The importance of drinking water
The provision of 382 sanitary toilets in six villages in Morigaon and Kamrup-Rural districts of Assam; all these villages are now 100 per cent Open Defecation Free. Let’s now take a look at the two other aspects of the project implemented by Rashtriya Gramin Vikas Nidhi(RGVN), and which was fully funded by the CSR Programme of IFCI Limited.
Drinking Water before and after the Project
The drinking water intervention:
The drinking water situation in rural Assam is extremely grim, with people consuming untreated water from iron and bacteria-infested ponds, wells, streams and rivers. In many areas, consumption of untreated water polluted with fluoride and/or arsenic has resulted in severe health problems (physical deformities caused by fluorosis, arsenic poisoning).
Equally
serious is the
problem of non-availability
of even
raw water in many villages
in the winter season, which typically extends from November to April, when most sources
of ground and surface water dry up. To ameliorate this problem,
IFCI-RGVN came up with an indigenously designed solar-powered
piped-water supply system which has
been successfully implemented
in five villages.
Water sourced from a shallow bore-well is pumped by a submersible solar pump, aerated, and clarified and purified by lime and alum (a low-cost yet effective solution, using locally available purification agents). The treated water is then pumped up, via a
The solar energy initiative:
With the government according high priority to rural electrification in recent years, India’s rural households are now being connected to the electricity grid at a rapid pace. However, a major lacuna is the lack of electricity in local schools and community-centre’s; most poor and under-privileged rural communities can neither afford the one-time cost of getting electricity connections, nor the recurring cost of monthly electricity charges for such essential community facilities.
Responding to this need, five rooftop solar nano grids were provided under the IFCI-RGVN project, to two schools
and three community-centre’s in the
project area for powering
indoor lights, fans and street lights. With bright lights and whirring
fans in their classrooms, students in these schools can now study in comfort.
The community-centre’s, equipped with indoor lights, fans and street lights
allow the villagers to congregate
and conduct community activities
in comfort, anytime of day or night. As
in the case of drinking water, beneficiaries
contribute a nominal monthly amount of Rs. 15 to Rs. 25 per household to the Village Committee to cover operation
costs and long-term repairs and maintenance of
the solar system(s).
The way forward:
It is indeed a pity that only a handful of corporate houses (e.g. IFCI Limited and Assam Gas Company Limited) have so far committed significant funds under their CSR Programmes for providing high quality and durable toilets, drinking water supply systems, and solar energy solutions in the true spirit of PURA (Providing Urban-amenities to Rural Areas), the brainchild of India’s former President, the late APJ Abdul Kalam. Here’s an illustration of what our governments and bureaucrats can do. Acting on RGVN’s request, the eight km. stretch of road between Chandubi Beel and Bherbheri Village (and the five decaying wooden bridges there in), which once looked like a scene from war-torn Afghanistan, were rebuilt by the Deputy Commissioner of the then Kamrup-Rural District within a mere six weeks. More such initiatives can completely transform our rural landscape!
And
finally, we share below
our experience-based
perspective on what can be achieved with an allocation of Rs. one
core for transformation of a
typical 100 household village/community-cluster in the
State: (a)
Good quality sanitary toilets to
each and every
household; (b) A reliable solar-powered community drinking water supply
system; (c) Infrastructure upgrade and renovation of
a local LP
School and a Community centre, including
provision of solar-powered
lights, fans and street lights;
(d) Comprehensive training and hands-on technical sup-port for Rural Livelihood
and Income Enhancement; and (e)
Solar-powered irrigation pumps
to facilitate winter-cropping.
No comments: