery water systemand it is not responsible for supplying drinking water tothe city. But MCC never tried to find a way to mitigatethe problem. Only after MGP raised the issue in themedia, MCC restored the water supply.

Every summer, when water level goes down in KRS,water supply reaches a crisis level. With propermanagement of limited water available in the reservoir,such crisis can be avoided. The tragedy is that no one isin over all charge of water supply. The authority in chargeof Cauvery water is concerned about supplying water tofarmers only. No one in the government looks at theoverall water supply situation to plan the release frommonth to month to ensure a steady supply of drinkingwater. MGP undertook this exercise in 2004 and 2005and was successful in reducing the severity of water crisis.MGP had to meet with the minister in charge to force theconcerned authorities to manage the limited watersupply in the reservoir.

MGP has been suggesting to MCC to computerize itsbilling and other accounting functions to improve itsrevenues. Only since a year, MCC has finally introduceda very rudimentary computer system for billing activities.MCC has not been able to develop a full-fledgedaccounting system to manage its water supply activities.This is because no one either in MCC, or in water supplydepartment, is held accountable by the citizens or higherauthorities; there is just no pressure to improve themanagement. All the time, political leaders talk of whereto invest crores to augment water supply and how to get

those crores from the World Bank, ADB or the CentralGovernment under Jawaharlal Nehru National UrbanRenewal Mission etc. They never consider the possibilityof collecting from the users by charging the right amountand also by managing the water supply efficiently.

MGP has been trying to promote the idea ofcorporatising water supply activities so that they can bebetter managed. MGP has also suggested that thereshould be an independent body to monitor theoperations of a monopoly like water supply and fix tariffrates. When this is corporatised and has a well qualifiedmanager and competent technical people, there is a hopefor improved water supply. Today Mysore's water supplydepartment has neither competent technical people noran able management. Bangalore's water supply is bettermanaged than Mysore's because it is under the control ofan autonomous company owned by the Government. In2006, when politicians were not in charge, MCC sent arecommendation to the state government to form suchan independent company. Unless the proposal ispromoted in Bangalore by Mysoreans, babus inBangalore are unlikely to act on it.

Throughout this ordeal of daily water crisis, citizens ofMysore have been the mute spectators expecting MGPor other NGOs to take up the fight on their behalf. Inearly 2007, through photos, MGP showed where sewagewas getting into the drinking water. Ironically, whenMCC disagreed with MGP by issuing press releases,citizens found it convenient to agree with the authoritiesand not with the NGO.

After 17 years of consistent efforts to improve watersupply of Mysore, MGP has not been able to achievemuch. One reason for such failure is the indifference ofcitizens of Mysore. Another reason could be the wrongstrategies of MGP in convincing the authorities or politicalleaders to accept their recommendations. Finally it is notpossible to end the article with any positive note, but tohope that the society will throw up some better leadershipto reform the system which has fallen apart.

Bhamy V. ShenoyEmail: [email protected]

(Low water level at KRS in Mysore)


30

What is an 'Oorani' (Tamil)?Ooranis are village tanks or ponds, which can be used forharvesting rainwater and storing it for use during the restof the year. They offer many benefits for people who livein an area with saline groundwater, poor rainfall andfrequent droughts They provide water for drinking andfor livestock, and also help recharge groundwater,including in drinking water wells.

Better Health Collective community restoration and management ofooranis has resulted in a reduction in the incidence ofdiseases, especially those related to water shortages andwater-borne diseases. They also save the village womenfrom making daily trips to neighboring villages to fetchwater.

Velayuthapuram Oorani - A Recently CompletedProject

In July 2004, together with DHAN, we undertook awatershed project in the village Velayuthapuram, in theVilathikulam region. The oorani, at the village, wasalmost dry because of silt deposits and evaporation,although it was full with water during the monsoon

season. The de-siltation work on this oorani took placeduring the next two months. On our second visit inDecember 20, 2004, the panchayat leader led us to theoorani, which was, by now, full of water. He told us thatthe oorani contained enough water to last the entire year.Also, in addition to his village, people from twoneighbouring villages were also using this drinking water.

Project Figures: Total project cost: Rs 2,51,000 (including villagerscontribution)Villagers contribution: Rs 62,750 (Rs. 45 = $1)250 families, a total of 1100 population

RAM KRISHNAN was born in Trivandrum,schooled in Madras, Delhi and Bombay. Ramis an alumnus of IIT Madras. He graduated in1967 with a B.Tech and M.Tech. He foundedand operated a Logistics Consultingcompany for 15 years in the US. Afterworking in the Minnesota, US for 30 years,Ram Krishnan, for the past few years, spends

3 months in India every year, learning, working andadvocating for the poor in India's villages.

'Oorani' - Rain Water Harvesting for Villages

Ooranis are village tanks or ponds that provide water for drinking and for livestock, and also help recharge groundwater. This article shows how DHAN Foundation has involved communities in the

provision of clean and healthy water through Ooranis.

The village panchayat leader



31

Gross Capacity of the oorani: 37,061cubic metersEvaporation losses: 17,224 cubic metersSeepage losses : 8,367 cubic metersNet storage capacity : 11,200 cubicmeters

Community involvementThe oorani belongs to the village. Thefamilies living in that village must comeforward and agree to work on theproject. This may be a time consumingprocess and may meet with resistancefrom some members of the community,but is well worth the effort.

DHAN Foundation typically requires30% of the project funding to comefrom the villagers. TBS (Tarun BharatSangh) in Rajasthan insists on almost80% to be invested by the villagers.

How do you get 30% from a villagerwho has no money?

30% contribution can be in the formof money, materials or labour. Of thesethree, labour is the best form ofcontribution. By investing labour, thevillagers get truly connected to theproject. This gives them a sense ofownership and accomplishment. Oncethe project is completed, the communitytakes care of the oorani.

Our NRI team visited the village - 2005

DHAN Foundation18 Pillaiyar Koil Street, S.S.Colony, Madurai 625 010, India Telephone: (91)-452-261-0794 or 261-0805Email: [email protected]: http://www.dhan.org

Ram KrishnanEmail: [email protected]

1. Approximately 60% to 70% of the rural population in the developing world have neither access to a safe andconvenient source of water nor a satisfactory means of waste disposal.

2. Water systems fail at a rate of 50% or higher.

3. 20% of the world's population in 30 countries faces water shortages

WATER FACTS



32

Manorama's Response to Nature's Challenge in Kerala As Kerala was reeling under its fourth successive droughtin 2004, Malayala Manorama decided to lead the peopleof the state in meeting the challenge posed by the trail ofdestruction and misery wrought by the drought. Thepaper initiated The Pala Thulli project with a front pageeditorial on May 23, 2004 promising the people that

Manorama would join hands with them to implementvarious projects to collect rain water. Manorama's aimwas to inculcate in people a new water culture thatwould prevent Kerala's plentiful water from beingwasted.

A Steady and Unswerving MissionFor one whole year, Manorama's specialweekly feature page discussed rainwaterharvesting and its impact on waterconservation. The paper focused on masseducation, popular initiative andmobilisation of people's participation.

Thanks largely to the sustained actionby the Malayala Manorama, both throughthe newspaper columns and through directintervention and initiative, a new waterculture evolved in Kerala. The paperregularly highlighted a string ofimaginative systems for water conservationbuilt by various institutions, many of whichwere emulated and implemented at otherplaces.

Build and ShowManorama kept its promise of actuallybuilding systems for rainwater harvestingby setting up the first ever system for watercollection from roof tops at theGovernment Civil Stations in Palakad onSeptember 16th last year. The water thuscollected is capable of meeting therequirements of the government officesworking in the campus.Manorama set up full-fledged rainwaterharvesting systems at almost all its units inKerala and opened them for public view. Italso built a string of model rainwater

Pala Thulli - Community-wide Rain Water Harvesting

Malayala Manorama, a leading newspaper and magazine group in Kottayam, Kerala, launched a multi-pronged state-wide effort to mobilize Community Rain Water harvesting programs in the state.

This program, called Pala Thulli serves as a model for community-wide rain harvesting programs that conserve water and solve the water shortage problems.

Malayala ManoramaKottayam 686 001, Kerala IndiaTelephone: (481)-256-3646Email: [email protected]


33

WATER SYSTEMS in South Asia are under stressbecause of the large population, high level ofpoverty and rapid growth. Sustainable and

integrated management of the water systems of theregion will largely depend on the use of aninterdisciplinary knowledge base and an innovative"institutional" approach.

In the last one or two decades, many professionalshave made useful contributions to interdisciplinary watersystems' knowledge on South Asia. Unfortunately, thereis a disconnect between this knowledge and the real lifepractice of water systems management in the region.

The growing and conflicting demands on water inSouth Asia in the areas of food security, commercialfarming, urban domestic water needs, hydropowerprojects and industrial demands need to be quicklysolved. Research on the water needs of the ecosystemshas also attracted attention. Therefore, it is imperativethat interdisciplinary research on water systems becontinued and conveyed to policy makers.

This paper provides a framework for new researchactivities in South Asian universities, suggesting thefollowing focal points for research:

1. Generation of eco-hydrological knowledge on surfacewater systems and groundwater systems, andinstitutional mechanisms for its sustainable use andprotection from pollution.

2. Methodology for comprehensive assessment of watertransfer projects on social, economic and ecologicalgrounds.

3. Wider application of economics in the making ofwater policy and valuation of ecosystem services ofwater to promote conservation and sustainable use.

4. Promotion of ecological perspectives of extremehydrological events, and regional mechanisms formitigating their impacts.

5. Social dimensions of water systems use, localgovernance and water conflicts.

6. Emerging technological options in water systemsmanagement.

7. Global change and water systems in South Asia.

8. Issues of regional cooperation and conflict resolution.

JAYANTA BANDYOPADHYAY is Professorand Head of Centre for Development andEnvironment Policy at IIM, Calcutta, India.His research in the past 25 years has aimed atgenerating public interest on criticalenvironmental issues, specially mountainareas and water systems. He has published anumber of important research papers on

water systems management in South Asia, in particular on theHimalayan Rivers.

Integrated Water Systems Management inSouth Asia - A Framework for Research

This article suggests a framework to guide future research in water systems management.

Jayanta BandyopadhyayEmail: [email protected]

l More than 1.5 billion people do not have access to safe and adequate water supply. This number could increaseto 2.3 billion by 2025.

l More than half of the world's population lacks access to adequate sanitation.

DID YOU KNOW?



34

AYINAPATTI, IN the Tiruchipalli region in India, is aremote farming village with minimal access toclean water and sanitation facilities. Initially, water

was delivered to the community through a faultyoverhead tank and two unreliable hand pumps. Whenthe government installed this system, it did not providethe community with the training and resources needed tomaintain it. Since the system was unable to supplysufficient water to meet the community's basic needs,people collected water from polluted rivers and ponds.

In addition to the lack of access to clean water,sanitation was also a serious problem for this community.Over 85 percent of the villagers did not have access to alatrine, leading to the routine practice of open defecationin the local farms, bushes and along the road side. Due tocultural norms and lack of privacy, women and girls wereoften unable to defecate during the day, which subjectedthem to serious health problems and dangeroussituations at night.

Both the water and sanitation crises were directlyrelated to lack of organization in the community and lackof hygiene education. WaterPartners' program not onlyprovided the hardware necessary for the water point, butalso contained a strong organization and trainingcomponent related to water and sanitation.

WaterPartners is a Kansas City-based nonprofitorganization dedicated to helping people in developingcountries gain access to safe water supplies andsanitation. Since its inception in 1990, WaterPartners hashelped transform the lives of more than 165,000 peoplein eight countries. By forging partnerships with partnerorganizations, it empowers local communities to developand sustain solutions to their water needs. WaterPartners'most recent innovation, WaterCredit Initiative, makesloans to individuals and communities for water projects -as part of a revolving fund - in areas where credit is notreadily available.

WaterPartners' project in Ayinapatti had four mainobjectives: (1) to provide year-round access to watersupplies; (2) to provide access to sanitation facilities ateach household; (3) to mobilize the community andprovide hygiene education; and (4) to establish arevolving loan fund to recover project hardware costs forwater connections and latrines. Project activities werefacilitated and managed by WaterPartners' local partner

organization, Gramalaya.

Year-round Access to Water SuppliesApproximately 45 household water connections wereinstalled, and five women's self-help groups and theVillage Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC)facilitated loans that financed installation costs. Thecommunity water tank and public hand pumps werecompletely rehabilitated, and waste water disposal pitswere installed next to the hand pumps to absorb runoff.In addition, water connections were installed at theprimary school.

Access to sanitation facilities at each householdGramalaya, WaterPartners' local partner organization,

presented the community with toilet models that variedin style and price so that families could select the toiletthat best matched their financial and social requirements.Each family obtained a loan from the local self-helpgroup and today all households have toilets. Ayinapattiinstituted a policy to fine anyone caught practicing opendefecation in the village and since August 15, 2005, it hasbeen declared "100% sanitized". Human waste no longerthreatens the water supply, which has resulted in areduction of water and food contamination.

Community Mobilization and Hygiene EducationAt the beginning of the project, Gramalaya conducted abaseline survey and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)exercises to better understand the socio-economicenvironment. The exercises helped the communityunderstand the benefits of the sanitation program, andthe importance of 100% community participation.

JOHN FITZPATRICK serves as Director ofInternational Programs at WaterPartnersInternational. Fitzpatrick joinedWaterPartners in May of 2006, and bringsmore than 25 years of internationalexperience, primarily in the commercialsector. In his current role, he is responsible forthe growth and management of water supply

projects around the world. Fitzpatrick holds a B.A. inGovernment and International Studies from the University ofNotre Dame.

The Benefits of WaterPartnersInternational's WaterCredit Initiative

This article presents the efforts of WaterPartners International in giving access toclean water and sanitation to villagers in Ayinapatti, India.


35

Approximately 271 women, men and children attendedthe PRA exercises. Through the PRA and baseline survey,Gramalaya determined that the community was willingand able to take loans for water and sanitation facilities.

Gramalaya Provided a Variety of Trainings, Including:l Multiple operation and maintenance trainings for the

VWSC, self-help groups, and the community at large,on the maintenance and repair of water and sanitationfacilities.

l Basic hygiene and sanitation education lessons.l Instructions on how to construct soak pits that act as

drainage for grey water, and how to create kitchengardens with drainage water.Self-help group members participated in field trips to

nearby communities that had effectively completedwater and sanitation projects. On these trips, membersshared their experiences, and learned from thecommunities what worked well and what could beimproved. Gramalaya, in collaboration with the VWSC,formed a school health group to promote hygieneeducation through songs, rallies and debates. Today,VWSC members are working as "community changeagents." Members identify households qualified to applyfor loan assistance, and encourage these households toapply. VWSC has assumed responsibility for maintainingthe water system.

Recover Project Hardware Costs via a Revolving LoanFundHardware costs for water connections and latrines weresupported through a revolving loan fund. The repaidfunds are used to finance additional water and sanitationprojects. Gramalaya is collecting the loan payments fromthe self-help groups, retaining interest on the loans topay for operational costs. The actual loan amount will beused for future water and sanitation projects.

Case Studies

Case Study #1: Gramalaya Staff Helps Family PreventMosquito-Borne Illness and Generate Income* Case study relayed by T.Radhika, Community HealthOrganiser, Ayinapatti.

I am Nallachi and my husband is Ganesan. When thestaff of Gramalaya visited our village, they saw thestagnant waste water in front of my house. This waterwas from bathing and washing, and it smelled very bad.Mosquitoes were a big problem during the day, and atnight no one could sleep well because of them.

When the Gramalaya staff visited my house, theyexplained that that stagnant water in front of the housecaused the mosquitoes to breed heavily, and thatmosquitoes can transmit diseases to humans. They

suggested I use my waste water to make a kitchengarden and gave me seeds to plant. At the waste wateroutlet, I planted a garden using banana saplings, brinjalsaplings, and pumpkin seeds. I cared for the garden untilit bloomed. Now we have bananas and vegetables to eat.The mosquito menace went away and everyone sleepswell at night. My family is very happy and no onecontacted the disease, Chikinguniah, although myneighbors were affected by it. Following the Gramalyastaff's suggestions has freed us from mosquito bites andmedical expenses, and the kitchen garden also generatesincome. I now tell others about the importance of havinga garden so that they can all benefit like me.

Case Study #2: Daughter's Hygiene Song ChangesFather's Attitude* Case study relayed by Mrs. Rakkini, Health Educator,Gramalaya.

Mr. Sangapillai, a resident of Ayinapatti village, has ayoung daughter named Kokila. At the Ayinapatti villagemeeting, the Gramalaya staff taught hygiene songs tothe assembled children. During the meeting, Kokilalearnt "Father, I need toilet; Mother, I need toilet". Kokilabrought the song home with her.

The next day, Mr. Sangapillai called the Gramalayastaff and requested measurement markings for toiletconstruction. This surprised the Gramalaya staff, asearlier, Mr. Sangapillai had refused to have a toilet. Whenthe staff questioned him about his change of attitude, hereplied, "Yesterday I heard the song my daughter sangand that changed my mind. She is growing now, and willcertainly need a toilet. I changed my attitude and amasking for a toilet."

Note: This project was undertaken by WaterPartnersthrough funding from Ethos Water, now a part ofStarbucks.

Nallachi and her garden

John FitzpatrickEmail: [email protected]


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ESTIMATES INDICATE that close to 300 millionpeople live in India's urban centers*. By the year2030, it is expected that almost half of India's

population will live in cities**. Thus, city infrastructureand services, especially those for water and sanitation,become particularly important. As high-costinfrastructural investments are hard to find for manygrowing cities, new approaches are needed to promoteand implement urban water projects. This articleattempts to outline some of the innovative approaches tourban water projects in India.

Benefits of Partnerships Partnerships between the U.S. and Indian organizationshave a proven record of success in leveraging financesand sharing technical and managerial skills. Theexperience of the U.S. in helping small cities raise moneythrough bond financing and using revolving funds toimprove water supply and sanitation, can be of significantvalue in finding finances for urban water projects in India.New water purification technologies developed in theU.S. can help the Indian industry treat polluted

wastewater and recycle it for process use. Pooled Financing MechanismUntil recently, municipalities in India had limited access tocapital markets for financing water-related projects.Increased access to clean drinking water can happen onlyif substantial private funding, preferably through localsources, is made available to the utilities.

To assist developing countries, the DevelopmentCredit Authority (DCA) of the U.S. Agencyfor International Development (USAID)provides USAID Missions the authority toissue credit guarantees to private lenders,particularly for local currency loans. Theseguarantees cover up to 50% of the risk inlending to projects that advance USAID'sdevelopment objectives.

Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India, hashelped pioneer the first pooled financingbonds in India for investment in water andsanitation projects. At the end of 2003, theState issued its first municipal bond todomestic investors. The proceeds from thispublic sale capitalizes a fund for loans to localmunicipalities for infrastructure projects.The interest payments to the bond holdersare, in part, secured by a guarantee fromUSAID, which supports the establishment ofthe "Water and Sanitation Pooled Fund"(WSPF). WSPF will provide funding of $6.4

SUNDARESAN SUBRAMANIAN is anenergy/environmental professional with awide array of leadership and managementexperiences in India and the US. As theProgram Director for the State EnvironmentalInitiative (SEI) at the US Council of StateGovernments, Kentucky, he had facilitated 30energy and environmental partnership

projects in six Asian countries including India. Earlier, heserved for many years as the Regional Director of US-AsiaEnvironmental Partnership (US-AEP) at the AmericanConsulate in Chennai/India. In recognition of his work, he hasbeen honored with several international energy andenvironmental awards.

Innovative Approaches toWater Projects in India

As high-cost infrastructural investments become tough to come by, new approaches are needed to promote and implement urban water projects. This article highlights some of the innovative

approaches for better water management in urban India.

VSEP technology applied to industrial wastewater. The dark color water on the right is before the treatment. The clear water on the left is after the VSEP treatment.


37

million to multiple municipal water and sanitationprojects. The funds raised by the bond issuance aredisbursed as sub-loans to the participating municipalitiesfor these projects. These have helped to support projectsfor 14 participating municipalities in Tamil Nadu.

Wastewater Treatment and Recycling in IndustryThe contribution of the industrial sector to waterpollution in urban India is considerable. Over the past

several years, the textile industry in Tamil Nadu hassought a commercially and technically viable solution toeffectively treat its wastewater. What follows is anexample of a successful partnership between U.S. andIndian organizations.

California-India Partnership on 'VSEP FeasibilityTesting of Effluent Treatment' Using a grant award from SEI, California's New Logic Inc.partnered with GEA Energy Systems, India, todemonstrate its unique "Vibratory Shear EnhancedProcessing" (VSEP) technology at a total of 13 locations inIndia. VSEP demonstrations on industrial wastewatersprovided a possible solution for wastewater disposal andsome progressive companies in India's textile industrysigned contracts to install VSEP effluent treatmentsystems to purify wastewater to required standards.

Sundaresan SubramanianEmail: [email protected]:

* Census of India 2001: http://www.censusindia.net/results/rudist.html

** India Together: http://www.indiatogether.org/2003/sep/pov-upairev.htm

VSEP equipment installation at AD Textiles, India (Photos courtesy: US-AEP/India)

SHYAMMOHAN is one of theleading cartoonistof India. For thepast 18 years hehas been ticklingthe minds of thereaders, with hisgentle wit andhumour. He has

worked in various Magazines andproduced thousand of cartoons inprint. He is a specialist in socialissues. His works on themes like,environment, corruption, AIDSand globalization are wellacclaimed.


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THE INDIAN Institute of Management (IIM),Kozhikode, Kerala has 350-400 inmates, and anaverage daily water consumption exceeding one

lakh litres; irrigation requirement for the lawn, gardenand horticultural crops is not included in this.

The institute, which has a 96-acre campus occupyingtwo steep hillocks,.has adopted rain water harvesting(RWH) in a big scale. Though it can not boast of zero-run-off, it catches rain from at least two thirds of itsentire campus, making it self-sufficient in its water needs.

At the foot of a hillock, is a huge pond of 1.5 acresdug only to catch rain water. The run-off from the upperparts of the hill is not directly fed into the main pond; itis spread in an adjoining five acres plot, which is thecatchment area. A major part of the rainwater in thecatchment subsequently reaches the main pond by wayof percolation. Also the excess water goes away througha cement canal, ensuring that the slightly tainted run-offdoes not get into the main pond.

Water from the main pond is treated and pumped toan overhead tank, from where it is distributed for thenecessary domestic use at the institution and staffquarters. "It was a sort of team work and collectivethinking. Our then director, Dr Kalro was a man open tonew ideas. We didn't have scope to get more water fromany other way. So, after many rounds of discussions, wedecided on this option, recalls Rajiv Varma, Civil Engineerof IIM.

To reduce soil erosion from the hillocks, Coconut geo-textiles (GT), supplied by the Coir Board were used.Seeds of Congo-signal grass were dibbled through theGT. Today, one does not see any traces of the textile, butthe grass remains as a thick vegetative cover.

The capacity of the water pond is 30,000 cubicmeters. The whole system cost the institute Rs 80 lakh.Except this capital cost, other expenditures are notconsiderable (10 lakh = 1 million; Rs 45 = $1).

The institute also has sewage water treatment. Whenthe campus strength is full, they get 50,000 litres ofoutput from sewage. Treated water is utilized forirrigation.

An Institute Running on RainwaterThis article showcases the rain water harvesting practices adopted at the

Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode. The institute is nearly self-sufficient for all its water needs.

The large pond that stores rainwater for the campus. Pic: Harish Halemane.

The catchment area. Rainwater from over 50 acres collects here and percolates from nearthis pond and the arecanut garden around it to the main pond. Pic: Harish Halemane.

Rainwater Pipes: The RCC gutters were built while constructing the building. Pic: Harish Halemane.

IIM-K contactRajiv VarmaPhone: +91-495-280 9195Email: rajivarma @ iimk.ac.in


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China's Water Crisis

AS A LOCAL resident in Beijing, I suddenlydiscovered that Water has become a hot topicthere. Since 2004, the price of water for residential

use has increased by 28% and it is said that thegovernment is thinking of enhancing the price again thisyear, which, to some extent, reveals the severe situationof water shortage.

In fact, China suffered from the scarcity of water fornearly half a century. One of the reasons contributing toChina's water scarcity is its huge population. On theother side, the imbalance in the distribution of waterexaggerates the problem. For instance, while nearly halfof the population and natural resources are in thenorthern China, it only has 19% water storage.

To alleviate the disparity among the regions, China hasinitiated a great many projects, such as Three Gorges, toredistribute the water storage. Among them, the mostdistinct and controversial one is the South-to-NorthWater Diversion Project, which included three watertransfer projects, i.e. Western Route Project (WRP) andMiddle Route Project (MRP) and Eastern Route Project(ERP) will divert water from upper, middle, and lowerreaches of Yangtze River respectively, to meet thedeveloping requirements of Northwest and North China.[1] However, other than solving the water shortages,these projects may bear the severe environmental risk,which would in turn lead to large scale water shortages.

Fortunately, China has become aware of its waterproblems, and began to take actions. Mother RiverProtection Operation (MRPO) is one of such actions. Toprotect and improve eco-environment of the MotherRivers of China – Yellow River, Yangtze River and otherimportant water areas, MRPO makes use of the socialefforts, building new environmental protection projects,monitoring the current actions, and involving the wholesociety, especially the youth, for water protection.

However, water safety was not highlighted until thechemical pollution disaster of Songhua River in NorthernChina. In November 2005, the explosion taking place atJilin Chemical Industrial Co. plant led to an outpouring ofaround 100 tonnes of chemicals including mainlybenzene, into the Songhua River. 10 days later, an 80-kmcontaminated stretch of water reached Harbin, the maincity in Northern China, and was expected to take 40hours to pass, leaving around 3.5 million peopletemporarily without access to water, since Songhua Riveris the main resource of residential water there. Andauthorities were increasing water flows to dilutepollutants and providing bottled water for the population

in Harbin. [2] Meanwhile, compared to the cities, the water safety

situation is more worrying in China's vast rural areas with over two thirds of the country's population. This hasbeen acknowledged by Gu Hao, spokesman for the Ministry of Water Resources. More than 300 million people in rural areas do not have adequate clean drinking water and hundreds of thousands ofChinese are afflicted with various diseases from drinkingwater that contains too much fluorine, arsenic, sodium sulfate or bitter salt. China spent 2 billion RMB(about 250 million U. S. dollars) to help 11 millionmembers of the rural population access to drinking waterin 2005. And China plans to lower the population facedwith drinking water problems to a third by 2010 andensure safe drinking water for every one by 2020. [3]

In addition, because of its huge population, China is acountry short of natural resources, and now China hasalready started to think of sustainable development.However, in practice, the priority of natural resourceprotection depends on the strategic importance ofresources. Petroleum, for instance, was considered as thedirectly relating to the security of the nation and highlyvalued. In that case, the sustainable development ofwater is mainly dependent on the social efforts. However,the dilemma here is that in China civil society is still on theway of development, and only a small number of NGOsand NPOs are able to involve themselves inenvironmental protection.

(Ed. It is interesting to observe that despite not havingseveral NGOs in China, Sha Yu, an NGO intern isspending time with Byrraju Foundation to learn the bestpractices and go back to China to implement them.China has already put Water crisis on the nationalagenda. It is not clear India has done that. One of theobjectives of Catalyst is to promote such learning so thatNGOs learn the best practices from one another. )

SHA YU, is an intern working with theByrraju Foundation to learn the bestpractices in water management, to go backto China and implement them.

Sha YuE-mail : [email protected]

WATER RIGHTSCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

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CONSUMERS AND activists have called on Coca-Cola to stop draining water from some of theworld's poorest communities, according to a press

release from activist group Corporate AccountabilityInternational. "Community leaders, religious leaders,students and educators (San Francisco in the Bay Area)spoke out against Coke's abusive practices in India anddelivered thousands of public comments to Cokecorporate headquarters in Atlanta and regionalheadquarters in Oakland, Calif., the release added."These local activists took part in an international day ofaction telling Coke to stop stealing water.

"Similar events were held in seven cities across the U.S.in conjunction with a major protest in northeastern India, where thousands of people are gathering to demand anend to Coke's abuses."

The release says that as a result of Coke's waterextraction, at least five communities across India face

severe water shortages and health problems. InPlachimada, in southern India , Coke's water extractionhas dried up hundreds of hand-pumped wells, leavingpeople without enough water for basic needs. InMehdiganj, in northeastern India , Coke has decreasedthe level of groundwater by 40 feet, leaving smallfarmers without enough water to irrigate their crops.

Coke gets away with its abuses because of itstremendous economic and political clout. From SanFrancisco to Mehdiganj , India , people are mobilizingand organizing against destructive corporate practicesand forcing Coca-Cola to change its ways or stop itsproduction," said Angana Chatterji, an activist andprofessor at the California Institute of Integral Studies inSan Francisco .

Reverend Alexandra Childs of the United Church ofChrist delivered the public comments to Coke's Oaklandoffice. Coke officials refused to take the publiccomments, so the concerned consumers left themoutside the doors to the regional headquarters.

Coke's practices are part of a much larger problem ofcorporations contributing to a global water shortage, therelease says. The United Nations estimates that two-thirds of the world's population will not have enoughwater by 2025 if current trends are not reversed.According to a former Vice President of the World Bank,"The wars of the 21st century will be fought over water."Coke's water depletion contributes to this problem and ismaking water shortage a reality right now for somecommunities.

Get Real, Coke: Water Rights Protest Activists have launched a movement against beverage giant Coca-Cola,

accusing the company of draining water from some of the world's poorest communities.

Protest against Coke in San Francisco.

Protest against Coke in India

WASTE MANANGEMENTCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

41

THE SHEAFFER Modular Reclamation and ReuseSystem (SMRRS) can be managed to recycle thepollutants. When wastewater is treated and

recycled for agricultural use, water resources areprotected and conserved, land values are enhanced byusing sites for multiple purposes, and carbon issequestered, which mitigates the threats of globalwarming and air quality degradation. Thus, ecologically soundwastewater management can act as a catalyst foreconomic development.

Wastewater can be used as a catalyst to produceagricultural benefits, which can be summarized asfollows:1. Reductions in nutrients discharged into a waterway. 2. Carbon credits gained by recycling or reusing nutrients

rather than using natural gas and electricity to producecommercial fertilizers.

3. Using the reclaimed water and nutrients to stimulatecrop production. The estimated increase in yields of100 bushels per acre will take more carbon dioxide outof the atmosphere - carbon sequestering.

4. Flood damage mitigation by detaining and retainingwater on agricultural land.

5. Groundwater recharge to replenish drinking wateraquifers.

One acre of land can be evaluated to quantify therange of benefits in economic terms. Assuming that theacre of farmland is managed as an integral part of aSMRRS, and the irrigation rate is 46 inches per year(1,249,107 gallons), dollar values can be assigned to thebenefits. The nutrients in the wastewater would berecycled rather than discharged into a waterway, wherethey will add to the dead zones (due to lack of oxygenresulting from nutrients). The 46 acre-inches ofwastewater would contain 338 lbs of Kjeldahl nitrogen(TKN), 100 lbs of total phosphorus and 100 lbs ofpotassium. These nutrients can be used to fertilize crops.

One acre of land will directly or indirectly use 338 lbsof TKN nitrogen contained in the treated wastewater. Ata trade value of $11.00 per lb, the acre produces $3,718.In terms of total phosphorus, a trade value of $5.00 perlb would yield $500. However, these trade values, in all

likelihood, will be reduced to the nutrients levels allowedin the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System(NPDES) permits. Officials in the Commonwealth ofVirginia determined a value of $11.00 per lb for nitrogenand $5.00 per lb for phosphorus to initiate its nutrientexchange program. No value was established forpotassium. Based on a realistic example of using wastewater in the state of Virginia in the US, it is estimated that

Benefits of Using Wastewater in theProduction of Agricultural Products

Ecologically sound waste water management can catalyze economic development. This article highlights the advantages of using waste water for agricultural activities.

JOHN R. "JACK" SHEAFFER'S, contributionsto the field of floodplain management beganin the mid to late 1950's. A graduate studentof Gilbert White, he studied the effect ofurbanization in floodplains. In the 1960s, hebegan to promote the idea of flood proofingas a viable floodplain managementalternative. In 2002, Jack co-authored the

article Encouraging Wise Use of Floodplains with MarketBased Incentives, exploring how existing programs and land-use authorities could be utilized to create public-privatepartnerships. Jack is also an inaugural member of the ASFPMFoundation Board of Trustees.

John SheafferEmail: [email protected]

WASTE MANAGEMENTCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

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THE MUNI-KI-RETI - Tapovan - Lakshmanjula area,located along the Ganges River in the Himalayanfoothills, about three kilometers from Rishikesh in

Northern India, is considered by many to be one of theholiest places in the world. However, in recent times, itssanctity has been marred by a combination of manyfactors: the intense development of hotels, shops,homes, and ashrams; the greater use of plastic bags andother non-degradable packaging materials and the lackof organized municipal garbage pick-up and disposal.

Garbage litters the roadsides, drains, ravines, and theGanges banks. Also, plastic waste thrown into irrigationchannels litters the farmland and pollutes the water usedfor farming. Stagnant water in drains, blocked by plastic,fosters the growth of disease-carrying organisms. Toxinsfrom plastic and non-degradable waste enter the groundwater and, finally, the many wells dug along the banks ofthe Ganges.

Western students of the spiritual teacher, AndrewCohen, visiting Rishikesh in the year 2000, became awarethat they were contributing to the pollution through byusing mineral water packaged in plastic bottles. Thesebottles were everywhere, and the students felt the need to do something about it. With the help of one ofAndrew's Indian students, Jitendra Kumar, they beganpicking up bottles from ravines and off the street. Jitendra was shocked to see how garbage littered thestreets, ravines, and the banks of the Ganges. Heorganized rag-pickers to collect plastic bottles and otherdry waste from local guesthouses and ashrams.Gradually, this service grew into a small enterprise underhis supervision.

This small service caught the attention of well-wishers,who donated money so that Jitendra could purchase acart for collecting garbage, have posters printed, and hiremore workers. The donors hoped that the service wouldeventually become self-sustaining, capable of paying theoperating costs and providing salaries for the garbagecollectors. Currently, the program, "Clean Himalaya",employs four workers, who collect and segregate garbage from ashrams, hotels, restaurants and homes inMuni-ki-reti, Tapovan, Lakshmanjula and along theBorder road. They sell recyclable garbage and burn non-recyclable garbage.

The project aims to maintain the sanctity, beauty and

cleanliness of the Ganges and the Himalayan areathrough solid waste disposal and management, protectanimals and the environment from toxic materials, andprovide employment and income for the sweepers andtheir supervisors.

Jitendra continues to make determined efforts tosolicit business. Several times a week, he visits hotels,shops and homes to explain the project and to sign upnew clients. He hands out attractive posters and pointsout the importance of source segregation and recycling.He also regularly visits the establishments that havejoined the project to ensure that the garbage collectorscome daily, that the clients are satisfied with the service,and to sustain a friendly relationship. He has alsorequested the Sub-District Magistrate to allocate land foron-site composting and waste segregation.

In future, Clean Himalaya hopes to hire its own streetsweepers or coordinate its efforts with those of themunicipality, so that drains would be cleaned daily andgarbage on the roadside would be both picked up andsorted for recycling. It also plans to provide instructionand dissemination of educational literature to the publicrelating to the importance of keeping the surroundingsclean. It plans to educate school children and includethem in cleaning projects.

Currently, there is no municipal system of storage ordisposal of waste, and most of the population simplydumps the waste on the streets or in open spaces,creating serious hazard for the overall community healthand sanitation. The Clean Himalaya project uses a novelapproach - it does not rely upon state support; it is

This article is about an initiative promoting productive solid waste management in Rishikesh, India.

VENKATESH DUTTA is an environmentand development scientist currentlyemployed as Lecturer in postgraduate Schoolfor Environmental Sciences, BabasahebBhimrao Ambedkar (Central) University,Lucknow. His research interests includeEnvironmental and Development Economics,Integrated Environmental Planning &

Management, Policy Analysis, EIA and EntrepreneurshipResearch. Recently he was awarded British CheveningScholarships (2006) to pursue a course on EnvironmentalManagement and Sustainable Development at the Universityof Wales, UK.

Promoting Effective Waste Management:The Clean Himalaya Initiative

WASTEMANAGEMENTCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

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Venkatesh DuttaEmail: [email protected]

truly entrepreneurial. This project is aimed at benefiting the Ganges / Himalayas area in Tapovan, Muni-ki-reti and Lakshmanjhula

through proper waste disposal, resulting in a clean environment. It intends to protect the streams that find their wayinto the Ganga and the water that is used for irrigation of farmland from garbage. The intent of the project is also topromote practical knowledge and awareness in order to foster greater participation in the waste management activitiesaround Rishikesh. The project hopes to shift responsibility away from the local municipal government to privateentrepreneurs who will be fully accountable. The participation of residents, shops, and hotels continues to grow, andwith the passage of time, when cooperation with municipal sweepers is achieved, an even more significant and visiblebenefit to everyone in the area is expected.

Clean Himalaya now covers the salaries of its four workers and general operating expenses such as telephonecharges, gasoline, bags and additional labour, setting aside money for contingent expenses as well. It expects thatincome from user fees, selling recyclable waste and finished compost will be sufficient to cover the operation andmaintenance costs in subsequent years.

Currently, the venture covers less than 25% of the total area, but after scaling-up, it may be possible to use thesystem for the entire population, thereby leading to improvement in the environment as well as providing work for anumber of people. Other groups facing similar constraints and opportunities can adopt the project concept, and thereis a great potential for this idea to be scaled-up to a much larger level of participation. Its innovative financing methodand support process can be tried elsewhere and employed with success.

SOCIAL CONTRIBUTIONSCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

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RAJ VARADARAJAN:Minvalai internet exchange(www.n-logue.com) Single Teacher schools (www.singleteacherschools.org ([email protected]) Raj returned to India in 1986 and joined Makkal SakthiEiyakaam started in 1988 by Dr, M.S.Udayamurthy aRhodes Scholar. Eiyakkam was involved in making thevillagers stand on their own leg by concentrating onEducation, Women empowerment, Economicimprovement, savings, hygiene and health, prohibitionand religious tolerance. So when Prof. AshokJhunjhunwala developed WLL to take internet to ruralIndia he along with several alumni took franchise forTiruvallur district to give internet connection to thevillages in this district. The other partners of this effortfrom the pioneer groups are Lionel Paul, T.Suryanarayanan and MS Chandramouli.

This led to the next involvement in even remotervillages to educate the illiterate children by joining SwamiVivekananda Rural development society in Tamilnadu.From 2002 this society has already established singleteacher schools in 540 villages and wants to add 1500more villages in the next 2 years very similar toEkalvidayala.

DR. B. R. PAI:Globe Eye Foundation([email protected])GEF was started in 1995 with a view to provide the bestof eye care to the rural people. The Founder Chairman is

Dr. Sundar Ram Shetty, a renowned opthalmic surgeon.The Globe Eye Foundation has recently completed adecade of service in Eye Care mainly to the rural peoplein Karnataka. Starting in a modest rented house inHoskote in 1996, GEF has now done over 20,000 freecataract operations. GEF has a full fledged Eye hospitalwith built up area of 14,000 sq ft on the Highway NH4close to Hoskote. Presently GEF is doing about 4,000operations per year. Visit the website www.globeeye.orgfor further details.

S. KUMAR;Daya Ghar([email protected] ) Kumar has started an NGO called Daya Ghar to houseand educate poor children from slums in Adyar. Ahousekeeper takes care of cooking and upkeep of thehouse. Kumar, his wife and some of the well wishers givelessons to children. Children are sent to nearby schoolsand Kumar pays all the school fees. Currently Kumar isthe major donor of Daya Ghar. If more financing isavailable he can expand his activities by housing morethan eight children which is doing now. [email protected]

T. A. ANANTHU:Navadarshanam([email protected]) Anathu and Jyothi have been involved in exploringsustainable living for 30 years. They have formed a trustfifteen years back called Navadsrshnama in Thally,Tamilnadu where they are exploring alternatives to themodern living and thinking, keeping in mind theecological and spiritual perspectives of life. For moredetails see www.navadarshanam.org

Examples of Social Contribution from IIT Madras Alumni.

RAM KRISHNAN is an alumnus of IITMadras, graduated in 1967 with a B.Techand M.Tech. After working in the US(Minnesota) for 30 years, Ram spent 3months in India every year for the past 4years learning, working and advocating forthe poor in India’s villages, untouched by

the meteoric IT growth and the average 7% annual GDPgrowth. Ram Krishnan is committing his next 4+ years towork for sustainable and scalable projects in the villages ofIndia, where about 240 million people live and earn lessthan Rs 50 per day.

CASE STUDYCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

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IntroductionThe picturesque state of Sikkim is cradled in the foothillsof the mighty Himalayan range in the north-easterncorner of India. This land, dotted with monasteries, is alsoknown as the 'garden of the Himalayas'. Gangtok itscapital city is rapidly developing into an internationaltourist center. The city is located between 2000 to 5500feet above mean sea level (MSL). The only motorableaccess to Gangtok is through the valley of river Trista (apart of old indo-china silk route.) from Siligudi in WestBengal. On clear days, the snow clad peaks ofKanchanjunga ranges are visible in the pristine glory. ThePublic Health Engineering Department of Govt. of Sikkimmanages the water supply scheme of Gangtok.

The water treatment plant complex (7.50 MGD,Million British Gallons per Day) for Gangtok city, islocated on a steeply sloping hill at 6000 feet above MSL.The raw water source is a perennial Himalayan stream(Rathechu Khola) tapped at 8500 feet. This riveroriginates from a lake at 14,000 feet, which is fed by amelting glacier. Water is of high quality for ten to elevenmonths. The raw water supply to the plant and treatedwater supply from the plant is by gravity. Due to lack of

leveled ground at the site the overall hydraulic gradient issteep (45 feet, 12m).

The ProblemOriginally before 1978, the treatment facility consisted ofonly a plain sedimentation tank and chlorination(bleaching powder CaOCL). Later in 1978 and 1985 twoplants of capacity 1.0MGD and 2.0MGD each wereconstructed in the same premises. Each plant consisted ofsludge blanket (hopper bottom) settling tank and rapidsand gravity filter beds. To cater to rapidly increasingdemand in 1990 the PHE Dept proposed to increase thecapacity of scheme from 3.0MGD to 7.5MGD. Thecapacity of the existing plant complex was increasedaccordingly during 2002-2004. The plant wascommissioned in the year 2005. There was a severepower shortage in the state, and frequent land slidesensured that even single-phase supply to plant wasintermittent. Obviously, all the unit processes needed tobe independent of electrical energy. The rotarymechanical components had to be bare minimum duelack of skilled maintenance. The existing plant at site wasonly supplying partially treated water to the city. Lack of

Gravity Head Ensures a Green Plant andSustainability: A Case Study of Gangtok City


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IntroductionThe picturesque state of Sikkim is cradled in the foothillsof the mighty Himalayan range in the north-easterncorner of India. This land, dotted with monasteries, is alsoknown as the 'garden of the Himalayas'. Gangtok itscapital city is rapidly developing into an internationaltourist center. The city is located between 2000 to 5500feet above mean sea level (MSL). The only motorableaccess to Gangtok is through the valley of river Trista (apart of old indo-china silk route.) from Siligudi in WestBengal. On clear days, the snow clad peaks ofKanchanjunga ranges are visible in the pristine glory. ThePublic Health Engineering Department of Govt. of Sikkimmanages the water supply scheme of Gangtok.

The water treatment plant complex (7.50 MGD,Million British Gallons per Day) for Gangtok city, islocated on a steeply sloping hill at 6000 feet above MSL.The raw water source is a perennial Himalayan stream(Rathechu Khola) tapped at 8500 feet. This riveroriginates from a lake at 14,000 feet, which is fed by amelting glacier. Water is of high quality for ten to elevenmonths. The raw water supply to the plant and treatedwater supply from the plant is by gravity. Due to lack ofleveled ground at the site the overall hydraulic gradient issteep (45 feet, 12m).

The ProblemOriginally before 1978, the treatment facility consisted ofonly a plain sedimentation tank and chlorination(bleaching powder CaOCL). Later in 1978 and 1985 twoplants of capacity 1.0MGD and 2.0MGD each wereconstructed in the same premises. Each plant consisted ofsludge blanket (hopper bottom) settling tank and rapidsand gravity filter beds. To cater to rapidly increasingdemand in 1990 the PHE Dept proposed to increase thecapacity of scheme from 3.0MGD to 7.5MGD. Thecapacity of the existing plant complex was increasedaccordingly during 2002-2004. The plant wascommissioned in the year 2005. There was a severepower shortage in the state, and frequent land slidesensured that even single-phase supply to plant wasintermittent. Obviously, all the unit processes needed tobe independent of electrical energy. The rotarymechanical components had to be bare minimum duelack of skilled maintenance. The existing plant at site wasonly supplying partially treated water to the city. Lack ofspace on a steep terrain had ruled out the possibility ofconstruction of a new plant. There was no option left butto augment the plant by making maximum use of theexisting units and by constructing minimum possible newstructures. It took two and a half year to complete themodifications. The "new look" existing complex with7.50MGD capacity was commissioned in the year 2005.

New Inlet Works (7.50 MGD)Residual raw water head available at the plant is 60m.Inlet works consists of a receiving chamber to dissipatethe excessive head. This is followed by two grit collectionchannels a Parshall Flume and a circular cascade aerator.Grit channels trap the grit, fine sand and mica particlesoriginated upstream. Aeration ensures that trace iron(which occurs during summer) gets oxidized. A splitter box is provided to divide the flow in two streams each of capacity 3.0 MGD (Old plant) and 4.50 MGD (NewPlant). The level difference between these two units, which is more than 2.50m, is utilized to accommodate an aesthetically pleasing "crescent moon" shaped waterfall. The freefall of 0.50m on the downstream side of splitter weirs is used as a rapid mix unit for addition of coagulants.

Clarification (Settling) Units The dilapidated existing plain sedimentation tank wasstructurally strengthened to convert it in to two streamsof flocculation-tube clarification system. The modifiedtank has two units, each of 2.25 MGD. Each unit isfurther divided into two compartments, one each forFlocculation and Tube Clarification. The drives for verticalpaddle type Agitators (Flocculators) are operated withhydraulic head using simple water wheel turbines(Capston-type). These low-head turbines are driven by ahead of 2m of water which is ensured betweenflocculation tank and the up-stream Splitter box. Part orfull portion of the incoming water, after rotating thedrives enters the Flocculation tank (ensuring the flexibilityfor agitator speed). The agitators are directly coupled tothe drive wheels.

The Tube Settling compartment is located on the outletside of each unit. The Tube Modules are placed 2.50mabove the tank bottom. The modules and the collectiontroughs are supported from the bottom. The sludgesettled on the flat bottom of the tanks is removedmanually by water hoses through the drain pipes. The lowinlet turbidity allows de-sludging operation once in a year.

Gravity Filter BedsThe Clarified Water is conveyed to new Rapid Sand Filterbeds of 4.50 MGD capacity (1.25 MGD x 4 nos. each).The conversion of existing rapid sand filter beds to dualmedia required extensive modifications and hence wasruled out. The beds are designed on the principal ofconstant rate filtration with influent flow splitting weirs toavoid maintenance prone rate-of-flow-controllers. Thebeds are washed with hard-wash only. The wash-water

S. J. KardileConsulting Engineer, K Consultation, Nasik-Road, Maharashtra, IndiaEmail: [email protected]


47

SEHGAL FOUNDATION works on integrated andsustainable village development in Mewat region ofHaryana. This goal is implemented through four

programs (1) Water Management (2) IncomeEnhancement (3) Family Life Education (4) Rural Health,and the support services of Infrastructure Building andCommunications. The approach is participatory andprograms are organized around 'Village Level Institutions'and 'Village Champions'. The factors responsible forsustainability of any rural development project are -motivational, financial, organizational and technical.

In Ghaghas the quantity of available ground waterwas inadequate and fast depleting, its quality too waspoor with high content of nitrates and fluorides . Sincethe ground water of Ghaghas is an important watersource for several neighboring villages, they are alsoadversely affected. This scenario is now improved withthe interventions.

As in many villages of India, the domestic waste waterflows into the streets, creating dirty puddles which are abreeding ground for pathogens and their carriers. Thiswater is a medium by which the ground water getscontaminated due to open defecation, open compostingand excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides inthe agriculture.

To address the high nitrateand fluoride contents found inthe drinking water, it wasdecided to work on the qualityof the water at the sourceitself rather than use othersolutions like filters or watertreatments . The logicadopted was to dilute theground water with rain water,so that the nitrate and fluorideconcentration would reduceto acceptable standards and atthe same time the groundwater would be replenished.

In Ghaghas, a check damwas built at a locationupstream so that the runoffwater from the Aravali hills isnot allowed to enter the

village and get contaminated (Figure 1 and 2). A ridge tovalley approach (Figure 3), was adopted by building gullyplugs to slow down the speed of water, thereby reducingsoil erosion and the silt load entering the dam. Otheroptions, including diverting natural streams to rechargingwells or injecting wells (Figures 4 and 5) are also anefficient way to add to ground water. Even dry wells arestructurally well? connected to the underground watertable, while much more effort is required to find otherparts of the village where soil has good percolating abilityright up to the water table.

Safe disposal of domestic waste water is addressedthrough soak pits, which are simple and cheap drainagestructures facilitating the disposal, filtration andpercolation of wastewater into the ground (Figure 6, 7).

II. METHODOLOGYWorking with the Community As a first step, the requirements of the people areidentified at community meetings followed by survey ofthe region together with some villagers, their knowledgeis solicited, experts are brought in and SehgalFoundation's engineer works out a draft blueprint. Theblueprint has details of design, material, time?lines and

Sustainable Rural Water ManagementA Replicable Case Study

By Lalit Sharma*, Jay Sehgal, Ellora Mubashir, The Sehgal Foundation , Gurgaon.

Figure 1: Integration of new structures with revived traditional ones



In Ghaghas the quantity of available ground waterwas inadequate andfast depleting, itsquality too was poorwith high content ofnitrates and fluorides .Since the ground waterof Ghaghas is animportant water sourcefor several neighboringvillages, they are alsoadversely affected.This scenario is nowimproved with theinterventions.

As in many villagesof India, the domesticwaste water flows intothe streets, creating

dirty puddles which are a breeding ground for pathogensand their carriers. This water is a medium by which theground water gets contaminated due to open defecation,open composting and excessive use of chemical fertilizersand pesticides in the agriculture.

To address the high nitrate and fluoride contentsfound in the drinking water, it was decided to work onthe quality of the water at the source itself rather thanuse other solutions like filters or water treatments . Thelogic adopted was to dilute the ground water with rainwater, so that the nitrate and fluoride concentrationwould reduce to acceptable standards and at the same

time the ground waterwould be replenished.

In Ghaghas, a checkdam was built at alocation upstream sothat the runoff waterfrom the Aravali hills isnot allowed to enterthe village and getcontaminated (Figure1 and 2). A ridge tovalley approach(Figure 3), wasadopted by buildinggully plugs to slowdown the speed ofwater, therebyreducing soil erosion

Figure 2: Percolation of stream water before it gets contaminated

Figure 3: Integrated Ridge to Valley Approach in Ghaghas

Gully plugs slow down the flow ofwater, to percolate it and reducesilt load to check dam


48


49

and the silt load entering the dam. Other options,including diverting natural streams to recharging wells orinjecting wells (Figures 4 and 5) are also an efficient wayto add to ground water. Even dry wells are structurallywell? connected to the underground water table, whilemuch more effort is required to find other parts of thevillage where soil has good percolating ability right up tothe water table.

Safe disposal of domestic waste water is addressedthrough soak pits, which are simple and cheap drainagestructures facilitating the disposal, filtration andpercolation of wastewater into the ground (Figure 6, 7).

II. METHODOLOGYWorking with the Community As a first step, the requirements of the people areidentified at community meetings followed by survey ofthe region together with some villagers, their knowledgeis solicited, experts are brought in and SehgalFoundation's engineer works out a draft blueprint. Theblueprint has details of design, material, time?lines andcosts (Table 1), which is presented to the community. Thevillagers often modify it and also decide on what they cancontribute, since some contribution from them ismandatory by the Foundation's policy. In this wholeprocess the Village Level Institution , Village Champion& Panchayat are involved.

Overcoming theT e c h n i c a lChallenge ofSilting throughInnovationsCheck DamEach year, thesedimentation ofthe silt loadbrought by therainwater runoffdecreases theeffective storagecapacity of checkdams and thepercolation of

water. Invariably removal of this silt from the storagebasin is laborious and expensive, which the villagers areusually not motivated enough to do, leading toabandonment of such structures after some time.

In addition to the ridge to valley (Figure 3) approachwhich reduces the silt load reaching the check dam, acheap technique for desilting has been introduced in thedesign of the check dam itself, by providing severaloutlets at its ground basin level (Figure 8 and 9). Thesedesilting drains are closed on upstream side with a layerof brick masonry. In about 2-3 years, the villagers wouldneed to plow the basin with the help of tractor before thefirst monsoon rain and break open the desilting drainopenings.

In this region the distribution of monsoon rain is inintense spells with gaps in between. The first intensemonsoon rain would force the loosened silt out of thecheck dam through the drains. During the dry spellbetween two showers these openings are to be closedwith a layer of brick masonry like before, for waterstorage.

The silt which deposits outside the check dam is fertilesoil and can be used in agricultural fields. It can be carriedaway by villagers easily in carts from this place, unlike ifthey had to carry the ploughed silt from the basin of thecheck dam. Recharging Wells

In Ghaghas, there is a natural stream whichruns through the village during monsoon andthis water flows out without being used forrecharging the ground water. Two minorinterventions at an appropriate location havesignificantly reduced this waste (Figure 4 and5). It was observed that the Government hadearlier built three injecting wells near thestream but currently water from the streamwas not reaching them, thus these useful

Structures Cost per No. of Sehgal Community Total unit Units Foundation Contribution,

Contribution, per unitper unit (may be labor)

Reviving traditional 8,000 1 6,000 2,000 8,000structures*Check Dam in Ghaghas 4,50,000 1 3,70,000 80,000 4,50,000Well Recharging 15,000 1 10,000 5,000 15,000Roof Water Harvesting 5,000 1 4,000 1,000 per unit 5,000Soak Pit 150 56 50 per pit 100 per pit 8,400Chizel (deep plowing) 450 per acre 60 acres 150 300 27,000

Total Direct Cost 5,05,400Total Indirect Cost 1,00,000

(Sehgal Foundation's institutional cost for water management program in Ghaghas) Grand Total = Rs 6,05,4001* Repair of an earthern embankment and its stabilization with vetiver grass.

Table 1 : Cost (Rupees) of Interventions to Sustain the Ground Water in Ghaghas Time period : 2002 to 2004

Options Cost in Rupees SolvesHousehold models 4,50,000 capital + 60,000 Only Fluoridesof Defluorination filters : annual maintenanceIon Exchange (India) Ltd. & MytryCheck dam & 5,08,000 All contaminants other interventions & water depletion

Table 2: Cost comparison of Filters versus Check dam in Ghaghas


50

SEHGAL FOUNDATION workson integrated and sustainablevillage development in Mewat

region of Haryana. This goal isimplemented through four programs(1) Water Management (2) IncomeEnhancement (3) Family LifeEducation (4) Rural Health, and thesupport services of InfrastructureBuilding and Communications. Theapproach is participatory andprograms are organized around'Village Level Institutions' and'Village Champions'. The factorsresponsible for sustainability of anyrural development project are - motivational, financial,organizational and technical.

In Ghaghas the quantity of available ground waterwas inadequate and fast depleting, its quality too waspoor with high content of nitrates and fluorides . Sincethe ground water of Ghaghas is an important watersource for several neighboringvillages, they are also adverselyaffected. This scenario is nowimproved with the interventions.

As in many villages of India, thedomestic waste water flows into thestreets, creating dirty puddles whichare a breeding ground for pathogensand their carriers. This water is amedium by which the ground watergets contaminated due to opendefecation, open composting andexcessive use of chemical fertilizersand pesticides in the agriculture.

To address the high nitrate andfluoride contents found in thedrinking water, it was decided to

work on the quality of the water at the source itself ratherthan use other solutions like filters or water treatments .The logic adopted was to dilute the ground water withrain water, so that the nitrate and fluoride concentrationwould reduce to acceptable standards and at the sametime the ground water would be replenished.

Figure 6 : Soak pit - a mechanism for safe disposal of waste water

In village Agon, Ferozepur Jhirka Block

BEFORE Soak Pit AFTER Soak Pit

Figure 5: Ground-water Recharging through well in Ghaghas

Small masonry structure forcesflowing water into wells

Water diverted to nearby abandonedwell, through an inverted filter andunderground pipe

Holistic Solutions: 'ridge to valley'


11CASE STUDYCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

51

Figure 7 : Soak pit design

Figure 8 : Ghaghas Masonry Check Dam

In Ghaghas, a check dam was built at a locationupstream so that the runoff water from the Aravali hills isnot allowed to enter the village and get contaminated(Figure 1 and 2). A ridge to valley approach (Figure 3),was adopted by building gully plugs to slow down thespeed of water, thereby reducing soil erosion and the siltload entering the dam. Other options, including divertingnatural streams to recharging wells or injecting wells(Figures 4 and 5) are also an efficient way to add toground water. Even dry wells are structurally well?connected to the underground water table, while muchmore effort is required to find other parts of the villagewhere soil has good percolating ability right up to thewater table.

Safe disposal of domestic waste water is addressedthrough soak pits, which are simple and cheap drainage

structures facilitating the disposal, filtration andpercolation of wastewater into the ground (Figure 6, 7).

II. METHODOLOGYWorking with the Community As a first step, the requirements of the people areidentified at community meetings followed by survey ofthe region together with some villagers, their knowledgeis solicited, experts are brought in and SehgalFoundation's engineer works out a draft blueprint. Theblueprint has details of design, material, time?lines andcosts (Table 1), which is presented to the community. Thevillagers often modify it and also decide on what they cancontribute, since some contribution from them ismandatory by the Foundation's policy. In this wholeprocess the Village Level Institution , Village Champion

& Panchayat are involved.

Overcoming the Technical Challengeof Silting through InnovationsCheck DamEach year, the sedimentation of thesilt load brought by the rainwaterrunoff decreases the effective storagecapacity of check dams and thepercolation of water. Invariablyremoval of this silt from the storagebasin is laborious and expensive,which the villagers are usually notmotivated enough to do, leading toabandonment of such structures aftersome time.

In addition to the ridge to valley(Figure 3) approach which reducesthe silt load reaching the check dam,a cheap technique for desilting has


52



In Ghaghas the quantity of available ground waterwas inadequate and fast depleting, its quality too waspoor with high content of nitrates and fluorides . Sincethe ground water of Ghaghas is an important watersource for several neighboring villages, they are alsoadversely affected. This scenario is now improved withthe interventions.

As in many villages of India, the domestic waste waterflows into the streets, creating dirty puddles which are abreeding ground for pathogens and their carriers. This

water is a medium by which the ground water getscontaminated due to open defecation, open compostingand excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides inthe agriculture.

To address the high nitrate and fluoride contentsfound in the drinking water, it was decided to work onthe quality of the water at the source itself rather thanuse other solutions like filters or water treatments . Thelogic adopted was to dilute the ground water with rainwater, so that the nitrate and fluoride concentrationwould reduce to acceptable standards and at the sametime the ground water would be replenished.

In Ghaghas, a check dam was built at a locationupstream so that the runoff water from the Aravali hills isnot allowed to enter the village and get contaminated(Figure 1 and 2). A ridge to valley approach (Figure 3),was adopted by building gully plugs to slow down thespeed of water, thereby reducing soil erosion and the siltload entering the dam. Other options, including divertingnatural streams to recharging wells or injecting wells(Figures 4 and 5) are also an efficient way to add toground water. Even dry wells are structurally well?connected to the underground water table, while muchmore effort is required to find other parts of the villagewhere soil has good percolating ability right up to thewater table.

* For Correspondence. Email: [email protected]

a Website: www.smsfoundation.org, annual reports are posted

b High level of nitrates is due to agricultural chemicals.

c High level of fluorides is due to concentration of natural fluorides because of

depleting water quantity.

d Filters and water treatments have prohibitive costs for villagers, not easily available,

address only a few toxins and their adoption in each household cannot be ensured.

e The water in recharging wells cannot be used for drinking or domestic purpose; it

effectively percolates to the ground water table and gets naturally filtered by the soil

to become usable.

f Injecting wells are bored into the ground, have an inverted filter and a perforated

pipe leading into the ground to recharge the water table

g Village Level Institution is a local peoples' association, inspired by the Foundation,

which is dedicated to the benefit of the whole community, based on the needs of the

people, and is impartial to the socio?religious?economic dynamics of the village. The

Panchayat also works for village development but is a political body and is mostly

handed down funds for highly specific actions, as decided by the higher Government

authorities, often without consulting the local people.

h A Village Champion is a respected local person with leadership qualities, who acts

as a development cheer leader and has natural altruism in her/his personality to work

for the benefit of the whole village.

i The filter pit is first filled with the largest sized stones or brick pieces, the middle

layer has medium sized stones or brick pieces and the upper layer closest to the

ground has sand (Figure 6).

It took approx. 1 year for the dilution effects to to travel1.5 km underground, indicating that horizontalmovement of recharged water is a slow process.

Figure 10 : High nitrate & fluoride levels reduced due to check dam

Figure 9 : Silt Drains of Check dam

Silt Drains

Masonry Check dam

Silt deposition site,when drains opened

RECAPCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

53

W ater is essential for human survival. AlthoughIndia's average annual rainfall is adequate toprovide water for various uses by the billion

people living there, water scarcity has become the normin both the rural and urban areas of India. As AvinashRoul has reported in "India's Water Future,"(www.ecoworld.com/home/articles), efficient use ofwater correlates far better with the wealth of a countrythan how much water it has consumed. He also statesthat dramatic gains in the economic well-being of acommunity can be had by more efficiently using theavailable water than increasing it. A good water policythat encourages water conservation by such means asleakage prevention, efficient use of the available water,waste minimization, cleaner industrial production, waterpollution control, equitable allocation and pricing ofwater among competing users, and instituting strictenforcement of the prevailing regulations will go a longway in minimizing water scarcity and even in makingadditional water available for beneficial uses.

This Catalyst issue makes a small effort to describe amicrocosm of case studies mainly from India todemonstrate that water for drinking, industrial, andagricultural uses can be potentially made available andsustained in water scarcity areas. We hope that casestudies such as these and many others that are notincluded here have the potential to provide adequatewater to satisfy all the above needs in an efficient mannerif they are replicated around the country and mademandatory by the Central, State and Local governments.Immediate action is extremely necessary as watershortages are acute in many villages and cities in India.The situation in India is becoming critical day by day andit should be addressed by massive awareness campaignsand allocating adequate funding in India's current andfuture plans for properly managing all water resources tosustain the desired economic growth rate.

The linkages between water supply, wastewater andsewage disposal, and the resources in the wider waterdrainage basin have not been recognized in many partsof the country. The United Nations Human SettlementsProgramme published a book entitled "MeetingDevelopment Goals in Small Urban Centers, Water andSanitation in the World's Cities 2006" (unhabitat.org,ISBN-10; 1-84407-305x) which presents several casestudies from around the world of integrated waterresources management. These case studies can be ofvalue and should be studied for replication in India totackle water scarcity.

We hope that the case studies detailed here andelsewhere and other papers presented in this issue ofCatalyst will spur local action by the people living in citiesand villages to improve the quantity and quality of wateravailable to them. We also hope that citizens andstakeholders alike will get more involved to holdgovernment officials accountable for managing watersupply and wastewater collection, treatment, anddisposal in a cost effective manner. Credible nongovernmental agencies (NGOs) that have a good trackrecord should be encouraged to form private and publicpartnerships to play a bigger role in catalyzing propermanagement of water resources. One such NGO isArghyam (www.arghyam.org), who have written anarticle on the water portal being maintained by them(released by the Prime Minister of India on January 12,2007). This article shows how the required data andknowledge resources for managing water scarcity isreadily available on the portal(www.indiawaterportal.org) and can be accessed by all.

Minimizing water scarcity in India requiresinvolvement by the citizens at the Local, State andCentral government levels, and the pricing of water in amanner which improves conservation and promotesefficient use. Water, wastewater and sanitation shouldbe considered integral parts of water management andan integrated water resource management strategyshould be implemented.

DR. RAJARAM is an environmental engineerworking with Techknow Engineering inChicago, IL , an international consulting firmworking in the areas of energy and water. Hehas been in the US since 1970, and since 1996,has been active in doing environmentalprojects in India. He has completed severalwastewater treatment plants, solid and

hazardous waste management projects, and trained severalpeople in hazardous waste management. He is working withIIT Chicago to establish a Distance Learning Program inEnvrironmental Management throughout India. His passion isto improve India's environmental management practices. Hehas a Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin, and a J.D. inenvironmental law from IIT Chicago. He did hisundergraduate work in Osmania University in Hyderabad.

Tackling India's Water Scarcity

Vasudevan RajaramBoard Member, IDCA, Oak Brook, ILE-mail: [email protected]

NGO ACTIVITYCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

54

Empowering Grassroots for Sustainable Development in IndiaIDCA's Third International Conference

On January 10, 2007, India Development Coalition of America (IDCA) organized an International conference at PunjabHaryana Delhi (PHD) Chamber of Commerce House in New Delhi. Several dedicated social scientists and technologists,in the fields of sustainable livelihoods, healthcare, water, and education came together to share their experiences andexplore ways of helping lift India's over 650,000 villages from poverty. It was co-hosted by Education Promotion Societyfor India (EPSI- www.epsfi.org), and the Sehgal Foundation (www.smsfoundation.org), Gurgaon, Haryana. More than125 people representing various organizations from many parts of India and several NRIs participated in the 12-hourlong program.Both IDCA and EPSI are setting historic precedents in bringing together the finest minds and the highest ideals fromthe Diaspora as well as from within India herself. Welcoming the conference participants from throughout India, theU.S., England and other countries was IDCA's President, Dr. Mohan Jain. He emphasized on the need for promotingSustainable Development in India in light of looming global warming threat and need to use resources more frugallyto meet the needs of masses. He suggested two important references (Plan B 2.0, by Lester R. Brown, and Ecology ofCommerce, by Paul Hawken) to better understand these issues. Next Mr. Manohar Chellani, Secretary General of EPSI,introduced his organization, which in only eighteen months of existence has made great strides in living up to it'sname. EPSI has implemented programs, cut through government red tape and connected resources to projectsthroughout the country. Mr. Jay Sehgal made a brief presentation about the integrated rural development work doneby the Sehgal Foundation, Gurgaon, in nearby villages since 2001. Ms. Anjali Makhija, Group leader at the SehgalFoundation, Gurgaon, served as master of ceremony for this session.

Timothy Somers and Mohan Jain

YES Fund- A Global Fund for Youth EntrepreneurshipWednesday, February 7, 2007 at the India Habitat Center, New Delhi

New Delhi, India: The Youth Employment Summit (YES) Inc. is pleased to announce the official launch of its pilot sitein India to develop a replicable model for its project the Global Fund for Youth Entrepreneurship (YES Fund). This pilotinitiative is funded by Microsoft.

YES Inc. works with diverse stakeholders in over 80 countries to build partnerships and develop the capacity of youthto lead in-country youth employment initiatives, and build coalitions for addressing youth unemployment. YES Inc.offers a powerful youth led platform to engage their peers in the development efforts of their nation thoughtleadership and entrepreneurship.

YES Fund is a 2006 Clinton Global Initiative aimed at "building a coalition of partners all over the world to work oncreating markets and unleashing entrepreneurship". This goal would be largely achieved by orchestrating a globaltraining and development program that supports young people to identify business opportunities and participate in aglobal competition for 'at risk' capital and business development services. Microsoft is a core partner that is committedto working with YES Inc. to raise USD 25 million over the next three years.

The Networking MeetingJanuary 21st, 2007, Chennai (India)

About 35 grass-roots workers, representing the full range of rural and urban developmentissues, attended a daylong meeting at Asha Nivas, an NGO located in Nungambakkam inChennai. Smt Shantha Sheela Nair, ex-secretary in the rural development department ofthe Govt of Tamil Nadu, made a presentation on eco-san sanitation methods. Each attendee was requested to describe their work, their successes as well as theirchallenges. The afternoon session was structured along 4 themes, with the panelmembers taking questions from the audience. It was a common request that suchnetworking meetings be held at least once a year.

Ram Krishnan, e-mail: [email protected]

Meeting Reports


55

"Hearts over Horizon" - Share and Care Silver Jubilee in IndiaJanuary 26-27, 2007 at Rajkot, Gujarat

During the weekend of January 26, 2007, thirty-five Indian NGOs (Non-Governmental Organization) from all over Indiaconverged in Rajkot, Gujarat to connect their hearts with those from thousands of miles away residing in USA - the Share andCare Foundation. This was an attempt to continue work towards the common goal of service for rural masses of India to closethe gap of "haves and Have not".

The weekend meeting between Share and Care, its strategic partner- Life and its long-term partners was convened to begincelebration of Share and Care Foundation Silver Jubilee and its long-term partnership with the NGOs, discuss their successesand challenges, share experiences and chalk out programs and plans for the future. This two-day meeting was attended by 70representatives from 35 NGOs, staff and management from Life and 5 key members of Share and Care. As communicatedearlier, on Saturday morning, January 27, 2007 plenary session was attended by over 100 representatives. Share and CareFoundation took this opportunity to create awareness about Share and Care future thrust based on the analysis of theenvironment in rural India.

Share and Care stressed the need for concentrating its activities to accelerate development of rural youth, empowerment ofthe rural women and associated basic healthcare activities. A guest speaker, an expert on NGOs governance presented veryinteresting views about characteristics of a successful NGO. Specific activities encompassing the 3 major objectives as abovewere covered in conjunction with each group of NGOs working in the individual field during the breakout sessions for each ofthe 3 major areas. Each NGO was requested to present its work to date, future plans and challenges. Share and Care sessionchairs and moderators summarized the observations during each session to arrive at a list of action items towards achievingcommon goals of all attendees. Attendee's feedback stressed the value of this type of meeting and need for convening thismeeting on an annual basis.

We believe, this meeting created more camaraderie, better understanding of each others need, effective exchange of vitalinformation, potential formation of a self-help network of NGOs conducting synergistic activities with aligned goals, platformfor operational improvements and focus on needs as well as priorities. A team is being formed the develop follow-up plansand address the specific action items with an ultimate goal to sharpen our focus, improve performance, stretch our grantsfurther and make the activities sustainable, systemic and replicable.

For more information about Share and Care Foundation, please visit: www.shareandcare.org or call 201-262-7599

Jayant and Yogini Shroff E-mail: [email protected]

Development Congress discusses NGOs role

In order that India marched ahead rapidly on the path of development, several high profile speakers at a DevelopmentCongress held recently at the Nagarjuna University underscored the urgent need for a coordinated effort between therespective governments in different states, the local Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and universities. They felt thiswould go a long way in sharing experiences with each other, monitoring each other's activities and thus acting as catalyticagents in national development.

Four different sessions were held at the event, called AP Development Pre-Congress, on topics like 1) vision sharing; 2)Government-NGOs partnership; 3) Network of NGOs; and 4) Material management, with eminent personalities drawn fromdifferent fields of research and development acting as Resource Persons. Nagarjuna varsity hosted the event, in collaborationwith AFHD, Catalyst magazine, IFHD and Pragathi Welfare Society, the theme of which was 'Role of NGOs' in NationalDevelopment'. Acharya Dr. Balamohan Das, Vice-Chancellor of Nagarjuna University, inaugurated the event.

Dr. Sarvodaya Prasad and Dr. Srinivasa Rao wanted that NGOs should emerge as visionaries in national development. They mustconcentrate on basic needs like a) education; b) health; and c) poverty. Dr. Rao VBJ Chelikani, Mr. Ravikishore and Prof.Lakshmipathi Raju as well as representatives of a few NGOs had a captivating discussion on problems being faced bygovernments and NGOs in coming together to collaborate in national development and felt that a) government should extendall support to genuine NGOs in playing their role in the matter; b ) NGOs should motivate people to fully utilize all resourcesthat governments provide for public welfare; c ) NGOs should work in collaboration with local varsities; and d) media shouldhighlight the good work being done by NGOs.

Dr. Chelikani Rao emphasized the need to fight corruption and injustice at all levels in the process of development and for unityamong NGOs in the discharge of their responsibilities. Dr. Srinivasa Rao, who acted separately as Resource Person on MaterialManagement (Capacity Building and funds), wanted a platform for NGOs to share not only their experiences but also resourcesbetween themselves and seek little or no help from governments.

Speakers spoke highly about the remarkable role Catalyst magazine, being published in English, was playing in highlightingactivities of some honest NGOs and emerging in the process as a platform for all NGOs in the country. Dr. Srinivasa Raoannounced that the magazine would soon start coming out in Telugu language too.

The next AP Development Congress is expected to take place in November/December, 2007 by roping in all NGOs in the state.

(Catalyst Thanks Acharya Nagarjuna University for hosting this meeting)


56

THE AP Development Congress held in AcharyaNagarjuna University on 21st January, 2007identified a set of areas in which the University will

collaborate with NGOs by sharing ideas, experiences,expertise and other resources. These areas include childlabour, income generation, public health, street childrenand child trafficking. The cooperation has taken the formof field work training, placement of students, project work, lectures on developmental issues (i.e. HIV/ AIDS,environment protection, child abuse, gender andgerontology), involving both faculty and students inresearch projects undertaken by the NGOs. The University has rendered consultancy services to theNGOs by extending academic inputs, preparations ofproject proposals, drafting the constitution for the NGOsand guiding them in effective delivery of services usingprofessional skills and methods of social work.

Synergy and Networking of OrganizationsCooperation between the University and NGO enablesto: 1. Enlarge the organisations' area of operations, creating

synergies and networking.2. Achieve economies of scale, reducing expenses on

both sides, and improving efficiency by avoidingoverlapping and duplication of services.

3. Enrich and increase sophistication of the servicesprovided to the society, increasing general welfare.

Setting up University - NGO ForumRecent experiences in undertaking methodologicalresearch and other academic activities suggest that it isnecessary for all NGO functionaries working with various groups, such as women, children, youth, aged,scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward classeson a variety of subjects, including human rights, healtheducation and nutrition, to undertake trainingprogrammes. Such training should be designed to suit the

needs and requirements of the most vulnerable and weaksections of the society.

As part of the activities of the University - NGOForum, the Department of Social Work has taken on thedevelopment of efficiency of NGOs functionaries. Thisincludes preparation of training modules by involvingacademics and field experts, who would also organiseactivities such as group discussions, panel discussions, and workshops. The training modules would involvewriting of project proposals, implementation, monitoringand evaluation of projects. Seminars on researchmethodology and current trends in research would also be organized. The Department will also develop a Resource and Documentation Centre for the benefit ofNGOs working in the Krishna, Guntur and Prakasamdistricts.

Synergy and Networking Between University and NGOs

By Prof. M. Lakshmipathi Raju and Dr. V. Venkateswarlu, Acharya Nagarjuna University.

PROF. M. LAKSHMIPATHI RAJU, Head ofthe Department of Sociology has undertakenconsultancy work on 'Child Labour Project'sponsored by ILO and presently working incollaboration with Dr. M.C.R. HRD institute,Hyderabad, as an executing agency forsensitization and capacity buildingprogramme for elimination of child labour.

Contact: Head of the Department : Prof. M. Lakshmipathi RajuPhone Numbers : 0863 - 2293189

Acharya Nagarjuna University wasestablished in 1976. It started in 1967, as partof the Andhra University as Post-GraduateCentre in Nallapadu, Guntur. Since then, ithas achieved tremendous progress through

quantitative expansion and qualitativeimprovements. Professor Raju is Head of the

Department of Sociology, Social Work and IRPM, where Dr.Venkateswarlu is Assistant Professor.

"A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water. If a human does not absorb

enough water dehydration is the result."

PORTRAITCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

57

SRI KANURU Lakshmana Rao popularly known as Dr.K. L. Rao was born on June 06,1902 in the village ofKankipadu, Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh. He

was the youngest among four sons and a daughter of hisfather Sri Kanuru Mallikharjuna Rao, who was Karnam(village officer) of Punadipadu village of Krishna district.

After passing Secondary School Leaving Certificateexam in Vijayawada, he studied Intermediate inPresidency College in Madras and later graduated fromGuindy Engineering College in Madras. He worked for avery short time as Engineer of Vizag Municipality andmoved to Burma to earn money for higher studies inEngland. Later, he joined Madras PWD as JuniorEngineer, Mettur Dam. After completion of the dam, hejoined as Lecturer in Madras Engineering College. He wasthe first person to get Master of Science degree inEngineering from Madras University. He left for Englandin 1939 and obtained Ph.d in Engineering fromBirmingham University. Later, he served as senior lecturerin Lou Borough College in England.

He returned to India at the request of Chief Engineer,

Madras State PWD and was entrusted with the design ofRamapadasagar project across Godavari River nearPolavaram. He was sent to USA for finalizing designs forthis project.

At the invitation of Dr. A. N. Khosla, Chairman, hejoined as Director in Central Water, Irrigation andNavigation Commission in Delhi in 1950. He worked indifferent capacities as Director, Chief Engineer andmember design and research of the commission. Duringthis period, he was responsible for designs of majormultipurpose projects in the country like NagarjunaSagar, Srisailam, Hirakud, Kosi, Gandak, Farakka andKota, etc. The pinnacle of Dr. Rao's achievements was thedesign and construction of gigantic Nagarjuna Sagarmasonry dam, the highest dam of its kind. In this project,he was responsible for the choice of using stone quarriedlocally and the resultant deployment of indigenous skilledlabor and technical know-how.

After retiring from Govt service in 1961, he wasappointed as Minister for Irrigation and Power by PrimeMinister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1963. Dr.Rao had thedistinction of serving three Prime Ministers - Nehru,Shastri and Indira Gandhi. Interestingly, he held sameposition as Irrigation and Power Minister from 1963 till1973. During this time, most of the irrigation and powerprojects were designed and executed. He held manydistinguished positions like the Chairman of UnitedNations committee on Natural Resources, President ofthe Institute of Engineers in India, President of IndianInstitute of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineeringand Vice President of International Water ResourcesAssociation.

SATHIRAJU SANKARA NARAYANA wasborn in 1936 at Narsapur, in AndhraPradesh, India, completed his MastersDegree in Economics from Loyola College,Chennai and joined the services of All IndiaRadio in 1963. After working in variouscapacities for 32 years, he retired in 1995 asStation Director, Chennai. Sankara Narayana

hails from a family of artists. His father was a very creativeperson and his elder brother, Bapu is one of the most eminentartists of India and a well known Film Director. SankaraNarayana currently lives in Chennai, pursuing his passion fordrawing portraits.

A-3, 'Kothari Karuna', 71, Anna Street,Tiruvanmiyur, Chennai - 41 IndiaPh: 91-44-2442 4256 / 98403 72415E-mail: [email protected]

Dr. K. L. Rao

Water use is increasing by more than twice the rate of population growth.Improper management of water resources and industrial pollution are placing greatbarriers against access to safe drinking water in developing countries. Thus, drinkingwater can no longer be available for free; one has to pay a price. This trend wasfirst seen in respect of land, according to United Nations reports, then food and nowwater. The poor often pay the price with their lives. Every day, 3,800 children dieof and millions suffer from diseases associated with the lack of safe drinking waterand proper water sanitation.

Water is the cornerstone for human activity - agriculture and industry. Therefore,the development of a nation is dependent on how well water resources aremanaged. Rapid economic growth cannot be sustained without attention to water."Among China's 600 cities, 400 have water shortage," according to Mr Ma Jun, theauthor of a major study on China's water resources. He says, "that water shortagescould be the bottleneck to China's economic and social development." 1

Providing drinking water to all is possible. Only 5% of the 40 liters of minimumwater required for human activity is needed as drinking water. The Government ofIndia's Department of Drinking Water Supply, under ministry of Rural Development , had a project layout of over $1.1Billion USD for rural and other water supply schemes and US $2.347 Billion for sanitation last year. Of this fund,approximately 50% was released and only 25% was spent on projects.2

Fortunately, several foundations are trying to provide safe drinking water. (Visit India waterportal see page 25). Forexample, Naandi in Hyderabad offers a liter of water for Rs. 0.08 (US $0.018). The Byrraju Foundation model of waterpurification system (see page 12) can serve, if scaled up, 8,000 people per day with safe drinking water. India has 600,000villages in 250,000 graam panchayats - village administrative units - responsible for civic amenities for about 800 millionpeople. Approximately 100,000 safe drinking water units are needed to provide water to all of them. The cost per plant,at this scale of operation, can be $10,000 USD. The total amount needed for setting up the plants will be $1.0 Billion orless as all the plants need not require reverse osmosis technology. These plants can generate money and be self-sustainingthrough payments made by the users. Also, these plants can create some 2 million jobs for rural youth.

Mr. Mani Shankar Iyer, Minister of the Panchayat Raj, Government of India, proposes a 'Public, Private and PanchayatRaj Partnership' (PPPP). Providing safe drinking water should be the partnership's most important task. It is achievable.The technology and the money needed is available. Mr. P. Chidambaram, Finance minister of India, proposes to enhancethe allocation for Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission to Rs. 5, 850 crore ($1.3 Billion USD) in 2007-08. As for scaleand implementation, one can learn from the Akshaya Patra Foundation, which provides 535,557 hygienic and nutritiousmid-day meals to underprivileged school children everyday in cooperation with governments in four Indian states and willbe extending to others. This is an excellent example of public private partnership. Similarly, India can develop a largescale safe drinking water program that can be used by the other countries as well.

The important task is to raise the $100 million USD through PPPP to leverage resources that are already availble. Thiswill ensure supply of safe drinking water for all of rural India. The money collected from users @ Rs.0.10 per liter as wellas the sale of the excess water produced can repay the money rasied and have enough to set up all the needed 100,000plants in 4 years.This money can be raised as an investment from individuals, corporations and institutions interested inseeing a developed India. A water bond should be established. Bonds are a financing method by which money is raisedthrough a promise to repay at a fixed maturity date with interest. Chancellor Gordon Brown, London, UK has launched,in November 2006, a £2.1 Billion bond scheme aimed at saving 10 million children in the developing world from deadlydiseases. Reputed financial institutions and a team of dedicated NGOs should tap the 200,000 Non-Resident Indian and83,000 Indian millionaires and other philanthropists. Foreign remittances to India now stand at $23 Billion a year. Raising $100 million, in a year, for such an important goal should be possible.3

Email : [email protected]. www.chinadialogue.net/ 2. http://ddws.nic.in/ 3. http://www.pr-inside.com/india-s-foreign-exchange-reserves-are-r51952.htm

ESSAYCATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

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Water Bond For Safe Drinking WaterDR. SRINIVASA RAO

Accompanied by her children,a woman treks across adried-out lake in search ofwater in the western Indianstate of Gujarat. More than75 percent of India's ruralpopulation does not haveaccess to public watersupplies, the World Bankreports. Instead, groundwaterfills the needs. But when rainstops and temperatures soar,villagers -- as in this photo --go without.

It's an all too common sightfor India. Summer monsoonshowers pour down, settingin motion floods that destroyhomes, ruin roads anddevastate lives. In Gujarat,nearly half of the state'sirrigation dams overflows insummer, isolating entirecommunities. Here, a girlwaits for help in a floodedvillage in the western Indianstate of Gujarat.

Photo: Amit Dave / Reutershttp://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/dammed/photo.html

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