Catalyst

A PLATFORM FOR PEOPLE, PROJECTS & PROGRESS

FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT MARCH 2007

WATER
Safe Drinking Water
Rain Water Harvesting
Facing the Water Crisis
Waste Water Management
India Water Portal
Water Bond
compiled by Ms. Shivangini Tandon, Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, USA.’
 TEAM 03
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Catalyst
EDITORIAL TEAM
Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy
Chief Editor
chiefeditor@afhd.org
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Ms. Bharati Kalasapudi

— An insight into the complex Mr. Nasy Sankagiri
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attempt to provide solutions. Ms. Padmaja Ayyagari
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TITLE PAGES OF FIRST FOUR ISSUES OF CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
HIGHLIGHTS OF JANUARY '06 ISSUE
u Scaling up Primary Education Services in Rural India
u Healthcare in India
u Water Management in 21st Century - Policy and Planning
u Food and Nutrition Through Value Addition to Agri Resources
u Scaling up Primary Health Services in Rural India
u Cross-Fertilization Needed Between Universities & Scientific Labs
u Balasakhi - A Village Voice
u NRI Pioneers - Catalytic Agents for Development

HIGHLIGHTS OF APRIL '06 ISSUE

u Agenda For the Nation: An Approach
u Economic Reforms in India - The Unfinished Agenda
u A Villager's Agenda For a Healthy India
u Consumer Movement - An Agenda
u India's Development - Agenda for NRIs
u Stop Child Poverty
u Could Our Classrooms Shape India's Destiny
u Unscrupulous NGOs are Denting Movement

HIGHLIGHTS OF OCTOBER '06 ISSUE

u Scaling up Primary Education Services in Rural India
u Healthcare in India
u Water Management in 21st Century - Policy and Planning
u Food and Nutrition Through Value Addition to Agri Resources
u Scaling up Primary Health Services in Rural India
u Cross-Fertilization Needed Between Universities & Scientific Labs
u Balasakhi - A Village Voice
u NRI Pioneers - Catalytic Agents for Development

HIGHLIGHTS OF JANUARY '07 ISSUE

u Non Resident Indians' contributions - Answering a Call to Ation
u Eliminating Elephantiasis and Waterborne Diseases
u Association for India's Development - Improving Literacy in Rural India
u Leading India toward Millennium Development Goals
u How Can NRIs Help in Poverty Alleviation
u Is Mega Philanthropy Going to Make a Difference?
u Nobel Peace Prize 2006 - Muhammad Yunus
u Indian National Development Congress
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 CONTENTS 07
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

PREFACE

08 h Preface by Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy WATER

18 h Water Wars:
WATER National Problems
10 h Case Study of Bhavani River Basin from a Regional
12 h Safe Drinking Water in Villages: A Step Perspective
towards Rural Transformation
15 h Rain Barrels Catalyze Water Harvesting
17 h Empowering Indian Communities to Face
the Water Crisis 21 h Rain Centre in
19 h WaterHealth International Partners with
Chennai, India
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
WATER RIGHTS
30 h 'Oorani'- Rain Water Harvesting for Villages
40 h Get Real, Coke:
32 h Pala Thulli - Community Wide Rain Water Water Rights
Harvesting Protest
33 h Integrated Water Systems Management in
South Asia - A Framework for Research
34 h The Benefits of WaterPartners
International's Water Credit Initiative SOCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
36 h Innovative Approaches to Water Projects 44 h Examples of
in India Social Contribution
38 h IIM Kozhikode Runs on Rainwater from IIT Madras
39 h China's Water Crisis Alumni
WASTE MANAGEMENT

41h Benefits of Using Wastewater in the

CASE STUDY
Production of Agricultural Products
42 h Promoting Effective Waste M anagement: 45 h Gravity Head Ensures
The Clean Himalaya Initiative
a Green Plant and
Sustainability: A
NGO ACTIVITY Case Study of
54 h Meeting Reports Gangtok City
PORTRAIT

57 h Portrait of Dr. K.L. Rao 47 h Sustainable Rural

Water
ESSAY

58 h Water Bond for Safe Drinking water, Essay

Management - A
Replicable
by Dr. Srinivasa Rao
Case Study
08 PREFACE
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

W
hile several aspects of India's multi dimensional water crisis have been discussed
in this issue of Catalyst, there are many which remain conspicuous by their
absence. 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 the
inefficient 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 water
for growing different crops, supplying water as free good versus collecting full or partial
cost of supplying, supplying at least 50 liters per person per day of clean water to all and
resolving interstate water conflicts are some of the other water related issues remain
uncovered in this issue.

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

No substance is more valuable than water, but none is likely to be more free. In Wealth of
Nations, Adam Smith has referred to this phenomenon as "Diamond-water paradox". We all
know that any good that is available for free is likely to be misused. Still it is difficult to find
NGOs who have the courage to convince the government to price water either in residential
sector for drinking purpose or agricultural sector for producing food crops. In the case of
power sector, at least the central government having realized the folly of giving free power
to 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 wells
are going deeper. As wells go deeper, arsenic and saltwater can begin to seep in. Already in
Punjab brackish water has infiltrated in several places. There can be no two opinions on the
need to support farmers and so also the poor who are below the poverty line. At the same
time, studies after studies have shown that subsidies do not reach the intended
beneficiaries. In this case these subsidies have created huge problems. Free power along
with 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 security
has not yet got the attention it deserves in India. Contamination of water is causing havoc
throughout India causing totally avoidable illness like diarrhoea and sometimes even killing
people. India's NGO movement need to take this problem on a war footing since the
government machinery is totally incapable of solving it despite having many laws and
regulations.

History has shown that from the time of Sumeria water has been a principle source of
conflicts between nations. We in India have started to see the first signs of water conflict
between states in recent years. These can result in constitutional crisis. At this issue goes
to 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 sound
methodology to settle such interstate water problems in a more objective and scientific way
keeping aside the political and emotional factors.
Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy
10 WATER
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
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.
I
N INDIA, like in many other developing countries in
South Asia, water scarcity and deterioration in water
quality threaten the basics of food security and the
foundation of society. Increase in population, escalated
competition from urbanization, growing urban-rural
conflicts over water, over-exploitation of ground water,
frequent droughts and floods are the major water
management issues that the country faces. Managing
competing demands from irrigation, urban and rural
drinking, industrial sectors and minimum flows for
environmental purpose, has become a major challenge in
21st century. The existing system of sectoral
arrangements for water management is no longer
adequate, and there is an urgent need for an integrated
approach to deal with these challenges. Integrated Water
Resources Management (IWRM), through River Basin
Organisations (RBOs), is the main strategy advocated for
achieving better water management and sustainable
development of natural resources. It is also emphasized
as one of the means of achieving the Millennium
Development Goal (MDG) of reducing poverty.
IWRM and River Basin Management (RBM) in India -
Policy Issues
India accepted IWRM and RBM as a strategy for water
resources development in 1992 following the Dublin
conference. However, the progress on this was dismal
until 1998, when the Government of India appointed a
committee to recommend ways and means for
Integrated Water Resources Planning and Development.
The committee recommended the river basin as a unit for
Integrated Water Resources Planning and Development.
Map 1 Location of the Bhavani river
basin in the Indian sub continent
DR. A. RAJAGOPAL is a Development
Economist with a Ph.d from Centre For
Development studies, Trivandrum affiliated
to Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Since 1991 he has been working on a number
of policy issues in water resources
management. Presently he is Executive
Director of SaciWATERs (South Asian
Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resources Studies),
Hyderabad.
The National Water Policy, 2002 also emphasized the
importance of river basin management. It left the scope
and power of the basin organisations to be decided by
the states themselves. Most of the rivers in India are
inter-state in nature, and hence, there is a need for a
comprehensive approach to address the many issues of
river basin management. However, in practical terms, the
experience in RBM is very limited and the country has to
go a long way in realizing the benefits of IWRM through
RBM.
India has few RBOs and all of them are managed by
the State. They are not functioning well due to excessive
control by the State, and the interests of stakeholders,
especially the poor, are hardly represented in the
management. Given this, it is necessary to explore the
scope for an alternative bottom-up approach that
involves stakeholders. This article analyses the
opportunities and constraints for such an approach in the
Bhavani river basin in South India.
Case Study of Bhavani River Basin
Bhavani is an important tributary of the Cauvery River in
its mid-reach in Tamilnadu. The river originates from the
Silent Valley forest of Kerala, and flows in the south-
eastern direction for 217 kms. The total area of the
Bhavani 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-purpose
reservoir project, constructed mainly for water storage
and distribution to canal systems in the basin. The
reservoir is also used for hydel power generation and
fishing. Apart from this, water diversion dams, viz.
Kodiveri and Kalingarayan, divert water into different
canal systems that have existed for centuries. The Upper
part of the basin is not well developed and depends
mostly upon ground water and rain for agriculture. The

mostly upon ground water and rain
for agriculture. The river plays an
important role in the economy of
Coimbatore and Erode districts by
providing water for agriculture, drinking,
industrial purposes and for over all
economic development. Due to an
increase in population, unplanned
expansion in the command area, and
increase in the demand for domestic and
industrial water supply, the basin is
already 'closing' and stressed. There is
intense competition among water users
and a sizeable gap between demand and
supply in the agriculture and domestic
sectors.
There are conflicts between the old
settlers and the new command farmers
regarding water use in the basin. Under the 'riparian
principles', the old 'ayacutdars'- command farmers - were
entitled to 11 months water supply for growing two or
three paddy crops or annual crops like sugarcane, banana
etc, whereas the new 'ayacut' farmers could only grow a
single paddy crop or a dry crop like maize in a year. As
long as water supply in the dam was adequate, the
conflict was not pronounced. However, in 2002 the
supply was at an all time low and water was not released
to the new command areas at all. This prompted the new
'ayacutdars' to file a case in the High Court seeking water
supply for at least one crop. The court asked the
Government to prepare a compromise formula for
sharing water among farmers, but this was rejected by
them, Negotiations organized by local politicians also
failed. The court, in its interim order, has asked the State
to obtain its permission before opening the dam each
season. Thus, the conflict situation led to the intervention
of the court in the operation of the reservoir, instead of
the normal procedure of operation by the Irrigation
Department.
There is also a conflict between upstream and down
stream users of the water in the basin. Many upstream
users have resorted to direct pumping from the river and
this has resulted in a court case by the down stream
farmers. Thus, it is seen that farmers have increasingly
resorted to legal remedies rather than their own
negotiated efforts. There are also other issues in basin
water management such as increase in demand for water
for domestic and industrial uses, and the problem of
pollution of the water by industries. Farmers affected by
pollution have sought legal remedies and have got closed
some of the polluting textile and chemical units, which
has affected employment opportunities in the area.
Importance of Multi-Stakeholders Dialogue (MSD)
WATER
WATER 11
11
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Map 2;Bhavani basin map with
rivers and tributaries
Approach
The basin water management situation has become
precarious due to the uncoordinated actions of
stakeholders. Based on our studies and meetings with
different stakeholders (organized by SaciWATERs and
Tamilnadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore), we
realized the need for involving the stakeholders in the
efforts of the State in addressing the issues of water
resources management in an integrated manner.
Consequently, we organized a Multi-Stakeholders
Dialogue meeting in 2005 wherein farmers, NGOs,
government departments, industrialists, social activists,
etc. discussed various issues. In that meeting, the
stakeholders agreed to establish a forum to discuss these
issues further rather than resorting to court cases and
agitations. The work of the forum, which is likely to
become an RBO in the future, continues.
Lessons from the experience: The action research in
the Bhavani basin has brought out the following lessons:
l There is a need for coordinated action by the State in
planning for the development of water resources in an
area and the river basin offers the scope for such
planning as a logical -hydrological unit.
l Stakeholders increasingly resort to legal courses (when
they lack faith in the existing mechanism) that are costly
and time consuming.
l The role of an external party, as an unbiased facilitator,
is important in building confidence among different
stakeholders in undertaking stakeholders' dialogues.
l Stakeholders gain faith in the process of dialogues and
negotiated settlement of problems only when the
participation of the State is assured.
l The 'bottom-up approach' needs to be built up as a part
of the State programme on a large scale.
Dr. A. Rajagopal
Email: rajagopal@saciwaters.org
12 WATER
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
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.
W
ATER, ONE of nature's most important gifts to
mankind, is an essential element to good
health. Though 70% of the earth's
geographical area is covered by water, only 1% of it is
potable, the rest being unsafe for consumption. Natural
water sources, especially rivers, canals, ponds, wells, etc.
are being exploited, mistreated and contaminated,
making drinking from them unsafe. Unlike in the inland
areas, in delta regions, an adequate quantity of water is
made available for drinking purposes, often through
irrigation canals and sometimes through subsurface
sources. Over the years, however, the canal water has
become highly polluted with presence of physical and
chemical impurities, as well as harmful bacteria.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that
more than 1.1 billion people across the globe draw water
from unsafe sources, causing widely spread diseases like
diarrhoea. Nearly 70% and 80% of these people live in
rural areas. It is difficult to control the quality of drinking
water even in the most developed countries, and small
community water supplies frequently fail on basic
microbiological quality and other physical impurities, like,
suspended solids in case of surface water, and total
dissolved solids (TDS) mostly in ground water.
The Byrraju Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation
dedicated to rural transformation, has embarked upon
providing safe drinking water, conforming to WHO's
standards, and improving the quality of life in 156
villages. In most of these villages, tests conducted on the
available water indicated failure in meeting the drinking
standards, even after filtration and chlorination. To
address this issue, the Foundation concluded that one
viable option was to separate the drinking water from the
rest of the water supplied through Rural Water Supply
(RWS) scheme in villages.
Foundation's Efforts Towards Provision Of Safe
Drinking Water in the Villages
The Foundation is presently working across East
Godavari, Guntur, Krishna, Ranga Reddy, Visakhapatnam
and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh, directly
impacting over million people, and over double that
number indirectly. Its interventions are in the fields of
healthcare, education, adult literacy, water environment,
sanitation, agri-advisory services and livelihoods. The
vision for the water programme is to provide safe
drinking water, as per WHO standards, in all the
participant villages.
Supply of Drinking Water in Villages
Improvement in the quality of drinking water significantly
benefits the health and well being of people. 63% of
villages the Foundation is working in are dependent on
irrigation canals, while the remaining 37% are dependent
on ground water. Under RWS Scheme, most of the
villages, especially in delta region, have a pond, fed by
the irrigation canal at regular intervals, and storing the
required quantity of water. The water in the pond is
passed through slow sand filters (SSF) followed by
chlorination and pumping into an overhead tank for
distribution through a system of pipes.
The quality of raw water in the pond is extremely
poor, resulting in frequent clogging of SSFs, which are
designed for the raw water turbidity up to 30 NTU.
However, the actual turbidity is much higher, especially
during the monsoons, going up to 130 NTU. The SSFs
are designed for 16 hours operation, with 3-phase
power, so as to supply 40 litres of treated water per
capita per day. The 3-phase power is only available for 6-
7 hours a day in most of the villages, making it necessary
to pump untreated water as well. Furthermore, lack of
adequate funds does not allow proper maintenance
of the SSFs.
DANDU RADHA PRASADA RAJU holds
doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering
joined the Government of India two decades
ago. Presently, while holding the position of
Adviser in Department of Science and
Technology, he is on sabbatical for over 3
years with Byrraju Foundation, an NGO
dedicated to rural transformation, working
in 172 villages across 6 districts of Andhra Pradesh, impacting
a million people. His association with Byrraju Foundation
resulted in setting up of a number of community based water
plants, in public private partnerships, providing safe drinking
water in 130 villages on sustainable basis. Byrraju Foundation
has been awarded 'Best Water NGO-Water Quality' in India
during 2006-07 by Water Digest and UNESCO.

(In case of conventional treatment, membranes, high pressure pump and softner are not needed)
Tests on water samples from 153 villages of West
Godavari, East Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Ranga
Reddy districts, supplied through RWS scheme, after
filtration and chlorination, indicated the presence of
coliform, turbidity, chlorides and other physical and
chemical impurities. It was observed that 78% of the
samples did not meet the safe requirements on account
of the above parameters. If the need for 0.2 ppm of
residual chlorine is also considered, 96% villages failed in
meeting such norms. In case of upland areas, which
depend on ground water, high levels of TDS, including
fluorides, in excess of WHO norms, were observed.
Foundation's Initiatives in Supply of Pure Drinking
Water
In order to reduce the levels of pollution in the irrigation
canals, various initiatives like treating and diverting liquid
waste into the drainage canals, converting solid waste
into compost manure, burying dead animals, and so on,
must be followed. Addressing these issues is a gigantic
task, requiring a lot of resources, time and effort. When
the Foundation highlighted the bad condition of SSFs, the
Government made a one-time intervention, taking very
limited measures in terms of repair and maintenance.
However, realising the problems, the Foundation
developed a strategy to address the situation.
Strategy for the Supply of Pure Water
Out of 40 litres per capita per day supplied by RWS,
about 2 litres - 5% of the total - are used for drinking and
need to be supplied to the villages. Since it is much easier
to raise 5% of the water to drinking standards rather
than the entire quantity, the Foundation came up with
WATER 13
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
the idea of setting up one plant for every three villages
producing 1000-2000 litres of pure water an hour, to be
operated by trained youth from the villages, who ensure
sustainability by collecting user charges. The quality of
the produced water is strictly monitored and local Science
Colleges are involved in regular testing and controls.
A pilot plant, named Sujala, was set up in July 2004 in
a village called Gollalakoderu (near Bhimavaram in West
Godavari district), jointly supported by Gram Panchayat,
Village Community and Byrraju Foundation. Based on its
success and the responses from other villages, 45 plants
have been set up (as on March 2007) in as many villages
on Public-Private Partnership model.
A schematic diagram outlining the purification system
is given above with a period.
Operation and Maintenance of Sujala plants
In order to ensure 100% satisfactory performance of the
Sujala plants, the quality of input water is checked
thoroughly for various parameters like turbidity, physical
and chemical impurities, and bacteria, on a continuous
basis. Based on the levels of impurities and bacteria, the
process parameters are set for effective removal of the
same. To overcome the power-cuts, the plant is operated
on single-phase for 12-16 hours a day on flexible timings,
using voltage stabilisers for maintaining quality of the
power. 100% standby for all the critical components, like
pumps, motors, UV lamps, voltage stabilisers, multi-port
valves and adequate stocks of consumables are ensured.
Annual maintenance contract is entered into, initially for
5 years, with the suppliers of the plant to ensure trouble
free operation. For every 5 Sujala water plants, a
maintenance team, deployed within close vicinity of the
14 WATER
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

W
ATER, ONE of nature's most important gifts to
mankind, is an essential element to good
health. Though 70% of the earth's
geographical area is covered by water, only 1% of it is
potable, the rest being unsafe for consumption. Natural
water sources, especially rivers, canals, ponds, wells, etc.
are being exploited, mistreated and contaminated,
making drinking from them unsafe. Unlike in the inland
areas, in delta regions, an adequate quantity of water is
made available for drinking purposes, often through
irrigation canals and sometimes through subsurface
sources. Over the years, however, the canal water has
become highly polluted with presence of physical and
chemical impurities, as well as harmful bacteria.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that
more than 1.1 billion people across the globe draw water
from unsafe sources, causing widely spread diseases like
diarrhoea. Nearly 70% and 80% of these people live in
rural areas. It is difficult to control the quality of drinking
water even in the most developed countries, and small
community water supplies frequently fail on basic
Cost of Sujala Plant:
1. Cost of building(civil construction) 500 sq feet : Rs 300,000
2. 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
microbiological quality and other physical impurities, like,
suspended solids in case of surface water, and total
dissolved solids (TDS) mostly in ground water.
The Byrraju Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation
dedicated to rural transformation, has embarked upon
providing safe drinking water, conforming to WHO's
standards, and improving the quality of life in 156
villages. In most of these villages, tests conducted on the
available water indicated failure in meeting the drinking
standards, even after filtration and chlorination. To
address this issue, the Foundation concluded that one
viable option was to separate the drinking water from the
rest of the water supplied through Rural Water Supply
(RWS) scheme in villages.
Foundation's Efforts Towards Provision Of Safe
Drinking Water in the Villages
The Foundation is presently working across East
Godavari, Guntur, Krishna, Ranga Reddy, Visakhapatnam
and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh, directly
impacting over million people, and over double that
number indirectly. Its interventions are in the fields of
healthcare, education, adult literacy, water environment,
sanitation, agri-advisory services and livelihoods. The
vision for the water programme is to provide safe
drinking water, as per WHO standards, in all the
participant villages.

Requirement of Infrastructure: Supply of Drinking Water in Villages

Connected load (single-phase): 5 KW (for RO plant), 3 KW Improvement in the quality of drinking water significantly
(non-RO plant) benefits the health and well being of people. 63% of
Land (for building) : 1500 sq ft (near main water villages the Foundation is working in are dependent on
source of Gram Panchayat) irrigation canals, while the remaining 37% are dependent
on ground water. Under RWS Scheme, most of the
Ecomomics of Operation:
villages, especially in delta region, have a pond, fed by
a. Rated capacity of plant : 1000 litres per hour
(output-RO process) the irrigation canal at regular intervals, and storing the
b. Number of hours of operation : 7 hours required quantity of water. The water in the pond is
c. Production of pure water : 6500 litres a day passed through slow sand filters (SSF) followed by
(minimum/average) chlorination and pumping into an overhead tank for
d. Distribution of water : 6000 litres a day distribution through a system of pipes.
(minimum/average) The quality of raw water in the pond is extremely
e. Expenditure (per month): : Rs 17500
poor, resulting in frequent clogging of SSFs, which are
- Emoluments/wages : Rs 7500
(operator/helper- 3 persons @ Rs 2500 pm) designed for the raw water turbidity up to 30 NTU.
- Power (Rs 4 per unit, 20 units a day) : Rs 2500 However, the actual turbidity is much higher, especially
- Consumables : Rs 2000 during the monsoons, going up to 130 NTU. The SSFs
(alum, chlorine, detergent, filters, etc) are designed for 16 hours operation, with 3-phase
- Annual maintenance charges : Rs 2000 power, so as to supply 40 litres of treated water per
- Depreciation : Rs 2000
Prasada Raju
- Incidental expenses : Rs 1500
Email: prasadarajudr@yahoo.com
f. Collection of user charges(@ 12.5 paise a litre): Rs 22500
References:
g.Surplus : Rs 5000 Statistics on water:
‘The facility of levying concessional tariff for consumption of power, as
WaterPartners International http://www.water.org/resources/waterfacts.htm
allowed to Public water Schemes in villages, usually 10% of normal rate Aquastat http://www.fao.org/ag/agl/aglw/aquastat/main/index.stm
as mentioned above, reduces the charges for running of plant making the Byrraju Foundation: http://www.byrrajufoundation.org/villagesfaq.htm
unit break-even at 5300 litres of water distributed a day’. Statistics: http://www.unicef.org/wes/index_statistics.html

Rain Barrels Catalyze Water Harvesting
Rainwater 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.
T
he potential of rainwater harvesting has been much
talked about in recent times. But that an ordinary
plastic water storage drum, connected to the roof
through a pipe, can harvest water is a fact that many
citizens in the Bangalore-Mysore region of India find
surprising.
The Rainwater Club of Bangalore is an organization
intent on disseminating information on rainwater
harvesting. It is run by S.Vishwanath, a water activist of
international repute. When Vishwanath showed a small
plastic drum that collects rainwater to a team of women
slum dwellers of Chamarajpet, Bangalore, they
exclaimed, "Ishtena, ishtena?" (Is it this simple, this
simple?).
These women will now install rainwater tanks in at
least 200 houses with the help of a local NGO,
Rayapuram Development Society.
On another occasion, a Gram Panchayat member
from Anekal was so moved by this simple idea that he
immediately decided to build a 10,000 litre Rainwater
Storage tank in his village.
This system, presented to the slum women and Gram
Panchayat member, is called a 'Rain Barrel', "A simple way
for people to start harvesting rainwater", according to
Vishwanath.
Most people are not aware of how much rainwater
pours on their house-site or campus, and are not
psychologically 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 catalyst
for rainwater harvesting.
The rain barrel system is based on an ordinary plastic
rainwater storage drum
A rain barrel connected available anywhere. The
to the roof through a
PVC pipe. capturing area (roof or
terrace) is cleaned once
at the beginning of the
monsoon. Due to the
gravitational pull, the
rain that falls on the
roof reaches the drum
through a PVC down
pipe. For convenience,
the rain barrel is placed
on a platform 18 inches
above the ground to
facilitate the drawl of
WATER 15
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
SHREE PADRE is a journalist with many
years of experience in agricultural reporting.
He is the author of several books, including
one on rainwater harvesting, published by
Altermedia.
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 run
out. After 2-3 rains, the valve is closed and the rainwater
flows into the barrel. On top of the drum is a filter to
improve the quality of the collected rainwater. This is a
small-perforated aluminium/stainless steel basin with two
layers of sponge on it. Regarding the thickness of the
sponge, Vishwanath says, "Oh! Don't worry much on
this. If sponge is not easy available, you can place a
three-fold layer of ordinary dhoti."
The sponge filter can be seen from the outside, and
when it is visibly clogged, it is cleaned by washing in a
bucket of water. Cleaning 3 or 4 times in a year may be
enough and there
is no need to
replace the sponge
sheet.
A rain barrel
can collect a
substantial amount
of water, given it is The rain barrel's filter is sponge.
emptied every time
it rains. Assuming that the user empties the barrel once
everyday (during the rainy season), a 50 sqm roof,
connected to a 500 litre rain barrel, can collect nearly
23,000 litres of rainwater in a year, under Bangalore
conditions. Similarly, a 1000 litre rain barrel can collect
nearly 35,000 litres of water in a year. In many parts of
Kerala, with over 100 days of rain annually, a 500 litre
can collect around 40,000 litres!
The space required for a 500 litre rain barrel is four
cubic 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. The
water collected can be used to recharge open wells or
bore wells. Using a hosepipe and a Zero-B type filter,
which costs about Rs 60, the tap can be connected to the
16 WATER
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

T
he potential of rainwater harvesting has psychologically prepared to accept such water as
been much talked about in recent times. potable. "It is this entry barrier that is most
But that an ordinary plastic water storage difficult to break", opines Vishwanath. Here the
drum, connected to the roof through a pipe, can rain barrel comes in handy, easing away the
harvest water is a fact that many citizens in the mental block, and serving as a catalyst for
Bangalore-Mysore region of India find surprising. rainwater harvesting.
The Rainwater Club of Bangalore is an S.VISHWANATH The rain barrel system is based on an ordinary
organization intent on disseminating information of Bangalore's plastic rainwater storage drum available
on rainwater harvesting. It is run by Rainwater Club anywhere. The capturing area (roof or terrace) is
S.Vishwanath, a water activist of international cleaned once at the beginning of the monsoon.
repute. When Vishwanath showed a small plastic drum Due to the gravitational pull, the rain that falls on the
that collects rainwater to a team of women slum dwellers roof reaches the drum through a PVC down pipe. For
of Chamarajpet, Bangalore, they exclaimed, "Ishtena, convenience, the rain barrel is placed on a platform 18
ishtena?" (Is it this simple, this simple?). inches above the ground to facilitate the drawl of water
These women will now install rainwater tanks in at by a bucket or by using a hosepipe.
least 200 houses with the help of a local NGO, A gate valve is fitted at the end of the down pipe to
Rayapuram Development Society. allow the water from the first rains of the season to run
On another occasion, a Gram Panchayat member out. After 2-3 rains, the valve is closed and the rainwater
from Anekal was so moved by this simple idea that he flows into the barrel. On top of the drum is a filter to
immediately decided to build a 10,000 litre Rainwater improve the quality of the collected rainwater. This is a
Storage tank in his village. small-perforated aluminium/stainless steel basin with two
This system, presented to the slum women and Gram Shree Padre
Panchayat member, is called a 'Rain Barrel', "A simple way Email: shreepadre@sancharnet.in
for people to start harvesting rainwater", according to Rainwater Club
Vishwanath. #264, 6TH Main, 6th Block, Vidyaranyapura, BEL Layout,
Most people are not aware of how much rainwater Bangalore 560097. Phone: +91-80-23641690
pours on their house-site or campus, and are not http://www.rainwaterclub.org

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

Water treatment
At Motor Industries, we employ technologies like Extended Aeration, Reverse Osmosis and Ion Exchange for
treatment and reuse of domestic and process waste water. This has resulted in 40% reduction of fresh water usage.
Treated effluent
About 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 treated
effluent.

Rain water harvesting

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

by K.P. Murthy, Mico Bosch, India


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.
F
RESH WATER, that was once considered to be an
infinitely renewable natural resource, is no longer
available in plenty. Several countries are now
experiencing serious fresh water supply problems on
account of increasing demand due to population
pressure, over exploitation, rapid growth in agriculture,
industry and urbanization. In India, the per capita water
availability, which was over 5,000 cubic meters per
annum in 1950, has now come down to less than 2,000
cubic meters*. Though the country has made significant
progress with regard to drinking water, thanks to the
sustained efforts of the Central and State Governments,
heavy dependence on ground water, coupled with
inadequate recharging efforts and the neglect of
traditional practices like rain water harvesting, have
resulted in the depletion of ground water levels. This has
brought about water quality problems in several parts of
the country. This article will examine the quality
problems, which, so far, have not received adequate
attention in the Indian context.
Despite improved coverage and access to water
supply, nearly 400,000** children, under the age of five,
die in India due to diarrhoeal diseases attributable to
contaminated water and poor hygiene practices. Apart
from this, other major water quality problems include
high salinity and high fluoride, arsenic, iron and nitrate
concentrations. While some water quality problems are
of geological origin, others are man-made. Unlike iron
and salinity, the presence of arsenic, fluoride or
bacteriological pollution does not result in an easily
identifiable change in colour or taste. As a result, a large
number of people unknowingly drink contaminated
water.
Water quality testing infrastructure in India is still
weak. Some districts do not have qualified labs, while
others do not have qualified staff or adequate transport
facilities. The dispersed nature of water sources poses
immense logistics problems in transporting samples to
the district labs and conveying results to the community,
as frequently as is necessary. Although regular sanitary
inspections are prescribed to prevent bacteriological
pollution, these are seldom conducted.
What then is the solution? Provision of safe water
sources and treatment units should get the highest
priority. In addition, a decentralized system of water
WATER 17
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
SS MEENAKSHI SUNDARAM has had 36
years of experience as officer of the Indian
Administrative Service. Besides working in
the Prime Minister's Office with three
different Prime Ministers, he was Secretary to
Government of India in the Ministries of
Rural Development, Disinvestment, Space
and Atomic Energy. After retiring from the
IAS, he is currently a Visiting Professor at the National Institute
of Advanced Studies, Bangalore.
testing has to be introduced. Adoption of community
based water quality monitoring, and involvement of
health department in water quality surveillance, might
also mitigate the quality problems. A "catchment area
approach", involving locally available infrastructure and
institutions for water quality testing at the habitation
level, with the help of village panchayats and the district
labs, needs to be advocated.
To implement the community based catchment area
approach on a large scale, user friendly and reliable water
quality field test kits should be made available. Although
some test kits are now seen in the Indian market, it is
necessary to closely scrutinize their efficacy on the two
counts - user-friendliness and reliability - so that their
potential for large scale use can be determined. Secondly,
standardization of these kits may be necessary to
facilitate local manufacture, training community
representatives, as well as for decentralized marketing of
these kits in district/block level shops. There is also a
need for an institutional arrangement for assuring quality,
receiving feedback from the users, and periodical design
refinement of these kits. There is a substantial scope for
private-public participation in designing, producing and
marketing these kits. Empowering the communities in
testing water quality of their own sources is the only way
for users to know if their water sources are safe. Only
then they can initiate timely remedial action.
S.S. Meenakshi Sundaram
Email: meenakshi54@hotmail.com
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 WATER
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
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.
T
here have been inter-state water disputes ever since
India gained independence. Inter state disputes
include the disputes between Punjab, Haryana and
Rajasthan over Sutlej-Yamuna,Tamilnadu and Karnataka
over Cauveri waters, and Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka
over Krishna waters. Tribunals were constituted to
develop a formula but political undertones pushed these
tribunals into inaction. The most glaring example is the
Cauveri water tribunal to sort out the claims of
Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Kerala. The award declared
after an inexplicably protracted delay of seventeen years
in February 2007 received more criticism than
appreciation. As the river flows through several states, an
ideal apportionment has been a challenging task and has
eluded a universally acceptable verdict. The announced
verdict is not acceptable to Karanataka and the state is
preparing for long verbal, legal and social wars through
life paralyzing bandhs and an all party delegation of
politicians taking the matter to courts and to the Central
Government. What goes beyond the imagination of sane
thinking citizens is the lack of realization that gone are
the days of easy availability of surface and ground water.
Due to the lack of control over sinking of bore wells and
PROF. RAMAMURTHI RALLAPALLI
(Ph.D., D.Sc) is a former Vice-Chancellor of
S,V.University in Tirupati, and is General
President of the 2008 Indian Science
Congress. 'He is an Environmental and
Biomedical Scientist of international
reputation. He is a fellow of Indian National
Science Academy (F.N.A.Sc)., National
Academy of Sciences,India (F.N.A), Received ISCA
Millennium Plaque of Honor award from Hon'ble Prime
Minister of India, Jan, 2006
awareness and implementation of water saving practices,
the problems of water shortage are actually accentuated.
While interlinking of rivers advocated by Late K.L.Rao
who was dreaming of National water grid has been
discussed and debated several times, regional and
within the state water resources could be linked. For
example linking of Godavari - Krishna, Galeru - Nagari,
and Handri - Neva in Andhra Pradesh may provide much
needed access to water for irrigation and drinking in
several districts. This is what is being done in Andhra
Pradesh.
If a concerted proactive approach is made, many
water problems could be solved.
Success stories such as Krishna
water being sent to Chennai
through the Telugu Ganga project
is solving to a great extent the
drinking water problems of
Chennai. This should act as a
model for social political vision for
State leaders. Public /private
partnerships and industry
involvement should lead the way
for quenching thirst of millions
whose basic access to clean
drinking water is denied. The
Olavanna experiment in Kerala, the
Byrraju Foundation projects in
Andhra Pradesh and Sri Satya Sai
water projects have shown the way
for public/private partnerships and
Ramamurthi Rallapalli
Email: ramamurthi.rallapalli@gmail.com

WaterHealth International Partners with
Community Leaders and NGOs to Bring
Clean Water to India's Underserved
This 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 the
relationship between clean water, improved hygiene and good health.
A
PPROXIMATELY 70 percent of India's citizens live
in rural communities, with poor, if any, access to
potable water*. Addressing this need has been a
daunting challenge for governments, private industry and
NGOs alike. In response to the crisis, WaterHealth
International (WHI) is redefining the way potable water
is provided to the world's underserved populations.
Breakthrough Technology
The foundation of the company's products is a versatile,
innovative technology platform. The patented, award-
winning technology, UV Waterworks™, employs a
unique air-suspended ultra-violet process that is gravity
driven, and features a contoured flow channel instead of
a cylindrical pipe. UV disinfection is an extremely safe,
reliable and environmentally superior method of
disinfecting water. UVW delivers a high dose of this
radiation that inactivates micro organisms through
disruption of their DNA processes. The technology was
invented at the, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories
in California by Dr. Ashok Gadgil, a Staff Scientist, who
also holds the position of VP of Scientific Affairs of WHI.
He has received wide international acclaim for his
invention and its ability to deliver high-quality water at
very low cost. The high quality of water meets the
potable water standards of the World Health
Organization.
In both its operational characteristics and application
potential, the UV Waterworks process and system design
represent a significant departure from the existing
purification processes. For deployment in rugged
environments and locations with little technology
infrastructure it has significant advantages over
technologies such as conventional UV systems, reverse
osmosis, ozonation and chlorination, among others.
Benefits of the technology include high efficacy
combined with high throughput, a small footprint, and
long-term reliability. The modular design means that
systems can be scaled to serve communities of various
WATER 19
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
TRALANCE ADDY earned BA and BS
degrees in chemistry and mechanical
engineering simultaneously from
Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania, in 1969,
and subsequently earned MS and PhD
degrees in engineering from the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst. Prior to joining
WaterHealth, Dr. Addy was an international
vice president of Johnson & Johnson, and a member of the
Global Management Committee of Johnson & Johnson Medical,
Inc. He is a recipient of several corporate awards for innovation
and entrepreneurship, and the holder of 13 US and
international patents.
sizes. Non-proprietary components that are coupled with
UVW in WHI's installations are readily available in most
parts of the world. Ease-of-use and low maintenance
requirements mean that the systems can be deployed
even in the most remote locations.
A Unique Approach to Sustainability
WaterHealth International's unique business approach to
reaching the underserved includes financing for the
purchase and installation of the systems. This makes it
possible to deliver comprehensive and integrated
products for safe, clean water, even to communities once
considered "unreachable".
User fees for treated water are used to service the
financing costs and to cover the expenses of operating
and maintaining the equipment and facility. The
company hires and trains local residents of the
communities it serves to operate and perform the day-to-
day maintenance of these "micro-utilities". This creates
employment and builds capacity, as well as spawns
entrepreneurial opportunities for local residents to
provide related services, such as delivery of the purified
water to outlying areas.
Because the facilities are owned by the communities in
which they are installed, the user fee becomes an
important source of revenue for communities after the
20 WATER
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

A
PPROXIMATELY 70 percent of India's citizens live
in rural communities, with poor, if any, access to
potable water*. Addressing this need has been a
daunting challenge for governments, private industry
and NGOs alike. In response to the crisis, WaterHealth
International (WHI) is redefining the way potable water
is provided to the world's underserved populations.
Breakthrough Technology
The foundation of the company's products is a versatile,
innovative technology platform. The patented, award-
winning technology, UV Waterworks™, employs a
unique air-suspended ultra-violet process that is gravity
driven, and features a contoured flow channel instead of
a cylindrical pipe. UV disinfection is an extremely safe,
reliable and environmentally superior method of
disinfecting water. UVW delivers a high dose of this
radiation that inactivates micro organisms through
disruption of their DNA processes. The technology was
invented at the, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories
in California by Dr. Ashok Gadgil, a Staff Scientist, who
also holds the position of VP of Scientific Affairs of WHI.
He has received wide international acclaim for his
invention and its ability to deliver high-quality water at
very low cost. The high quality of water meets the
potable water standards of the World Health
Organization.
In both its operational characteristics and application
potential, the UV Waterworks process and system design
represent a significant departure from the existing
purification processes. For deployment in rugged
environments and locations with little technology
infrastructure it has significant advantages over
technologies such as conventional UV systems, reverse
osmosis, ozonation and chlorination, among others.
Benefits of the technology include high efficacy
combined with high throughput, a small footprint, and
long-term reliability. The modular design means that
systems can be scaled to serve communities of various
sizes. Non-proprietary components that are coupled with
UVW in WHI's installations are readily available in most
parts of the world. Ease-of-use and low maintenance
requirements mean that the systems can be deployed
even in the most remote locations.
A Unique Approach to Sustainability
WaterHealth International's unique business approach to
reaching the underserved includes financing for the
purchase and installation of the systems. This makes it
possible to deliver comprehensive and integrated
products for safe, clean water, even to communities once
considered "unreachable".
User fees for treated water are used to service the
financing costs and to cover the expenses of operating
and maintaining the equipment and facility. The
company hires and trains local residents of the
communities it serves to operate and perform the day-to-
day maintenance of these "micro-utilities". This creates
employment and builds capacity, as well as spawns
entrepreneurial opportunities for local residents to
provide related services, such as delivery of the purified
water to outlying areas.
Because the facilities are owned by the communities in
which they are installed, the user fee becomes an
important source of revenue for communities after the
loans are repaid.
Partnering for Effective Public Outreach and
Education
Community involvement and knowledge are vital factors
in the widespread and lasting adoption of practices to
win the fight against waterborne diseases. In the
communities it serves, WaterHealth develops
partnerships with healthcare professionals and
Dr. Tralance Addy
Email: taddy@plebys.com

Water-Related Disease Facts

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 of
safe 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
Reference:
WaterPartners International Fact Sheet from www.water.org, Email: info@water.org

Rain Centre in Chennai, India
This 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.
A
FEW like-minded people formed the Akash Ganga
Trust in January 2001. On August 21, 2002, the Trust
launched Chennai's Rain Centre, the first of its kind in
the country, is a one-stop information and assistance center
on rainwater harvesting. This Centre was inaugurated by the
Honorable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
The initial seed money for the Center came from a few
non-resident Indians living in the U.S. Further support, in the
form of resource material, was provided by the Centre for
Science and Environment, an NGO headquartered in New
Delhi. The State Government of Tamil Nadu is also one of the
co-sponsors.
The Rain Centre, which is open to all, charges no fee for
its services. Its activities, carried out with the funds received
by the Akash Ganga Trust through donations, are
summarized below. The Centre has been involved in the
promotion of urban Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) since its
launch three years ago.
Education
1. A number of large sized colorful poster panels,
highlighting the value of water and the importance of
RWH, are on permanent exhibition in the Rain Centre.
2. Working models in the Centre demonstrate RWH both
from flat and sloping roofs and from ground surface
runoff.
3. Different types of actual RWH systems have been installed
in the Centre's premises, e.g.:
a. Diversion of rooftop rainwater into plastic tanks above
ground, for immediate use;
b. Diversion of rainwater into below-ground masonry
WATER 21
11
CATALYST FOR
CATALYST FOR HUMAN
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
DEVELOPMENT
SHEKAR RAGHAVAN is a Physicist by
education and training. He received his Ph.D.
in 1976 from Madras University in the area of
High Energy Physics. For the past ten years,
he has been involved in a door to door
campaign in the city of Chennai trying to
create awareness about the importance of
RWH in urban areas. It all started in Besant
Nagar. For the past four years, he has been with the Rain Centre
as its Director. Before that he was with Centre for Policy studies
for about eight years where he met Mukundan.
cisterns equipped with sand filters to enable immediate
use of the water, and with overflow directed to traditional
dug wells for use and recharge purposes;
c. Trapping of surface runoff on individual properties through
shallow trenches dug and directed in such a way as to
direct the trapped water into a recharge well.
4. Video film shows on RWH are presented periodically for
the general public.
5. Resource materials like booklets, posters etc. have been
prepared in English and Tamil and are provided at a
nominal cost. The posters have also been pasted in public
places, where people tend to assemble, like the Divisional
and Zonal offices of the Municipal Corporation and
Chennai Metrowater, post offices, marriage halls, bank
branches, and school and college notice boards.
6. A publicity button was prepared and worn by Trust
members 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 generates
publicity when it is fixed on the gates so as
to attract the curiosity of passersby.
7. During the last couple of years, students
from several schools and colleges have
visited the rain centre and learnt about
RWH. Key persons from the centre have
also visited several institutions, both within
and outside the city and the state, to give
talks, make video presentations and
organize exhibitions about RWH.
8. Several NGOs, working in both water
sector and other areas, have visited the rain
centre.
9. Seminars and workshops have also been
organized in the centre.
22 WATER
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Collect roof water First flush Filter
A
FEW like-minded people formed the Akash Ganga
Trust in January 2001. On August 21, 2002, the Trust
launched Chennai's Rain Centre, the first of its kind in
the country, is a one-stop information and assistance center
on rainwater harvesting. This Centre was inaugurated by the
Honorable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
The initial seed money for the Center came from a few
non-resident Indians living in the U.S. Further support, in the
form of resource material, was provided by the Centre for
Science and Environment, an NGO headquartered in New
Delhi. The State Government of Tamil Nadu is also one of the
co-sponsors.
The Rain Centre, which is open to all, charges no fee for
its services. Its activities, carried out with the funds received
by the Akash Ganga Trust through donations, are
summarized below. The Centre has been involved in the
promotion of urban Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) since its
launch three years ago.
Education
Sump Well
1. A number of large sized colorful poster panels,
highlighting the value of water and the importance of
RWH, are on permanent exhibition in the Rain Centre.
2. Working models in the Centre demonstrate RWH both
from flat and sloping roofs and from ground surface
runoff.
3. Different types of actual RWH systems have been installed
in the Centre's premises, e.g.:
a. Diversion of rooftop rainwater into plastic tanks above
ground, for immediate use;
b. Diversion of rainwater into below-ground masonry
cisterns equipped with sand filters to enable immediate
use of the water, and with overflow directed to traditional
dug wells for use and recharge purposes;
c. Trapping of surface runoff on individual properties through
shallow trenches dug and directed in such a way as to
direct the trapped water into a recharge well.
4. Video film shows on RWH are presented periodically for
the general public.
5. Resource materials like booklets, posters etc. have been
prepared in English and Tamil and are provided at a
nominal cost. The posters have also been pasted in public
places, where people tend to assemble, like the Divisional
and Zonal offices of the Municipal Corporation and
Chennai Metrowater, post offices, marriage halls, bank
branches, and school and college notice boards.
6. A publicity button was prepared and worn by Trust
members in order to publicize RWH. A sign saying
"RAINWATER HARVESTING DONE IN THIS PLOT",
distributed to people who have implemented harvesting
Shekar Raghavan
Executive Director, Rain Centre
Email: shekar1479@yahoo.co.in
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.

Rainwater Harvesting in India
Rainwater 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.
C
APTURE RAIN water, store it and use it - it is as
simple as that". Collect the rain water falling on
house tops, collection ponds, lakes, open areas
with natural grading. Rain water is naturally pure
(excepting where it becomes acid rain due to industrial
pollution); ground water could be brackish or polluted
with various contaminants.
Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) was practiced in India
even before the British installed municipal pipelines. As
the population of India rose from 100 million in the
1900's to 1,027 million in 2005, the demand for drinking
water increased many fold. The population increase also
saw many water bodies in both urban and rural areas
covered by buildings and other structures.
Water Everywhere Starts as Rain
Rain is the source of all water in the world. 97.5% of
the world's supply of water is salt water in the oceans and
1.5% of water is in the arctic glaciers. The remaining 1%
goes through the water cycle. India receives the 6th
WATER 23
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
RAM KRISHNAN was born in Trivandrum,
schooled in Madras, Delhi and Bombay. Ram
is an alumnus of IIT Madras. He graduated in
1967 with a B.Tech and M.Tech. He founded
and operated a Logistics Consulting
company for 15 years in the US. After
working in the Minnesota, US for 30 years,
Ram Krishnan, for the past few years, spends
3 months in India every year, learning, working and
advocating for the poor in India's villages.
highest rainfall country in the world and almost 90% of
this rainfall reaches the ocean.
RWH in Urban Locations
Rain falling on the roof and the sides of the building is
collected, filtered and charged. For a single family house
in a metro city, the only additional investment (about Rs
2000) is the installation of PVC pipes. Installing a RWH
unit in a multiple tenant flat complex with 25 families will
cost about Rs 50,000.
In the picture on the left, a metro home owner needs
to install only items 2, 3, 4 and 9. All other items - sump,
electric pump, overhead storage - already exist to receive
and 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 water
harvested and stored. Given below are a few unit costs:
lSump: (only if required) 12,000 litre 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
24 WATER
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

C
APTURE about Rs 50,000 (about Rs 3.50 per litre for large sumps).
R A I N lDrain pipes cost around Rs 15 to Rs 30 per running foot.
water, lBends and elbows around Rs 20 to Rs 75 per piece.
store it and use it lFilter chamber 2'x2'x2' with pebbles and sand cost
- it is as simple as Rs 1,500.
that". Collect the l10' deep percolation pit with sand, pebbles, air vent and
rain water falling a perforated slab on the top costs Rs 2,500.
on house tops,
collection ponds, RWH in the Hostel Sector of Educational Institutions
lakes, open areas (IIT Madras)
with natural grading. Rain water is naturally pure Roof rain
(excepting where it becomes acid rain due to industrial water from 12
pollution); ground water could be brackish or polluted hostels is
with various contaminants. diverted to 4
Rainwater Harvesting (RWH) was practiced in India large wells and
even before the British installed municipal pipelines. As recharges the
the population of India rose from 100 million in the underground.
1900's to 1,027 million in 2005, the demand for drinking Months after
water increased many fold. The population increase also the rainy
saw many water bodies in both urban and rural areas season, water is
covered by buildings and other structures. available in
Water Everywhere Starts as Rain these wells. This
Rain is the source of all water in the world. 97.5% of project serves
the world's supply of water is salt water in the oceans and 45% of the
1.5% of water is in the arctic glaciers. The remaining 1% water needs of
goes through the water cycle. India receives the 6th 3,600 students.
highest rainfall country in the world and almost 90% of
this rainfall reaches the ocean. RWH in
Factories and
RWH in Urban Locations Buildings
Rain falling on the roof and the sides of the building is Many industrial units like Ashok Leyland (top), Asian
collected, filtered and charged. For a single family house Paints (bottom), Escorts, and TVS have installed RWH to
in a metro city, the only additional investment (about Rs meet their drinking water needs as well as their industrial
2000) is the installation of PVC pipes. Installing a RWH processing needs. All units in the State of Tamil Nadu
unit in a multiple tenant flat complex with 25 families will have installed RWH, thanks to the Government
cost about Rs 50,000. ordinance. It is important to note that the ordinance
In the picture on the left, a metro home owner needs covers "All" (not just new) buildings, houses, public places
to install only items 2, 3, 4 and 9. All other items - sump, in the "Entire State".
electric pump, overhead storage - already exist to receive
and distribute the city delivered water. RWH in Rural Areas - Community Wells, Village
Statistics on water:
RWH Unit Costs - Starting Estimates (2001 Costs)
WaterPartners International
The actual costs depend upon specific RWH design,
http://www.water.org/resources/waterfacts.htm
size of the Aquastat http://www.fao.org/ag/agl/aglw/aquastat/main/index.stm
facility/ house, Few key links:
and percent of Center for Science and Environment -
rain water http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org
harvested and Arghyam and India Water Portal - http://www.arghyam.org and
stored. Given http://www.indiawaterportal.org
below are a few Rainwater Harvesting - Tutorial -

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

International Rainwater Catchment Systems Association
lSump: (only if
American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association -
required) 12,000
http://www.arcsa-usa.org/
litre sumps costs

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.
O
n Jan 12th, 2007, the Prime Minister officially
launched the India Water Portal, along with the
India Energy Portal, at a function held at his
residence. The occasion was the submission of the 2006
report of the National Knowledge Commission (NKC).
The NKC had mooted the idea of 'knowledge portals' in
several areas, and as a first step, the Water and Energy
portals were launched. These websites are dedicated to
all the issues related to their areas and are run as a
community partnership without undue influence or
agendas.
There is a need for a neutral and open platform where
the power of discourse can be deployed for problem
solving and improving governance practices. The India
Water Portal then becomes a hub where the interaction
of different stakeholders can enhance the creation, the
The Meteorological Data Application
WATER 25
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
ROHINI NILEKANI is Founder-Chairperson
of ARGHYAM, a public charitable trust she
has personally endowed with Rs 100 crores.
She is also Chairperson, Akshara Foundation,
Karnataka. She is Founder-Chairperson,
Pratham Books, a non-profit publishing house
set up to create high quality, low cost books
for children. She is Chairperson, Unmeelan,
the arts and the ideas forum at Infosys Technologies Ltd.
sharing, and the application of "water knowledge".
Coordinated and funded by Arghyam, a public charitable
trust based in Bangalore (www.arghyam.org), this Portal
is a collaborative space for sharing water management
knowledge amongst practitioners. It draws on the
experience of experts, adding value to it through
technology and then disseminating it to a larger audience
through the internet.
The Water Portal is packed with resources and
applications, some of which are groundbreaking. One of
the key innovations is the extensive use of GIS
(Geographical Information Systems). A prime example is
the Meteorological Data application, which imports data
sets of 9 climate parameters (e.g. precipitation,
temperature, cloud cover) covering the entire country on
a .5 by .5 degree latitude/longitude grid, and spanning
the time period from 1901 to 2002. This has been
integrated into a GIS administrative map of the country.
The end user can zoom into the map to pick a
particular area of interest, choose climate parameters and
26 WATER
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

O
n Jan 12th, immediately get the data
2007, the Prime in the form of tables and
Minister officially charts. Such ease of
launched the India Water availability of
Portal, along with the meteorological data on a
India Energy Portal, at a free, public website is
function held at his probably a first for the
residence. The occasion country. One can look
was the submission of the forward to fresh and
2006 report of the innovative usage of this
National Knowledge data that was hitherto
Commission (NKC). The not in public domain.
NKC had mooted the On the Water Portal,
idea of 'knowledge the "Tools and
portals' in several areas, Techniques" section has
and as a first step, the information on water
Water and Energy portals A slide from the e-learning course on Watersheds management, organized
were launched. These websites are dedicated to all the into practice areas that are widely acknowledged as
issues related to their areas and are run as a community crucial for both short term and long term sustainability of
partnership without undue influence or agendas. water resources, and are:
There is a need for a neutral and open platform where
the power of discourse can be deployed for problem l Rainwater Harvesting
solving and improving governance practices. The India l Agriculture
Water Portal then becomes a hub where the interaction l Drinking water
of different stakeholders can enhance the creation, the l Waterbody Restoration
sharing, and the application of "water knowledge". l Urban Water
Coordinated and funded by Arghyam, a public charitable l Groundwater
trust based in Bangalore (www.arghyam.org), this Portal l Watershed Development
is a collaborative space for sharing water management l Sanitation
knowledge amongst practitioners. It draws on the l Wastewater
experience of experts, adding value to it through l Water Quality
technology and then disseminating it to a larger audience
through the internet. Case studies, slideshows, courses and movies have
The Water Portal is packed with resources and been collected, developed or documented for each
applications, some of which are groundbreaking. One of Practice. An effort to bring together the relevant policies,
the key innovations is the extensive use of GIS research papers and reports for each practice, has also
(Geographical Information Systems). A prime example is been made.
the Meteorological Data application, which imports data One of the key investments has been in the area of E-
sets of 9 climate parameters (e.g. precipitation, Learning courses. Such courses are being developed in
temperature, cloud cover) collaboration with domain
covering the entire country experts in 3 areas -
o n W a t e r s h e d
a .5 by .5 degree Development, with
latitude/longitude grid, Samaj Pragati Sahyog,
and spanning the time G r o u n d w a t e r
period from 1901 to 2002. Management with
This has been integrated A C W A D A M
into a GIS administrative (www.acwadam.org), and
map of the country. Fluoride Mitigation with
The end user can zoom BIRD-K (www.birdk.org).
into the map to pick a The partners provide the
particular area of interest, content, drawing heavily
choose climate parameters from their experience in
and period of time, and India Water Portal field work and in training
 WATER 27
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

A screenshot of the Organisation Locator application

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 also
been added to make it a comprehensive repository over
time. These courses will be put on CDs and used at
training workshops, NGO centres and in kiosks, to
achieve scale in capacity-building.
An Organisation Locator has also been implemented,
again coupled with GIS, to allow users to find
organisations that work on a water-related topic in any
part of the country through an easy 'Search' facility. The
organisations are shown on an interactive map of the
country, each of them represented by a marker, clicking
on which provides available information on the
organisation. Users can add their own organisations by
filling out a simple form. This is a powerful way to quickly
scale up the database to many hundreds and even
thousands of items.
River Basins: It is commonly recognized that river-
basin planning, based on natural watershed boundaries,
leads to optimum solutions in water resource
management. To facilitate this, a diverse range of data
has been collected on climate, culture, land use, water
use, groundwater, water quality, and wastewater from
the Government and other published sources. This data
has been shown on maps and provides a holistic picture
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”.

A rghyam seeks to support strategic and sustainable efforts in the water sector that enhance
equity 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 include
Integrated 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-based
platform 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 like
sanitation, agriculture, wastewater management etc. Through this effort, we want to leverage knowledge to address
equity and sustainability issues in the Water Sector and we will actively support alternate outreach methods that make
this knowledge work for those on the ground who need it most.
28 WATER
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Odyssey of an NGO: Lessons to be Learnt
This article is about Mysore Grahakara Parishat, an organisation that has been
struggling for the last 17 years to improve Mysore's water supply.
K
AVERI RIVER and Krishna Raj Sagar (KRS) dam are
less than 15 kilometers from Mysore. Sir M.
Visweswarayya had the foresight to develop a
world class water supply system to pump water from the
KRS reservoir to the city and citizens got 24 hours water
supply till a few years back. However, today the people
of Mysore face water crisis irrespective of the level of
water level in the KRS reservoir.
Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) is a consumer
organization that began in 1989 and that has about 700
members. It has been fighting to improve water supply to
the city with very little success. This article gives a brief
account of its odyssey and the lessons learnt. What is true
for Mysore city is likely to be even truer for other Indian
cities, which do not have the advantages of Mysore.
Mysore, with a population of about one million, needs
nearly 135 million liters per day (LPD), on the assumption
that 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, which
should be more than adequate to meet the need of the
city. However, this is not the case.
First of all, since maintenance is poor, the actual
pumping capacity is much below the design limit. Water
supply department often puts the blame on power
failure, which may be the case some times, but not
always. Standby pumps are not kept ready, and when the
main pump fails, there is no backup. Also, engineers and
the staff in charge of the pumping stations do not have
(Water coming from the right is mixed with sewage getting into the canal on the left)
BHAMY V. SHENOY is an IIT Madras
alumnus. He earned his M.S. in Industrial
Engineering from Illinois Institute of
Technology-Chicago in 1962, Ph.D. in
Business Administration in 1972 from the
University of Houston and MBA from
Columbia University in 1982. Dr. Shenoy
contributed 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 various
topics in Indian newspapers.
proper training and when something goes wrong, it takes
a long time to get it fixed.
About 15 years back, water supply was under the
control of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and
Drainage Board. But Mysore City Corporation (MCC)
decided to take over the responsibility of supplying water
giving the local political class a bigger clout. MGP
vehemently opposed such a move since MCC had no
technical capability to manage such a complex operation.
Since MCC still uses single entry book system, it has
no idea of the cost of supplying water to its customers.
When MGP asked the accounts officer of MCC for such
details, the response was that since MCC is bound by law
to supply water to every citizen, it should not worry
about making profit and so there is no need to have such
information. Prof. G S Sastry of the Institute for Social and
Economic Change has estimated that it costs Rs 23 to
supply one kiloliter of water to Bangalore. The cost for
Mysore is probably much less, but not less than Rs. 5-6
per kiloliter. However, MCC is not able to collect even Rs
2 per kiloliter. This is because 50% of MCC's customers
do not have meters, and 50% of the meters do not
function. MGP has been pressurising the authorities to
rectify these meters at the earliest and also to disconnect
those connections that are without meters - this has
fallen on deaf ears.
Most new mayors, after taking office, promise that
water supply will be restored to all citizens and that every
one will get water supply every day. Of course, no such
promises are ever kept. When there is shortage of water,
politicians favour some by sending water tanks or forcing
water supply to some preferred areas. Water supply
authorities can collect charges higher than the official
rate, while supplying water through tankers In short,

even an essential good like water is exploited for making
illegal monetary gains.
MGP periodically tests water for quality. When it
found the water to contain E. coli, authorities, instead of
trying to solve the problem, blamed MGP for causing
panic. Using a simple Manja Test, which is approved by
WHO, the presence of E. coli can easily be detected at a
small cost of Rs. 30, whereas the elaborate procedure can
cost more than Rs 250 per sample. MCC always took
exception to Manja test calling it unscientific. Even when
MGP used an elaborate testing procedure, MCC did not
accept the findings. Once, because of water
contamination, more than 15 people died and an IAS
officer conducted an inquiry. The report concluded that
instead of using bleaching powder, chalk powder was
used in the water supply. MGP took up this issue. But the
government did not take steps to punish the concerned
employees!
In June of 2006, MCC announced that the city will
have reduced water supply because of the maintenance
of a canal feeding the water pumping station. When
MGP went to find the real reason for the reduction, it
found that just by diverting water, bridge across the canal
can be built. Canal repair was conducted by a different
authority which is in charge of the Cauvery water system
and it is not responsible for supplying drinking water to
the city. But MCC never tried to find a way to mitigate
the problem. Only after MGP raised the issue in the
media, MCC restored the water supply.
Every summer, when water level goes down in KRS,
water supply reaches a crisis level. With proper
management of limited water available in the reservoir,
such crisis can be avoided. The tragedy is that no one is
in over all charge of water supply. The authority in charge
of Cauvery water is concerned about supplying water to
farmers only. No one in the government looks at the
overall water supply situation to plan the release from
month to month to ensure a steady supply of drinking
water. MGP undertook this exercise in 2004 and 2005
and was successful in reducing the severity of water crisis.
MGP had to meet with the minister in charge to force the
concerned authorities to manage the limited water
supply in the reservoir.
MGP has been suggesting to MCC to computerize its
billing and other accounting functions to improve its
revenues. Only since a year, MCC has finally introduced
a very rudimentary computer system for billing activities.
MCC has not been able to develop a full-fledged
accounting system to manage its water supply activities.
This is because no one either in MCC, or in water supply
department, is held accountable by the citizens or higher
authorities; there is just no pressure to improve the
management. All the time, political leaders talk of where
to invest crores to augment water supply and how to get
WATER 29
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
(Low water level at KRS in Mysore)
those crores from the World Bank, ADB or the Central
Government under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban
Renewal Mission etc. They never consider the possibility
of collecting from the users by charging the right amount
and also by managing the water supply efficiently.
MGP has been trying to promote the idea of
corporatising water supply activities so that they can be
better managed. MGP has also suggested that there
should be an independent body to monitor the
operations of a monopoly like water supply and fix tariff
rates. When this is corporatised and has a well qualified
manager and competent technical people, there is a hope
for improved water supply. Today Mysore's water supply
department has neither competent technical people nor
an able management. Bangalore's water supply is better
managed than Mysore's because it is under the control of
an autonomous company owned by the Government. In
2006, when politicians were not in charge, MCC sent a
recommendation to the state government to form such
an independent company. Unless the proposal is
promoted in Bangalore by Mysoreans, babus in
Bangalore are unlikely to act on it.
Throughout this ordeal of daily water crisis, citizens of
Mysore have been the mute spectators expecting MGP
or other NGOs to take up the fight on their behalf. In
early 2007, through photos, MGP showed where sewage
was getting into the drinking water. Ironically, when
MCC disagreed with MGP by issuing press releases,
citizens found it convenient to agree with the authorities
and not with the NGO.
After 17 years of consistent efforts to improve water
supply of Mysore, MGP has not been able to achieve
much. One reason for such failure is the indifference of
citizens of Mysore. Another reason could be the wrong
strategies of MGP in convincing the authorities or political
leaders to accept their recommendations. Finally it is not
possible to end the article with any positive note, but to
hope that the society will throw up some better leadership
to reform the system which has fallen apart.
Bhamy V. Shenoy
Email: bhamysuman@hotmail.com
30 WATER
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

'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.
What is an 'Oorani' (Tamil)? RAM KRISHNAN was born in Trivandrum,
Ooranis are village tanks or ponds, which can be used for schooled in Madras, Delhi and Bombay. Ram
harvesting rainwater and storing it for use during the rest is an alumnus of IIT Madras. He graduated in
of the year. They offer many benefits for people who live 1967 with a B.Tech and M.Tech. He founded
in an area with saline groundwater, poor rainfall and and operated a Logistics Consulting
frequent droughts They provide water for drinking and company for 15 years in the US. After
for livestock, and also help recharge groundwater, working in the Minnesota, US for 30 years,
including in drinking water wells. Ram Krishnan, for the past few years, spends
3 months in India every year, learning, working and
Better Health advocating for the poor in India's villages.
Collective community restoration and management of
ooranis has resulted in a reduction in the incidence of season. The de-siltation work on this oorani took place
diseases, especially those related to water shortages and during the next two months. On our second visit in
water-borne diseases. They also save the village women December 20, 2004, the panchayat leader led us to the
from making daily trips to neighboring villages to fetch oorani, which was, by now, full of water. He told us that
water. the oorani contained enough water to last the entire year.
Also, in addition to his village, people from two
Velayuthapuram Oorani - A Recently Completed neighbouring villages were also using this drinking water.
Project
In July 2004, together with DHAN, we undertook a Project Figures:
watershed project in the village Velayuthapuram, in the Total project cost: Rs 2,51,000 (including villagers
Vilathikulam region. The oorani, at the village, was contribution)
almost dry because of silt deposits and evaporation, Villagers contribution: Rs 62,750 (Rs. 45 = $1)
although it was full with water during the monsoon 250 families, a total of 1100 population

The village panchayat leader

 WATER 31
11
CATALYST
CATALYST FOR
FOR HUMAN
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
DEVELOPMENT

Gross Capacity of the oorani: 37,061

cubic meters
Evaporation losses: 17,224 cubic meters
Seepage losses : 8,367 cubic meters
Net storage capacity : 11,200 cubic
meters

Community involvement
The oorani belongs to the village. The
families living in that village must come
forward and agree to work on the
project. This may be a time consuming
process and may meet with resistance
from some members of the community,
but is well worth the effort.
DHAN Foundation typically requires
30% of the project funding to come
from the villagers. TBS (Tarun Bharat
Our NRI team visited the village - 2005
Sangh) in Rajasthan insists on almost
80% to be invested by the villagers.
How do you get 30% from a villager
who has no money?
30% contribution can be in the form
of money, materials or labour. Of these
three, labour is the best form of
contribution. By investing labour, the
villagers get truly connected to the
project. This gives them a sense of
ownership and accomplishment. Once
the project is completed, the community
takes care of the oorani.
DHAN Foundation
18 Pillaiyar Koil Street,
S.S.Colony, Madurai 625 010, India
Telephone: (91)-452-261-0794 or 261-0805
Email: dhan@md3.vsnl.net.in
Website: http://www.dhan.org

Ram Krishnan
Email: ram.krishnan@yahoo.com

WATER FACTS

1. Approximately 60% to 70% of the rural population in the developing world have neither access to a safe and
convenient 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

Reference:
WaterPartners International Fact Sheet from www.water.org, Email: info@water.org
32 WATER
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

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.
Manorama's Response to Nature's Challenge in Kerala Manorama would join hands with them to implement
As Kerala was reeling under its fourth successive drought various projects to collect rain water. Manorama's aim
in 2004, Malayala Manorama decided to lead the people was to inculcate in people a new water culture that
of the state in meeting the challenge posed by the trail of would prevent Kerala's plentiful water from being
destruction and misery wrought by the drought. The wasted.
paper initiated The Pala Thulli project with a front page
editorial on May 23, 2004 promising the people that A Steady and Unswerving Mission
For one whole year, Manorama's special
weekly feature page discussed rainwater
harvesting and its impact on water
conservation. The paper focused on mass
education, popular initiative and
mobilisation of people's participation.
Thanks largely to the sustained action
by the Malayala Manorama, both through
the newspaper columns and through direct
intervention and initiative, a new water
culture evolved in Kerala. The paper
regularly highlighted a string of
imaginative systems for water conservation
built by various institutions, many of which
were emulated and implemented at other
places.

Build and Show

Manorama kept its promise of actually
building systems for rainwater harvesting
by setting up the first ever system for water
collection from roof tops at the
Government Civil Stations in Palakad on
September 16th last year. The water thus
collected is capable of meeting the
requirements of the government offices
working in the campus.
Manorama set up full-fledged rainwater
harvesting systems at almost all its units in
Kerala and opened them for public view. It
also built a string of model rainwater
Malayala Manorama
Kottayam 686 001, Kerala India
Telephone: (481)-256-3646
Email: mathewsvarghese@manorama.com
 WATER 33
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Integrated Water Systems Management in

South Asia - A Framework for Research
This article suggests a framework to guide future research in water systems management.

W
ATER SYSTEMS in South Asia are under stress
because of the large population, high level of
poverty and rapid growth. Sustainable and
integrated management of the water systems of the
region will largely depend on the use of an
interdisciplinary knowledge base and an innovative
"institutional" approach.
In the last one or two decades, many professionals
have made useful contributions to interdisciplinary water
systems' knowledge on South Asia. Unfortunately, there
is a disconnect between this knowledge and the real life
practice of water systems management in the region.
The growing and conflicting demands on water in
South Asia in the areas of food security, commercial
farming, urban domestic water needs, hydropower
projects and industrial demands need to be quickly
solved. Research on the water needs of the ecosystems
has also attracted attention. Therefore, it is imperative
that interdisciplinary research on water systems be
continued and conveyed to policy makers.
This paper provides a framework for new research
activities in South Asian universities, suggesting the
following focal points for research:
1. Generation of eco-hydrological knowledge on surface
water systems and groundwater systems, and
institutional mechanisms for its sustainable use and
protection from pollution.
JAYANTA BANDYOPADHYAY is Professor
and Head of Centre for Development and
Environment Policy at IIM, Calcutta, India.
His research in the past 25 years has aimed at
generating public interest on critical
environmental issues, specially mountain
areas and water systems. He has published a
number of important research papers on
water systems management in South Asia, in particular on the
Himalayan Rivers.
3. Wider application of economics in the making of
water policy and valuation of ecosystem services of
water to promote conservation and sustainable use.
4. Promotion of ecological perspectives of extreme
hydrological events, and regional mechanisms for
mitigating their impacts.
5. Social dimensions of water systems use, local
governance and water conflicts.
6. Emerging technological options in water systems
management.
7. Global change and water systems in South Asia.
8. Issues of regional cooperation and conflict resolution.

2. Methodology for comprehensive assessment of water

transfer projects on social, economic and ecological Jayanta Bandyopadhyay
grounds. Email: jayanta@iimcal.ac.in

DID YOU KNOW?

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

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

Reference:
WaterPartners International Fact Sheet from www.water.org, Email: info@water.org
34 WATER
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
The Benefits of WaterPartners
International's WaterCredit Initiative
This article presents the efforts of WaterPartners International in giving access to
clean water and sanitation to villagers in Ayinapatti, India.
A
YINAPATTI, IN the Tiruchipalli region in India, is a
remote farming village with minimal access to
clean water and sanitation facilities. Initially, water
was delivered to the community through a faulty
overhead tank and two unreliable hand pumps. When
the government installed this system, it did not provide
the community with the training and resources needed to
maintain it. Since the system was unable to supply
sufficient 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 a
latrine, leading to the routine practice of open defecation
in the local farms, bushes and along the road side. Due to
cultural norms and lack of privacy, women and girls were
often unable to defecate during the day, which subjected
them to serious health problems and dangerous
situations at night.
Both the water and sanitation crises were directly
related to lack of organization in the community and lack
of hygiene education. WaterPartners' program not only
provided the hardware necessary for the water point, but
also contained a strong organization and training
component related to water and sanitation.
WaterPartners is a Kansas City-based nonprofit
organization dedicated to helping people in developing
countries gain access to safe water supplies and
sanitation. Since its inception in 1990, WaterPartners has
helped transform the lives of more than 165,000 people
in eight countries. By forging partnerships with partner
organizations, it empowers local communities to develop
and sustain solutions to their water needs. WaterPartners'
most recent innovation, WaterCredit Initiative, makes
loans to individuals and communities for water projects -
as part of a revolving fund - in areas where credit is not
readily available.
WaterPartners' project in Ayinapatti had four main
objectives: (1) to provide year-round access to water
supplies; (2) to provide access to sanitation facilities at
each household; (3) to mobilize the community and
provide hygiene education; and (4) to establish a
revolving loan fund to recover project hardware costs for
water connections and latrines. Project activities were
facilitated and managed by WaterPartners' local partner
JOHN FITZPATRICK serves as Director of
International Programs at WaterPartners
International. Fitzpatrick joined
WaterPartners in May of 2006, and brings
more than 25 years of international
experience, primarily in the commercial
sector. In his current role, he is responsible for
the growth and management of water supply
projects around the world. Fitzpatrick holds a B.A. in
Government and International Studies from the University of
Notre Dame.
organization, Gramalaya.
Year-round Access to Water Supplies
Approximately 45 household water connections were
installed, and five women's self-help groups and the
Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC)
facilitated loans that financed installation costs. The
community water tank and public hand pumps were
completely rehabilitated, and waste water disposal pits
were installed next to the hand pumps to absorb runoff.
In addition, water connections were installed at the
primary school.
Access to sanitation facilities at each household
Gramalaya, WaterPartners' local partner organization,
presented the community with toilet models that varied
in style and price so that families could select the toilet
that best matched their financial and social requirements.
Each family obtained a loan from the local self-help
group and today all households have toilets. Ayinapatti
instituted a policy to fine anyone caught practicing open
defecation in the village and since August 15, 2005, it has
been declared "100% sanitized". Human waste no longer
threatens the water supply, which has resulted in a
reduction of water and food contamination.
Community Mobilization and Hygiene Education
At the beginning of the project, Gramalaya conducted a
baseline survey and Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)
exercises to better understand the socio-economic
environment. The exercises helped the community
understand the benefits of the sanitation program, and
the importance of 100% community participation.

Approximately 271 women, men and children attended
the PRA exercises. Through the PRA and baseline survey,
Gramalaya determined that the community was willing
and 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 sanitation
facilities.
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 kitchen
gardens with drainage water.
Self-help group members participated in field trips to
nearby communities that had effectively completed
water and sanitation projects. On these trips, members
shared their experiences, and learned from the
communities what worked well and what could be
improved. Gramalaya, in collaboration with the VWSC,
formed a school health group to promote hygiene
education through songs, rallies and debates. Today,
VWSC members are working as "community change
agents." Members identify households qualified to apply
for loan assistance, and encourage these households to
apply. VWSC has assumed responsibility for maintaining
the water system.
Recover Project Hardware Costs via a Revolving Loan
Fund
Hardware costs for water connections and latrines were
supported through a revolving loan fund. The repaid
funds are used to finance additional water and sanitation
projects. Gramalaya is collecting the loan payments from
the self-help groups, retaining interest on the loans to
pay for operational costs. The actual loan amount will be
used for future water and sanitation projects.
Case Studies
Case Study #1: Gramalaya Staff Helps Family Prevent
Mosquito-Borne Illness and Generate Income
* Case study relayed by T.Radhika, Community Health
Organiser, Ayinapatti.
I am Nallachi and my husband is Ganesan. When the
staff of Gramalaya visited our village, they saw the
stagnant waste water in front of my house. This water
was from bathing and washing, and it smelled very bad.
Mosquitoes were a big problem during the day, and at
night no one could sleep well because of them.
When the Gramalaya staff visited my house, they
explained that that stagnant water in front of the house
caused the mosquitoes to breed heavily, and that
mosquitoes can transmit diseases to humans. They
WATER 35
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Nallachi and her garden
suggested I use my waste water to make a kitchen
garden and gave me seeds to plant. At the waste water
outlet, I planted a garden using banana saplings, brinjal
saplings, and pumpkin seeds. I cared for the garden until
it bloomed. Now we have bananas and vegetables to eat.
The mosquito menace went away and everyone sleeps
well at night. My family is very happy and no one
contacted the disease, Chikinguniah, although my
neighbors were affected by it. Following the Gramalya
staff's suggestions has freed us from mosquito bites and
medical expenses, and the kitchen garden also generates
income. I now tell others about the importance of having
a garden so that they can all benefit like me.
Case Study #2: Daughter's Hygiene Song Changes
Father's Attitude
* Case study relayed by Mrs. Rakkini, Health Educator,
Gramalaya.
Mr. Sangapillai, a resident of Ayinapatti village, has a
young daughter named Kokila. At the Ayinapatti village
meeting, the Gramalaya staff taught hygiene songs to
the assembled children. During the meeting, Kokila
learnt "Father, I need toilet; Mother, I need toilet". Kokila
brought the song home with her.
The next day, Mr. Sangapillai called the Gramalaya
staff and requested measurement markings for toilet
construction. This surprised the Gramalaya staff, as
earlier, Mr. Sangapillai had refused to have a toilet. When
the staff questioned him about his change of attitude, he
replied, "Yesterday I heard the song my daughter sang
and that changed my mind. She is growing now, and will
certainly need a toilet. I changed my attitude and am
asking for a toilet."
Note: This project was undertaken by WaterPartners
through funding from Ethos Water, now a part of
Starbucks.
John Fitzpatrick
Email: jfitzpatrick@water.org
36 WATER
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Innovative Approaches to
Water 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.
E
STIMATES INDICATE that close to 300 million
people live in India's urban centers*. By the year
2030, it is expected that almost half of India's
population will live in cities**. Thus, city infrastructure
and services, especially those for water and sanitation,
become particularly important. As high-cost
infrastructural investments are hard to find for many
growing cities, new approaches are needed to promote
and implement urban water projects. This article
attempts to outline some of the innovative approaches to
urban water projects in India.
Benefits of Partnerships
Partnerships between the U.S. and Indian organizations
have a proven record of success in leveraging finances
and sharing technical and managerial skills. The
experience of the U.S. in helping small cities raise money
through bond financing and using revolving funds to
improve water supply and sanitation, can be of significant
value in finding finances for urban water projects in India.
New water purification technologies developed in the
U.S. can help the Indian industry treat polluted
VSEP technology applied to industrial wastewater. The dark color water on the right is before the treatment. the "Water and Sanitation Pooled Fund"
The clear water on the left is after the VSEP treatment.
SUNDARESAN SUBRAMANIAN is an
energy/environmental professional with a
wide array of leadership and management
experiences in India and the US. As the
Program Director for the State Environmental
Initiative (SEI) at the US Council of State
Governments, Kentucky, he had facilitated 30
energy and environmental partnership
projects in six Asian countries including India. Earlier, he
served for many years as the Regional Director of US-Asia
Environmental Partnership (US-AEP) at the American
Consulate in Chennai/India. In recognition of his work, he has
been honored with several international energy and
environmental awards.
wastewater and recycle it for process use.
Pooled Financing Mechanism
Until recently, municipalities in India had limited access to
capital markets for financing water-related projects.
Increased access to clean drinking water can happen only
if substantial private funding, preferably through local
sources, is made available to the utilities.
To assist developing countries, the Development
Credit Authority (DCA) of the U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID)
provides USAID Missions the authority to
issue credit guarantees to private lenders,
particularly for local currency loans. These
guarantees cover up to 50% of the risk in
lending to projects that advance USAID's
development objectives.
Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India, has
helped pioneer the first pooled financing
bonds in India for investment in water and
sanitation projects. At the end of 2003, the
State issued its first municipal bond to
domestic investors. The proceeds from this
public sale capitalizes a fund for loans to local
municipalities for infrastructure projects.
The interest payments to the bond holders
are, in part, secured by a guarantee from
USAID, which supports the establishment of
(WSPF). WSPF will provide funding of $6.4
 WATER 37
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

several years, the textile industry in Tamil Nadu has

sought a commercially and technically viable solution to
effectively treat its wastewater. What follows is an
example of a successful partnership between U.S. and
Indian organizations.

California-India Partnership on 'VSEP Feasibility

VSEP equipment installation at AD Textiles, India (Photos courtesy: US-AEP/India)
million to multiple municipal water and sanitation
projects. The funds raised by the bond issuance are
disbursed as sub-loans to the participating municipalities
for these projects. These have helped to support projects
for 14 participating municipalities in Tamil Nadu.
Wastewater Treatment and Recycling in Industry
The contribution of the industrial sector to water
pollution in urban India is considerable. Over the past
Testing of Effluent Treatment'
Using a grant award from SEI, California's New Logic Inc.
partnered with GEA Energy Systems, India, to
demonstrate its unique "Vibratory Shear Enhanced
Processing" (VSEP) technology at a total of 13 locations in
India. VSEP demonstrations on industrial wastewaters
provided a possible solution for wastewater disposal and
some progressive companies in India's textile industry
signed contracts to install VSEP effluent treatment
systems to purify wastewater to required standards.
Sundaresan Subramanian
Email: s.subi@yahoo.com
References:
* Census of India 2001: http://www.censusindia.net/results/rudist.html
** India Together: http://www.indiatogether.org/2003/sep/pov-upairev.htm

SHYAMMOHAN is one of the

leading cartoonist
of India. For the
past 18 years he
has been tickling
the minds of the
readers, with his
gentle wit and
humour. He has
worked in various Magazines and
produced thousand of cartoons in
print. He is a specialist in social
issues. His works on themes like,
environment, corruption, AIDS
and globalization are well
acclaimed.
38 WATER
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

An Institute Running on Rainwater

This 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.

T
HE INDIAN Institute of Management (IIM),
Kozhikode, Kerala has 350-400 inmates, and an
average daily water consumption exceeding one
lakh litres; irrigation requirement for the lawn, garden
and horticultural crops is not included in this.
The institute, which has a 96-acre campus occupying
two 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 its
entire campus, making it self-sufficient in its water needs.
At the foot of a hillock, is a huge pond of 1.5 acres
dug only to catch rain water. The run-off from the upper
parts of the hill is not directly fed into the main pond; it
is spread in an adjoining five acres plot, which is the
catchment area. A major part of the rainwater in the
catchment subsequently reaches the main pond by way The catchment area. Rainwater from over 50 acres collects here and percolates from near
of percolation. Also the excess water goes away through this pond and the arecanut garden around it to the main pond. Pic: Harish Halemane.

a cement canal, ensuring that the slightly tainted run-off

does not get into the main pond. The capacity of the water pond is 30,000 cubic
Water from the main pond is treated and pumped to meters. The whole system cost the institute Rs 80 lakh.
an overhead tank, from where it is distributed for the Except this capital cost, other expenditures are not
necessary domestic use at the institution and staff considerable (10 lakh = 1 million; Rs 45 = $1).
quarters. "It was a sort of team work and collective
thinking. Our then director, Dr Kalro was a man open to
new ideas. We didn't have scope to get more water from
any other way. So, after many rounds of discussions, we
decided on this option, recalls Rajiv Varma, Civil Engineer
of 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 the
GT. Today, one does not see any traces of the textile, but
the grass remains as a thick vegetative cover.

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

The institute also has sewage water treatment. When

the campus strength is full, they get 50,000 litres of
output from sewage. Treated water is utilized for
irrigation.
IIM-K contact
Rajiv Varma
Phone: +91-495-280 9195
The large pond that stores rainwater for the campus. Pic: Harish Halemane. Email: rajivarma @ iimk.ac.in

China's Water Crisis
A
S A LOCAL resident in Beijing, I suddenly
discovered that Water has become a hot topic
there. Since 2004, the price of water for residential
use has increased by 28% and it is said that the
government is thinking of enhancing the price again this
year, which, to some extent, reveals the severe situation
of water shortage.
In fact, China suffered from the scarcity of water for
nearly half a century. One of the reasons contributing to
China's water scarcity is its huge population. On the
other side, the imbalance in the distribution of water
exaggerates the problem. For instance, while nearly half
of the population and natural resources are in the
northern China, it only has 19% water storage.
To alleviate the disparity among the regions, China has
initiated a great many projects, such as Three Gorges, to
redistribute the water storage. Among them, the most
distinct and controversial one is the South-to-North
Water Diversion Project, which included three water
transfer projects, i.e. Western Route Project (WRP) and
Middle Route Project (MRP) and Eastern Route Project
(ERP) will divert water from upper, middle, and lower
reaches of Yangtze River respectively, to meet the
developing 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 water
problems, and began to take actions. Mother River
Protection Operation (MRPO) is one of such actions. To
protect and improve eco-environment of the Mother
Rivers of China – Yellow River, Yangtze River and other
important water areas, MRPO makes use of the social
efforts, building new environmental protection projects,
monitoring the current actions, and involving the whole
society, especially the youth, for water protection.
However, water safety was not highlighted until the
chemical pollution disaster of Songhua River in Northern
China. In November 2005, the explosion taking place at
Jilin Chemical Industrial Co. plant led to an outpouring of
around 100 tonnes of chemicals including mainly
benzene, into the Songhua River. 10 days later, an 80-km
contaminated stretch of water reached Harbin, the main
city in Northern China, and was expected to take 40
hours to pass, leaving around 3.5 million people
temporarily without access to water, since Songhua River
is the main resource of residential water there. And
authorities were increasing water flows to dilute
pollutants and providing bottled water for the population
WATER 39
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
SHA YU, is an intern working with the
Byrraju Foundation to learn the best
practices in water management, to go back
to China and implement them.
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 has
been 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 of
Chinese are afflicted with various diseases from drinking
water 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 million
members of the rural population access to drinking water
in 2005. And China plans to lower the population faced
with drinking water problems to a third by 2010 and
ensure safe drinking water for every one by
2020. [3]
In addition, because of its huge population, China is a
country short of natural resources, and now China has
already started to think of sustainable development.
However, in practice, the priority of natural resource
protection depends on the strategic importance of
resources. Petroleum, for instance, was considered as the
directly relating to the security of the nation and highly
valued. In that case, the sustainable development of
water is mainly dependent on the social efforts. However,
the dilemma here is that in China civil society is still on the
way of development, and only a small number of NGOs
and NPOs are able to involve themselves in
environmental protection.
(Ed. It is interesting to observe that despite not having
several NGOs in China, Sha Yu, an NGO intern is
spending time with Byrraju Foundation to learn the best
practices and go back to China to implement them.
China has already put Water crisis on the national
agenda. It is not clear India has done that. One of the
objectives of Catalyst is to promote such learning so that
NGOs learn the best practices from one another. )
Sha Yu
E-mail : sha_yu@byrrajufoundation.org
40 WATER RIGHTS
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
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.
C
ONSUMERS AND activists have called on Coca-
Cola to stop draining water from some of the
world's poorest communities, according to a press
release from activist group Corporate Accountability
International. "Community leaders, religious leaders,
students and educators (San Francisco in the Bay Area)
spoke out against Coke's abusive practices in India and
delivered thousands of public comments to Coke
corporate headquarters in Atlanta and regional
headquarters in Oakland, Calif., the release added.
"These local activists took part in an international day of
action telling Coke to stop stealing water.
Protest against Coke in San Francisco.
"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 an
end to Coke's abuses."
The release says that as a result of Coke's water
extraction, at least five communities across India face
severe water shortages and health problems. In
Plachimada, in southern India , Coke's water extraction
has dried up hundreds of hand-pumped wells, leaving
people without enough water for basic needs. In
Mehdiganj, in northeastern India , Coke has decreased
the level of groundwater by 40 feet, leaving small
farmers without enough water to irrigate their crops.
Coke gets away with its abuses because of its
tremendous economic and political clout. From San
Francisco to Mehdiganj , India , people are mobilizing
and organizing against destructive corporate practices
and forcing Coca-Cola to change its ways or stop its
production," said Angana Chatterji, an activist and
professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies in
San Francisco .
Protest against Coke in India
Reverend Alexandra Childs of the United Church of
Christ delivered the public comments to Coke's Oakland
office. Coke officials refused to take the public
comments, so the concerned consumers left them
outside the doors to the regional headquarters.
Coke's practices are part of a much larger problem of
corporations contributing to a global water shortage, the
release says. The United Nations estimates that two-
thirds of the world's population will not have enough
water 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 is
making water shortage a reality right now for some
communities.
 WASTE MANANGEMENT 41
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Benefits of Using Wastewater in the

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

T
HE SHEAFFER Modular Reclamation and Reuse
System (SMRRS) can be managed to recycle the
pollutants. When wastewater is treated and
recycled for agricultural use, water resources are
protected and conserved, land values are enhanced by
using sites for multiple purposes, and carbon is
sequestered, which mitigates the threats of global
warming and air
quality degradation. Thus, ecologically sound
wastewater management can act as a catalyst for
economic development.
Wastewater can be used as a catalyst to produce
agricultural benefits, which can be summarized as
follows:
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 produce
commercial fertilizers.
3. Using the reclaimed water and nutrients to stimulate
crop production. The estimated increase in yields of
100 bushels per acre will take more carbon dioxide out
of the atmosphere - carbon sequestering.
4. Flood damage mitigation by detaining and retaining
water on agricultural land.
5. Groundwater recharge to replenish drinking water
aquifers.
JOHN R. "JACK" SHEAFFER'S, contributions
to the field of floodplain management began
in the mid to late 1950's. A graduate student
of Gilbert White, he studied the effect of
urbanization in floodplains. In the 1960s, he
began to promote the idea of flood proofing
as a viable floodplain management
alternative. In 2002, Jack co-authored the
article Encouraging Wise Use of Floodplains with Market
Based Incentives, exploring how existing programs and land-
use authorities could be utilized to create public-private
partnerships. Jack is also an inaugural member of the ASFPM
Foundation Board of Trustees.
likelihood, will be reduced to the nutrients levels allowed
in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) permits. Officials in the Commonwealth of
Virginia determined a value of $11.00 per lb for nitrogen
and $5.00 per lb for phosphorus to initiate its nutrient
exchange program. No value was established for
potassium. Based on a realistic example of using waste
water in the state of Virginia in the US, it is estimated that
John Sheaffer
Email: jvsheaffer@sbcglobal.net

One acre of land can be evaluated to quantify the

range of benefits in economic terms. Assuming that the
acre of farmland is managed as an integral part of a
SMRRS, and the irrigation rate is 46 inches per year
(1,249,107 gallons), dollar values can be assigned to the
benefits. The nutrients in the wastewater would be
recycled rather than discharged into a waterway, where
they will add to the dead zones (due to lack of oxygen
resulting from nutrients). The 46 acre-inches of
wastewater would contain 338 lbs of Kjeldahl nitrogen
(TKN), 100 lbs of total phosphorus and 100 lbs of
potassium. These nutrients can be used to fertilize crops.
One acre of land will directly or indirectly use 338 lbs
of TKN nitrogen contained in the treated wastewater. At
a trade value of $11.00 per lb, the acre produces $3,718.
In terms of total phosphorus, a trade value of $5.00 per
lb would yield $500. However, these trade values, in all
42 WASTE MANAGEMENT
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Promoting Effective Waste Management:
The Clean Himalaya Initiative
This article is about an initiative promoting productive solid waste management in Rishikesh, India.
T
HE MUNI-KI-RETI - Tapovan - Lakshmanjula area,
located along the Ganges River in the Himalayan
foothills, about three kilometers from Rishikesh in
Northern India, is considered by many to be one of the
holiest places in the world. However, in recent times, its
sanctity has been marred by a combination of many
factors: the intense development of hotels, shops,
homes, and ashrams; the greater use of plastic bags and
other non-degradable packaging materials and the lack
of organized municipal garbage pick-up and disposal.
Garbage litters the roadsides, drains, ravines, and the
Ganges banks. Also, plastic waste thrown into irrigation
channels litters the farmland and pollutes the water used
for farming. Stagnant water in drains, blocked by plastic,
fosters the growth of disease-carrying organisms. Toxins
from plastic and non-degradable waste enter the ground
water and, finally, the many wells dug along the banks of
the Ganges.
Western students of the spiritual teacher, Andrew
Cohen, visiting Rishikesh in the year 2000, became aware
that they were contributing to the pollution through by
using mineral water packaged in plastic bottles. These
bottles were everywhere, and the students felt the need
to do something about it. With the help of one of
Andrew's Indian students, Jitendra Kumar, they began
picking up bottles from ravines and off the street.
Jitendra was shocked to see how garbage littered the
streets, ravines, and the banks of the Ganges. He
organized rag-pickers to collect plastic bottles and other
dry waste from local guesthouses and ashrams.
Gradually, this service grew into a small enterprise under
his supervision.
This small service caught the attention of well-wishers,
who donated money so that Jitendra could purchase a
cart for collecting garbage, have posters printed, and hire
more workers. The donors hoped that the service would
eventually become self-sustaining, capable of paying the
operating costs and providing salaries for the garbage
collectors. Currently, the program, "Clean Himalaya",
employs four workers, who collect and segregate
garbage from ashrams, hotels, restaurants and homes in
Muni-ki-reti, Tapovan, Lakshmanjula and along the
Border road. They sell recyclable garbage and burn non-
recyclable garbage.
The project aims to maintain the sanctity, beauty and
VENKATESH DUTTA is an environment
and development scientist currently
employed as Lecturer in postgraduate School
for Environmental Sciences, Babasaheb
Bhimrao Ambedkar (Central) University,
Lucknow. His research interests include
Environmental and Development Economics,
Integrated Environmental Planning &
Management, Policy Analysis, EIA and Entrepreneurship
Research. Recently he was awarded British Chevening
Scholarships (2006) to pursue a course on Environmental
Management and Sustainable Development at the University
of Wales, UK.
cleanliness of the Ganges and the Himalayan area
through solid waste disposal and management, protect
animals and the environment from toxic materials, and
provide employment and income for the sweepers and
their supervisors.
Jitendra continues to make determined efforts to
solicit business. Several times a week, he visits hotels,
shops and homes to explain the project and to sign up
new clients. He hands out attractive posters and points
out the importance of source segregation and recycling.
He also regularly visits the establishments that have
joined the project to ensure that the garbage collectors
come daily, that the clients are satisfied with the service,
and to sustain a friendly relationship. He has also
requested the Sub-District Magistrate to allocate land for
on-site composting and waste segregation.
In future, Clean Himalaya hopes to hire its own street
sweepers or coordinate its efforts with those of the
municipality, so that drains would be cleaned daily and
garbage on the roadside would be both picked up and
sorted for recycling. It also plans to provide instruction
and dissemination of educational literature to the public
relating to the importance of keeping the surroundings
clean. It plans to educate school children and include
them in cleaning projects.
Currently, there is no municipal system of storage or
disposal of waste, and most of the population simply
dumps the waste on the streets or in open spaces,
creating serious hazard for the overall community health
and sanitation. The Clean Himalaya project uses a novel
approach - it does not rely upon state support; it is
 WASTEMANAGEMENT 43
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

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 way
into the Ganga and the water that is used for irrigation of farmland from garbage. The intent of the project is also to
promote practical knowledge and awareness in order to foster greater participation in the waste management activities
around Rishikesh. The project hopes to shift responsibility away from the local municipal government to private
entrepreneurs who will be fully accountable. The participation of residents, shops, and hotels continues to grow, and
with the passage of time, when cooperation with municipal sweepers is achieved, an even more significant and visible
benefit to everyone in the area is expected.
Clean Himalaya now covers the salaries of its four workers and general operating expenses such as telephone
charges, gasoline, bags and additional labour, setting aside money for contingent expenses as well. It expects that
income from user fees, selling recyclable waste and finished compost will be sufficient to cover the operation and
maintenance 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 the
system for the entire population, thereby leading to improvement in the environment as well as providing work for a
number of people. Other groups facing similar constraints and opportunities can adopt the project concept, and there
is a great potential for this idea to be scaled-up to a much larger level of participation. Its innovative financing method
and support process can be tried elsewhere and employed with success.

Venkatesh Dutta
Email: dvenks@gmail.com
44 SOCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Examples of Social Contribution from
IIT Madras Alumni.
RAJ VARADARAJAN:
Minvalai internet exchange
(www.n-logue.com)
Single Teacher schools
(www.singleteacherschools.org
(raj_varadarajan@yahoo.com)
Raj returned to India in 1986 and joined Makkal Sakthi
Eiyakaam started in 1988 by Dr, M.S.Udayamurthy a
Rhodes Scholar. Eiyakkam was involved in making the
villagers stand on their own leg by concentrating on
Education, Women empowerment, Economic
improvement, savings, hygiene and health, prohibition
and religious tolerance. So when Prof. Ashok
Jhunjhunwala developed WLL to take internet to rural
India he along with several alumni took franchise for
Tiruvallur district to give internet connection to the
villages in this district. The other partners of this effort
from the pioneer groups are Lionel Paul, T.
Suryanarayanan and MS Chandramouli.
This led to the next involvement in even remoter
villages to educate the illiterate children by joining Swami
Vivekananda Rural development society in Tamilnadu.
From 2002 this society has already established single
teacher schools in 540 villages and wants to add 1500
more villages in the next 2 years very similar to
Ekalvidayala.
DR. B. R. PAI:
Globe Eye Foundation
(paibr@yahoo.com)
GEF was started in 1995 with a view to provide the best
of 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 a
decade of service in Eye Care mainly to the rural people
in Karnataka. Starting in a modest rented house in
Hoskote in 1996, GEF has now done over 20,000 free
cataract operations. GEF has a full fledged Eye hospital
with built up area of 14,000 sq ft on the Highway NH4
close to Hoskote. Presently GEF is doing about 4,000
operations per year. Visit the website www.globeeye.org
for further details.
S. KUMAR;
Daya Ghar
(skstruct@airtelbroadband.in )
Kumar has started an NGO called Daya Ghar to house
and educate poor children from slums in Adyar. A
housekeeper takes care of cooking and upkeep of the
house. Kumar, his wife and some of the well wishers give
lessons to children. Children are sent to nearby schools
and Kumar pays all the school fees. Currently Kumar is
the major donor of Daya Ghar. If more financing is
available he can expand his activities by housing more
than eight children which is doing now. Contact
skstruct@airtelbroadband.in
T. A. ANANTHU:
Navadarshanam
(jyothianathu@gmail.com)
Anathu and Jyothi have been involved in exploring
sustainable living for 30 years. They have formed a trust
fifteen years back called Navadsrshnama in Thally,
Tamilnadu where they are exploring alternatives to the
modern living and thinking, keeping in mind the
ecological and spiritual perspectives of life. For more
details see www.navadarshanam.org
RAM KRISHNAN is an alumnus of IIT
Madras, graduated in 1967 with a B.Tech
and M.Tech. After working in the US
(Minnesota) for 30 years, Ram spent 3
months in India every year for the past 4
years learning, working and advocating for
the poor in India’s villages, untouched by
the meteoric IT growth and the average 7% annual GDP
growth. Ram Krishnan is committing his next 4+ years to
work for sustainable and scalable projects in the villages of
India, where about 240 million people live and earn less
than Rs 50 per day.

Gravity Head Ensures a Green Plant and
Sustainability: A Case Study of Gangtok City
Introduction
The picturesque state of Sikkim is cradled in the foothills
of the mighty Himalayan range in the north-eastern
corner of India. This land, dotted with monasteries, is also
known as the 'garden of the Himalayas'. Gangtok its
capital city is rapidly developing into an international
tourist center. The city is located between 2000 to 5500
feet above mean sea level (MSL). The only motorable
access to Gangtok is through the valley of river Trista (a
part of old indo-china silk route.) from Siligudi in West
Bengal. On clear days, the snow clad peaks of
Kanchanjunga ranges are visible in the pristine glory. The
Public Health Engineering Department of Govt. of Sikkim
manages the water supply scheme of Gangtok.
The water treatment plant complex (7.50 MGD,
Million British Gallons per Day) for Gangtok city, is
located 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 river
originates from a lake at 14,000 feet, which is fed by a
melting glacier. Water is of high quality for ten to eleven
months. The raw water supply to the plant and treated
water supply from the plant is by gravity. Due to lack of
CASE STUDY 45
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
leveled ground at the site the overall hydraulic gradient is
steep (45 feet, 12m).
The Problem
Originally before 1978, the treatment facility consisted of
only a plain sedimentation tank and chlorination
(bleaching powder CaOCL). Later in 1978 and 1985 two
plants of capacity 1.0MGD and 2.0MGD each were
constructed in the same premises. Each plant consisted of
sludge blanket (hopper bottom) settling tank and rapid
sand gravity filter beds. To cater to rapidly increasing
demand in 1990 the PHE Dept proposed to increase the
capacity of scheme from 3.0MGD to 7.5MGD. The
capacity of the existing plant complex was increased
accordingly during 2002-2004. The plant was
commissioned in the year 2005. There was a severe
power shortage in the state, and frequent land slides
ensured that even single-phase supply to plant was
intermittent. Obviously, all the unit processes needed to
be independent of electrical energy. The rotary
mechanical components had to be bare minimum due
lack of skilled maintenance. The existing plant at site was
only supplying partially treated water to the city. Lack of
46 CASE STUDY
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Introduction
The picturesque state of Sikkim is cradled in the foothills
of the mighty Himalayan range in the north-eastern
corner of India. This land, dotted with monasteries, is also
known as the 'garden of the Himalayas'. Gangtok its
capital city is rapidly developing into an international
tourist center. The city is located between 2000 to 5500
feet above mean sea level (MSL). The only motorable
access to Gangtok is through the valley of river Trista (a
part of old indo-china silk route.) from Siligudi in West
Bengal. On clear days, the snow clad peaks of
Kanchanjunga ranges are visible in the pristine glory. The
Public Health Engineering Department of Govt. of Sikkim
manages the water supply scheme of Gangtok.
The water treatment plant complex (7.50 MGD,
Million British Gallons per Day) for Gangtok city, is
located 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 river
originates from a lake at 14,000 feet, which is fed by a
melting glacier. Water is of high quality for ten to eleven
months. The raw water supply to the plant and treated
water supply from the plant is by gravity. Due to lack of
leveled ground at the site the overall hydraulic gradient is
steep (45 feet, 12m).
The Problem
Originally before 1978, the treatment facility consisted of
only a plain sedimentation tank and chlorination
(bleaching powder CaOCL). Later in 1978 and 1985 two
plants of capacity 1.0MGD and 2.0MGD each were
constructed in the same premises. Each plant consisted of
sludge blanket (hopper bottom) settling tank and rapid
sand gravity filter beds. To cater to rapidly increasing
demand in 1990 the PHE Dept proposed to increase the
capacity of scheme from 3.0MGD to 7.5MGD. The
capacity of the existing plant complex was increased
accordingly during 2002-2004. The plant was
commissioned in the year 2005. There was a severe
power shortage in the state, and frequent land slides
ensured that even single-phase supply to plant was
intermittent. Obviously, all the unit processes needed to
be independent of electrical energy. The rotary
mechanical components had to be bare minimum due
lack of skilled maintenance. The existing plant at site was
only supplying partially treated water to the city. Lack of
space on a steep terrain had ruled out the possibility of
construction of a new plant. There was no option left but
to augment the plant by making maximum use of the
existing units and by constructing minimum possible new
structures. It took two and a half year to complete the
modifications. The "new look" existing complex with
7.50MGD 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 dissipate
the excessive head. This is followed by two grit collection
channels a Parshall Flume and a circular cascade aerator.
Grit channels trap the grit, fine sand and mica particles
originated 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 (New
Plant). The level difference between these two units,
which is more than 2.50m, is utilized to accommodate
an aesthetically pleasing "crescent moon" shaped water
fall. 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 was
structurally strengthened to convert it in to two streams
of flocculation-tube clarification system. The modified
tank has two units, each of 2.25 MGD. Each unit is
further divided into two compartments, one each for
Flocculation and Tube Clarification. The drives for vertical
paddle type Agitators (Flocculators) are operated with
hydraulic head using simple water wheel turbines
(Capston-type). These low-head turbines are driven by a
head of 2m of water which is ensured between
flocculation tank and the up-stream Splitter box. Part or
full portion of the incoming water, after rotating the
drives enters the Flocculation tank (ensuring the flexibility
for agitator speed). The agitators are directly coupled to
the drive wheels.
The Tube Settling compartment is located on the outlet
side of each unit. The Tube Modules are placed 2.50m
above the tank bottom. The modules and the collection
troughs are supported from the bottom. The sludge
settled on the flat bottom of the tanks is removed
manually by water hoses through the drain pipes. The low
inlet turbidity allows de-sludging operation once in a year.
Gravity Filter Beds
The Clarified Water is conveyed to new Rapid Sand Filter
beds of 4.50 MGD capacity (1.25 MGD x 4 nos. each).
The conversion of existing rapid sand filter beds to dual
media required extensive modifications and hence was
ruled out. The beds are designed on the principal of
constant rate filtration with influent flow splitting weirs to
avoid maintenance prone rate-of-flow-controllers. The
beds are washed with hard-wash only. The wash-water
S. J. Kardile
Consulting Engineer, K Consultation,
Nasik-Road, Maharashtra, India
Email: kcon@vsnl.com
 CASE STUDY 47
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Sustainable Rural Water Management

A Replicable Case Study
By Lalit Sharma*, Jay Sehgal, Ellora Mubashir, The Sehgal Foundation , Gurgaon.

S
EHGAL FOUNDATION works on integrated and village and get contaminated (Figure 1 and 2). A ridge to
sustainable village development in Mewat region of valley approach (Figure 3), was adopted by building gully
Haryana. This goal is implemented through four plugs to slow down the speed of water, thereby reducing
programs (1) Water Management (2) Income soil erosion and the silt load entering the dam. Other
Enhancement (3) Family Life Education (4) Rural Health, options, including diverting natural streams to recharging
and the support services of Infrastructure Building and wells or injecting wells (Figures 4 and 5) are also an
Communications. The approach is participatory and efficient way to add to ground water. Even dry wells are
programs are organized around 'Village Level Institutions' structurally well? connected to the underground water
and 'Village Champions'. The factors responsible for table, while much more effort is required to find other
sustainability of any rural development project are - parts of the village where soil has good percolating ability
motivational, financial, organizational and technical. right up to the water table.
In Ghaghas the quantity of available ground water Safe disposal of domestic waste water is addressed
was inadequate and fast depleting, its quality too was through soak pits, which are simple and cheap drainage
poor with high content of nitrates and fluorides . Since structures facilitating the disposal, filtration and
the ground water of Ghaghas is an important water percolation of wastewater into the ground (Figure 6, 7).
source for several neighboring villages, they are also
adversely affected. This scenario is now improved with II. METHODOLOGY
the interventions. Working with the Community
As in many villages of India, the domestic waste water As a first step, the requirements of the people are
flows into the streets, creating dirty puddles which are a identified at community meetings followed by survey of
breeding ground for pathogens and their carriers. This the region together with some villagers, their knowledge
water is a medium by which the ground water gets is solicited, experts are brought in and Sehgal
contaminated due to open defecation, open composting Foundation's engineer works out a draft blueprint. The
and excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in blueprint has details of design, material, time?lines and
the agriculture.
To address the high nitrate
and fluoride contents found in
the drinking water, it was
decided to work on the quality
of the water at the source
itself rather than use other
solutions like filters or water
treatments . The logic
adopted was to dilute the
ground water with rain water,
so that the nitrate and fluoride
concentration would reduce
to acceptable standards and at
the same time the ground
water would be replenished.
In Ghaghas, a check dam
was built at a location
upstream so that the runoff
water from the Aravali hills is
not allowed to enter the Figure 1: Integration of new structures with revived traditional ones
48 CASE STUDY
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Figure 2: Percolation of stream water before it gets contaminated

S
EHGAL FOUNDATION works on integrated and dirty puddles which are a breeding ground for pathogens
sustainable village development in Mewat region of and their carriers. This water is a medium by which the
Haryana. This goal is implemented through four ground water gets contaminated due to open defecation,
programs (1) Water Management (2) Income open composting and excessive use of chemical fertilizers
Enhancement (3) Family Life Education (4) Rural Health, and pesticides in the agriculture.
and the support services of Infrastructure Building and To address the high nitrate and fluoride contents
Communications. The approach is participatory and found in the drinking water, it was decided to work on
programs are organized around 'Village Level Institutions' the quality of the water at the source itself rather than
and 'Village Champions'. The factors responsible for use other solutions like filters or water treatments . The
sustainability of any rural development project are - logic adopted was to dilute the ground water with rain
motivational, financial, organizational and technical. water, so that the nitrate and fluoride concentration
In Ghaghas the quantity of available ground water would reduce to acceptable standards and at the same
was inadequate and time the ground water
fast depleting, its would be replenished.
quality too was poor In Ghaghas, a check
with high content of dam was built at a
nitrates and fluorides . location upstream so
Since the ground water that the runoff water
of Ghaghas is an from the Aravali hills is
Gully plugs slow down the flow of
important water source water, to percolate it and reduce not allowed to enter
for several neighboring silt load to check dam the village and get
villages, they are also contaminated (Figure
adversely affected. 1 and 2). A ridge to
This scenario is now valley approach
improved with the (Figure 3), was
interventions. adopted by building
As in many villages gully plugs to slow
of India, the domestic down the speed of
waste water flows into water, thereby
the streets, creating Figure 3: Integrated Ridge to Valley Approach in Ghaghas reducing soil erosion
 CASE STUDY 49
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

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

Time period : 2002 to 2004 Overcoming the
Structures Cost per No. of Sehgal Community Total Technical
unit Units Foundation Contribution, Challenge of
Contribution, per unit Silting through
per unit (may be labor)
Reviving traditional 8,000 1 6,000 2,000 8,000 Innovations
structures* Check Dam
Check Dam in Ghaghas 4,50,000 1 3,70,000 80,000 4,50,000 Each year, the
Well Recharging 15,000 1 10,000 5,000 15,000 sedimentation of
Roof Water Harvesting 5,000 1 4,000 1,000 per unit 5,000 the silt load
Soak Pit 150 56 50 per pit 100 per pit 8,400 brought by the
Chizel (deep plowing) 450 per acre 60 acres 150 300 27,000
rainwater runoff
Total Direct Cost 5,05,400
Total Indirect Cost 1,00,000 decreases the
(Sehgal Foundation's institutional cost for water management program in Ghaghas) effective storage
Grand Total = Rs 6,05,4001 capacity of check
* Repair of an earthern embankment and its stabilization with vetiver grass. dams and the
percolation of
and the silt load entering the dam. Other options, water. Invariably removal of this silt from the storage
including diverting natural streams to recharging wells or basin is laborious and expensive, which the villagers are
injecting wells (Figures 4 and 5) are also an efficient way usually not motivated enough to do, leading to
to add to ground water. Even dry wells are structurally abandonment of such structures after some time.
well? connected to the underground water table, while In addition to the ridge to valley (Figure 3) approach
much more effort is required to find other parts of the which reduces the silt load reaching the check dam, a
village where soil has good percolating ability right up to cheap technique for desilting has been introduced in the
the water table. design of the check dam itself, by providing several
Safe disposal of domestic waste water is addressed outlets at its ground basin level (Figure 8 and 9). These
through soak pits, which are simple and cheap drainage desilting drains are closed on upstream side with a layer
structures facilitating the disposal, filtration and of brick masonry. In about 2-3 years, the villagers would
percolation of wastewater into the ground (Figure 6, 7). need to plow the basin with the help of tractor before the
first monsoon rain and break open the desilting drain
II. METHODOLOGY openings.
Working with the Community In this region the distribution of monsoon rain is in
As a first step, the requirements of the people are intense spells with gaps in between. The first intense
identified at community meetings followed by survey of monsoon rain would force the loosened silt out of the
the region together with some villagers, their knowledge check dam through the drains. During the dry spell
is solicited, experts are brought in and Sehgal between two showers these openings are to be closed
Foundation's engineer works out a draft blueprint. The with a layer of brick masonry like before, for water
blueprint has details of design, material, time?lines and storage.
costs (Table 1), which is presented to the community. The The silt which deposits outside the check dam is fertile
villagers often modify it and also decide on what they can soil and can be used in agricultural fields. It can be carried
contribute, since some contribution from them is away by villagers easily in carts from this place, unlike if
mandatory by the Foundation's policy. In this whole they had to carry the ploughed silt from the basin of the
process the Village Level Institution , Village Champion check dam.
& Panchayat are involved. Recharging Wells
In Ghaghas, there is a natural stream which
runs through the village during monsoon and
Table 2: Cost comparison of Filters versus Check dam in Ghaghas this water flows out without being used for
Options Cost in Rupees Solves recharging the ground water. Two minor
Household models 4,50,000 capital + 60,000 Only Fluorides interventions at an appropriate location have
of Defluorination filters : annual maintenance significantly reduced this waste (Figure 4 and
Ion Exchange (India) Ltd. 5). It was observed that the Government had
& Mytry
Check dam & 5,08,000 All contaminants earlier built three injecting wells near the
other interventions & water depletion stream but currently water from the stream
was not reaching them, thus these useful
50 CASE STUDY
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Holistic Solutions: 'ridge to valley'

S
EHGAL FOUNDATION works
on integrated and sustainable Small masonry structure forces
flowing water into wells
village development in Mewat
region of Haryana. This goal is
implemented through four programs
(1) Water Management (2) Income
Enhancement (3) Family Life
Education (4) Rural Health, and the
support services of Infrastructure
Building and Communications. The
approach is participatory and Water diverted to nearby abandoned
programs are organized around well, through an inverted filter and
underground pipe
'Village Level Institutions' and
'Village Champions'. The factors Figure 5: Ground-water Recharging through well in Ghaghas
responsible for sustainability of any
rural development project are - motivational, financial, work on the quality of the water at the source itself rather
organizational and technical. than use other solutions like filters or water treatments .
In Ghaghas the quantity of available ground water The logic adopted was to dilute the ground water with
was inadequate and fast depleting, its quality too was rain water, so that the nitrate and fluoride concentration
poor with high content of nitrates and fluorides . Since would reduce to acceptable standards and at the same
the ground water of Ghaghas is an important water time the ground water would be replenished.
source for several neighboring
villages, they are also adversely
In village Agon, Ferozepur Jhirka Block
affected. This scenario is now
improved with the interventions.
As in many villages of India, the BEFORE Soak Pit AFTER Soak Pit
domestic waste water flows into the
streets, creating dirty puddles which
are a breeding ground for pathogens
and their carriers. This water is a
medium by which the ground water
gets contaminated due to open
defecation, open composting and
excessive use of chemical fertilizers
and pesticides in the agriculture.
To address the high nitrate and
fluoride contents found in the Figure 6 : Soak pit - a mechanism for safe disposal of waste water

drinking water, it was decided to

 CASE WATER
STUDY 11
51
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
DEVELOPMENT

Figure 7 : Soak pit design

In Ghaghas, a check dam was built at a location
upstream so that the runoff water from the Aravali hills is
not 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 the
speed of water, thereby reducing soil erosion and the silt
load entering the dam. Other options, including diverting
natural streams to recharging wells or injecting wells
(Figures 4 and 5) are also an efficient way to add to
ground water. Even dry wells are structurally well?
connected to the underground water table, while much
more effort is required to find other parts of the village
where soil has good percolating ability right up to the
water table.
Safe disposal of domestic waste water is addressed
through soak pits, which are simple and cheap drainage
structures facilitating the disposal, filtration and
percolation of wastewater into the ground (Figure 6, 7).
II. METHODOLOGY
Working with the Community
As a first step, the requirements of the people are
identified at community meetings followed by survey of
the region together with some villagers, their knowledge
is solicited, experts are brought in and Sehgal
Foundation's engineer works out a draft blueprint. The
blueprint has details of design, material, time?lines and
costs (Table 1), which is presented to the community. The
villagers often modify it and also decide on what they can
contribute, since some contribution from them is
mandatory by the Foundation's policy. In this whole
process the Village Level Institution , Village Champion
& Panchayat are involved.

Overcoming the Technical Challenge

of Silting through Innovations
Check Dam
Each year, the sedimentation of the
silt load brought by the rainwater
runoff decreases the effective storage
capacity of check dams and the
percolation of water. Invariably
removal of this silt from the storage
basin is laborious and expensive,
which the villagers are usually not
motivated enough to do, leading to
abandonment of such structures after
some time.
In addition to the ridge to valley
(Figure 3) approach which reduces
the silt load reaching the check dam,
Figure 8 : Ghaghas Masonry Check Dam a cheap technique for desilting has
52 CASE STUDY
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Silt Drains
Masonry
Check dam
Silt deposition site,
when drains opened
Figure 9 : Silt Drains of Check dam
S
EHGAL FOUNDATION works on integrated and
sustainable village development in Mewat region of
Haryana. This goal is implemented through four
programs (1) Water Management (2) Income
Enhancement (3) Family Life Education (4) Rural Health,
and the support services of Infrastructure Building and
Communications. The approach is participatory and
programs are organized around 'Village Level Institutions'
and 'Village Champions'. The factors responsible for
sustainability of any rural development project are -
motivational, financial, organizational and technical.
In Ghaghas the quantity of available ground water
was inadequate and fast depleting, its quality too was
poor with high content of nitrates and fluorides . Since
the ground water of Ghaghas is an important water
source for several neighboring villages, they are also
adversely affected. This scenario is now improved with
the interventions.
As in many villages of India, the domestic waste water
flows into the streets, creating dirty puddles which are a
breeding ground for pathogens and their carriers. This
Figure 10 : High nitrate & fluoride levels reduced due to check dam
water is a medium by which the ground water gets
contaminated due to open defecation, open composting
and excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in
the agriculture.
To address the high nitrate and fluoride contents
found in the drinking water, it was decided to work on
the quality of the water at the source itself rather than
use other solutions like filters or water treatments . The
logic adopted was to dilute the ground water with rain
water, so that the nitrate and fluoride concentration
would reduce to acceptable standards and at the same
time the ground water would be replenished.
In Ghaghas, a check dam was built at a location
upstream so that the runoff water from the Aravali hills is
not 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 the
speed of water, thereby reducing soil erosion and the silt
load entering the dam. Other options, including diverting
natural streams to recharging wells or injecting wells
(Figures 4 and 5) are also an efficient way to add to
ground water. Even dry wells are structurally well?
connected to the underground water table, while much
more effort is required to find other parts of the village
where soil has good percolating ability right up to the
water table.
It took approx. 1 year for the dilution effects to to travel
1.5 km underground, indicating that horizontal
movement of recharged water is a slow process.
* For Correspondence. Email: lalit.sharma@smsfoundation.org
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).

Tackling India's Water Scarcity
W
ater is essential for human survival. Although
India's average annual rainfall is adequate to
provide water for various uses by the billion
people living there, water scarcity has become the norm
in both the rural and urban areas of India. As Avinash
Roul has reported in "India's Water Future,"
(www.ecoworld.com/home/articles), efficient use of
water correlates far better with the wealth of a country
than how much water it has consumed. He also states
that dramatic gains in the economic well-being of a
community can be had by more efficiently using the
available water than increasing it. A good water policy
that encourages water conservation by such means as
leakage prevention, efficient use of the available water,
waste minimization, cleaner industrial production, water
pollution control, equitable allocation and pricing of
water among competing users, and instituting strict
enforcement of the prevailing regulations will go a long
way in minimizing water scarcity and even in making
additional water available for beneficial uses.
This Catalyst issue makes a small effort to describe a
microcosm of case studies mainly from India to
demonstrate that water for drinking, industrial, and
agricultural uses can be potentially made available and
sustained in water scarcity areas. We hope that case
studies such as these and many others that are not
included here have the potential to provide adequate
water to satisfy all the above needs in an efficient manner
if they are replicated around the country and made
mandatory by the Central, State and Local governments.
Immediate action is extremely necessary as water
shortages are acute in many villages and cities in India.
The situation in India is becoming critical day by day and
it should be addressed by massive awareness campaigns
and allocating adequate funding in India's current and
future plans for properly managing all water resources to
sustain the desired economic growth rate.
The linkages between water supply, wastewater and
sewage disposal, and the resources in the wider water
drainage basin have not been recognized in many parts
of the country. The United Nations Human Settlements
Programme published a book entitled "Meeting
Development Goals in Small Urban Centers, Water and
Sanitation in the World's Cities 2006" (unhabitat.org,
ISBN-10; 1-84407-305x) which presents several case
studies from around the world of integrated water
resources management. These case studies can be of
value and should be studied for replication in India to
tackle water scarcity.
RECAP 53
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
DR. RAJARAM is an environmental engineer
working with Techknow Engineering in
Chicago, IL , an international consulting firm
working in the areas of energy and water. He
has been in the US since 1970, and since 1996,
has been active in doing environmental
projects in India. He has completed several
wastewater treatment plants, solid and
hazardous waste management projects, and trained several
people in hazardous waste management. He is working with
IIT Chicago to establish a Distance Learning Program in
Envrironmental Management throughout India. His passion is
to improve India's environmental management practices. He
has a Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin, and a J.D. in
environmental law from IIT Chicago. He did his
undergraduate work in Osmania University in Hyderabad.
We hope that the case studies detailed here and
elsewhere and other papers presented in this issue of
Catalyst will spur local action by the people living in cities
and villages to improve the quantity and quality of water
available to them. We also hope that citizens and
stakeholders alike will get more involved to hold
government officials accountable for managing water
supply and wastewater collection, treatment, and
disposal in a cost effective manner. Credible non
governmental agencies (NGOs) that have a good track
record should be encouraged to form private and public
partnerships to play a bigger role in catalyzing proper
management of water resources. One such NGO is
Arghyam (www.arghyam.org), who have written an
article 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 and
knowledge resources for managing water scarcity is
readily available on the portal
(www.indiawaterportal.org) and can be accessed by all.
Minimizing water scarcity in India requires
involvement by the citizens at the Local, State and
Central government levels, and the pricing of water in a
manner which improves conservation and promotes
efficient use. Water, wastewater and sanitation should
be considered integral parts of water management and
an integrated water resource management strategy
should be implemented.
Vasudevan Rajaram
Board Member, IDCA, Oak Brook, IL
E-mail: raj2468@comcast.net
54 NGO ACTIVITY
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Meeting Reports
Empowering Grassroots for Sustainable Development in India
IDCA's Third International Conference

On January 10, 2007, India Development Coalition of America (IDCA) organized an International conference at Punjab
Haryana 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 and
explore ways of helping lift India's over 650,000 villages from poverty. It was co-hosted by Education Promotion Society
for India (EPSI- www.epsfi.org), and the Sehgal Foundation (www.smsfoundation.org), Gurgaon, Haryana. More than
125 people representing various organizations from many parts of India and several NRIs participated in the 12-hour
long program.
Both IDCA and EPSI are setting historic precedents in bringing together the finest minds and the highest ideals from
the Diaspora as well as from within India herself. Welcoming the conference participants from throughout India, the
U.S., England and other countries was IDCA's President, Dr. Mohan Jain. He emphasized on the need for promoting
Sustainable Development in India in light of looming global warming threat and need to use resources more frugally
to meet the needs of masses. He suggested two important references (Plan B 2.0, by Lester R. Brown, and Ecology of
Commerce, 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's
name. EPSI has implemented programs, cut through government red tape and connected resources to projects
throughout the country. Mr. Jay Sehgal made a brief presentation about the integrated rural development work done
by the Sehgal Foundation, Gurgaon, in nearby villages since 2001. Ms. Anjali Makhija, Group leader at the Sehgal
Foundation, Gurgaon, served as master of ceremony for this session.
Timothy Somers and Mohan Jain

YES Fund- A Global Fund for Youth Entrepreneurship

Wednesday, 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 site
in India to develop a replicable model for its project the Global Fund for Youth Entrepreneurship (YES Fund). This pilot
initiative is funded by Microsoft.

YES Inc. works with diverse stakeholders in over 80 countries to build partnerships and develop the capacity of youth
to 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 thought
leadership and entrepreneurship.

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

The Networking Meeting

January 21st, 2007, Chennai (India)

About 35 grass-roots workers, representing the full range of rural and urban development
issues, attended a daylong meeting at Asha Nivas, an NGO located in Nungambakkam in
Chennai. Smt Shantha Sheela Nair, ex-secretary in the rural development department of
the 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 their
challenges. The afternoon session was structured along 4 themes, with the panel
members taking questions from the audience. It was a common request that such
networking meetings be held at least once a year.
Ram Krishnan, e-mail: ram.krishnan@yahoo.com
 NGO ACTIVITY 55
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

"Hearts over Horizon" - Share and Care Silver Jubilee in India

January 26-27, 2007 at Rajkot, Gujarat
During the weekend of January 26, 2007, thirty-five Indian NGOs (Non-Governmental Organization) from all over India
converged in Rajkot, Gujarat to connect their hearts with those from thousands of miles away residing in USA - the Share and
Care Foundation. This was an attempt to continue work towards the common goal of service for rural masses of India to close
the 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 begin
celebration of Share and Care Foundation Silver Jubilee and its long-term partnership with the NGOs, discuss their successes
and challenges, share experiences and chalk out programs and plans for the future. This two-day meeting was attended by 70
representatives from 35 NGOs, staff and management from Life and 5 key members of Share and Care. As communicated
earlier, on Saturday morning, January 27, 2007 plenary session was attended by over 100 representatives. Share and Care
Foundation took this opportunity to create awareness about Share and Care future thrust based on the analysis of the
environment in rural India.

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

We believe, this meeting created more camaraderie, better understanding of each others need, effective exchange of vital
information, potential formation of a self-help network of NGOs conducting synergistic activities with aligned goals, platform
for operational improvements and focus on needs as well as priorities. A team is being formed the develop follow-up plans
and address the specific action items with an ultimate goal to sharpen our focus, improve performance, stretch our grants
further 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: jayant.shroff@verizon.net

Development Congress discusses NGOs role

In order that India marched ahead rapidly on the path of development, several high profile speakers at a Development
Congress held recently at the Nagarjuna University underscored the urgent need for a coordinated effort between the
respective governments in different states, the local Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and universities. They felt this
would go a long way in sharing experiences with each other, monitoring each other's activities and thus acting as catalytic
agents 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 from
different fields of research and development acting as Resource Persons. Nagarjuna varsity hosted the event, in collaboration
with AFHD, Catalyst magazine, IFHD and Pragathi Welfare Society, the theme of which was 'Role of NGOs' in National
Development'. 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 must
concentrate 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 by
governments and NGOs in coming together to collaborate in national development and felt that a) government should extend
all support to genuine NGOs in playing their role in the matter; b ) NGOs should motivate people to fully utilize all resources
that governments provide for public welfare; c ) NGOs should work in collaboration with local varsities; and d) media should
highlight 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 unity
among NGOs in the discharge of their responsibilities. Dr. Srinivasa Rao, who acted separately as Resource Person on Material
Management (Capacity Building and funds), wanted a platform for NGOs to share not only their experiences but also resources
between 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 highlighting
activities of some honest NGOs and emerging in the process as a platform for all NGOs in the country. Dr. Srinivasa Rao
announced 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 NGO ACTIVITY
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Synergy and Networking
Between University and NGOs
By Prof. M. Lakshmipathi Raju and Dr. V. Venkateswarlu, Acharya Nagarjuna University.
T
HE AP Development Congress held in Acharya
Nagarjuna University on 21st January, 2007
identified a set of areas in which the University will
collaborate with NGOs by sharing ideas, experiences,
expertise and other resources. These areas include child
labour, income generation, public health, street children
and child trafficking. The cooperation has taken the form
of field work training, placement of students, project
work, lectures on developmental issues (i.e. HIV/ AIDS,
environment protection, child abuse, gender and
gerontology), involving both faculty and students in
research projects undertaken by the NGOs.
The University has rendered consultancy services to the
NGOs by extending academic inputs, preparations of
project proposals, drafting the constitution for the NGOs
and guiding them in effective delivery of services using
professional skills and methods of social work.
Synergy and Networking of Organizations
Cooperation between the University and NGO enables
to:
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 avoiding
overlapping and duplication of services.
3. Enrich and increase sophistication of the services
provided to the society, increasing general welfare.
Setting up University - NGO Forum
Recent experiences in undertaking methodological
research and other academic activities suggest that it is
necessary for all NGO functionaries working with
various groups, such as women, children, youth, aged,
scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward classes
on a variety of subjects, including human rights, health
education and nutrition, to undertake training
programmes. Such training should be designed to suit the
"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. "
PROF. M. LAKSHMIPATHI RAJU, Head of
the Department of Sociology has undertaken
consultancy work on 'Child Labour Project'
sponsored by ILO and presently working in
collaboration with Dr. M.C.R. HRD institute,
Hyderabad, as an executing agency for
sensitization and capacity building
programme for elimination of child labour.
needs and requirements of the most vulnerable and weak
sections of the society.
As part of the activities of the University - NGO
Forum, the Department of Social Work has taken on the
development of efficiency of NGOs functionaries. This
includes preparation of training modules by involving
academics and field experts, who would also organise
activities such as group discussions, panel discussions,
and workshops. The training modules would involve
writing of project proposals, implementation, monitoring
and evaluation of projects. Seminars on research
methodology and current trends in research would also
be organized. The Department will also develop a
Resource and Documentation Centre for the benefit of
NGOs working in the Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam
districts.
Contact:
Head of the Department :
Prof. M. Lakshmipathi Raju
Phone Numbers : 0863 - 2293189
Acharya Nagarjuna University was
established in 1976. It started in 1967, as part
of the Andhra University as Post-Graduate
Centre in Nallapadu, Guntur. Since then, it
has achieved tremendous progress through
quantitative expansion and qualitative
improvements. Professor Raju is Head of the
Department of Sociology, Social Work and IRPM, where Dr.
Venkateswarlu is Assistant Professor.

Dr. K. L. Rao
S
RI KANURU Lakshmana Rao popularly known as Dr.
K. L. Rao was born on June 06,1902 in the village of
Kankipadu, Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh. He
was the youngest among four sons and a daughter of his
father Sri Kanuru Mallikharjuna Rao, who was Karnam
(village officer) of Punadipadu village of Krishna district.
After passing Secondary School Leaving Certificate
exam in Vijayawada, he studied Intermediate in
Presidency College in Madras and later graduated from
Guindy Engineering College in Madras. He worked for a
very short time as Engineer of Vizag Municipality and
moved to Burma to earn money for higher studies in
England. Later, he joined Madras PWD as Junior
Engineer, Mettur Dam. After completion of the dam, he
joined as Lecturer in Madras Engineering College. He was
the first person to get Master of Science degree in
Engineering from Madras University. He left for England
in 1939 and obtained Ph.d in Engineering from
Birmingham University. Later, he served as senior lecturer
in Lou Borough College in England.
He returned to India at the request of Chief Engineer,
PORTRAIT 57
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
SATHIRAJU SANKARA NARAYANA was
born in 1936 at Narsapur, in Andhra
Pradesh, India, completed his Masters
Degree in Economics from Loyola College,
Chennai and joined the services of All India
Radio in 1963. After working in various
capacities for 32 years, he retired in 1995 as
Station Director, Chennai. Sankara Narayana
hails from a family of artists. His father was a very creative
person and his elder brother, Bapu is one of the most eminent
artists of India and a well known Film Director. Sankara
Narayana currently lives in Chennai, pursuing his passion for
drawing portraits.
Madras State PWD and was entrusted with the design of
Ramapadasagar project across Godavari River near
Polavaram. He was sent to USA for finalizing designs for
this project.
At the invitation of Dr. A. N. Khosla, Chairman, he
joined as Director in Central Water, Irrigation and
Navigation Commission in Delhi in 1950. He worked in
different capacities as Director, Chief Engineer and
member design and research of the commission. During
this period, he was responsible for designs of major
multipurpose projects in the country like Nagarjuna
Sagar, Srisailam, Hirakud, Kosi, Gandak, Farakka and
Kota, etc. The pinnacle of Dr. Rao's achievements was the
design and construction of gigantic Nagarjuna Sagar
masonry dam, the highest dam of its kind. In this project,
he was responsible for the choice of using stone quarried
locally and the resultant deployment of indigenous skilled
labor and technical know-how.
After retiring from Govt service in 1961, he was
appointed as Minister for Irrigation and Power by Prime
Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1963. Dr.Rao had the
distinction of serving three Prime Ministers - Nehru,
Shastri and Indira Gandhi. Interestingly, he held same
position as Irrigation and Power Minister from 1963 till
1973. During this time, most of the irrigation and power
projects were designed and executed. He held many
distinguished positions like the Chairman of United
Nations committee on Natural Resources, President of
the Institute of Engineers in India, President of Indian
Institute of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering
and Vice President of International Water Resources
Association.
A-3, 'Kothari Karuna', 71, Anna Street,
Tiruvanmiyur, Chennai - 41 India
Ph: 91-44-2442 4256 / 98403 72415
E-mail: apudan_8@yahoo.com
58 ESSAY
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Water Bond For Safe Drinking Water

DR. SRINIVASA RAO

Water use is increasing by more than twice the rate of population growth.
Improper management of water resources and industrial pollution are placing great
barriers against access to safe drinking water in developing countries. Thus, drinking
water can no longer be available for free; one has to pay a price. This trend was
first seen in respect of land, according to United Nations reports, then food and now
water. The poor often pay the price with their lives. Every day, 3,800 children die
of and millions suffer from diseases associated with the lack of safe drinking water
and 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 are
managed. Rapid economic growth cannot be sustained without attention to water.
"Among China's 600 cities, 400 have water shortage," according to Mr Ma Jun, the
author of a major study on China's water resources. He says, "that water shortages
could 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 minimum

water required for human activity is needed as drinking water. The Government of
India's Department of Drinking Water Supply, under ministry of Rural Development , had a project layout of over $1.1
Billion 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). For
example, Naandi in Hyderabad offers a liter of water for Rs. 0.08 (US $0.018). The Byrraju Foundation model of water
purification system (see page 12) can serve, if scaled up, 8,000 people per day with safe drinking water. India has 600,000
villages in 250,000 graam panchayats - village administrative units - responsible for civic amenities for about 800 million
people. 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 or
less as all the plants need not require reverse osmosis technology. These plants can generate money and be self-sustaining
through 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 Panchayat
Raj 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 enhance
the allocation for Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission to Rs. 5, 850 crore ($1.3 Billion USD) in 2007-08. As for scale
and implementation, one can learn from the Akshaya Patra Foundation, which provides 535,557 hygienic and nutritious
mid-day meals to underprivileged school children everyday in cooperation with governments in four Indian states and will
be extending to others. This is an excellent example of public private partnership. Similarly, India can develop a large
scale 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. This
will ensure supply of safe drinking water for all of rural India. The money collected from users @ Rs.0.10 per liter as well
as the sale of the excess water produced can repay the money rasied and have enough to set up all the needed 100,000
plants in 4 years.This money can be raised as an investment from individuals, corporations and institutions interested in
seeing a developed India. A water bond should be established. Bonds are a financing method by which money is raised
through 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 deadly
diseases. Reputed financial institutions and a team of dedicated NGOs should tap the 200,000 Non-Resident Indian and
83,000 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 : srao@afhd.org
1. www.chinadialogue.net/
2. http://ddws.nic.in/
3. http://www.pr-inside.com/india-s-foreign-exchange-reserves-are-r51952.htm
 Water: Scarce or Plenty?
Accompanied by her children,
a woman treks across a
dried-out lake in search of
water in the western Indian
state of Gujarat. More than
75 percent of India's rural
population does not have
access to public water
supplies, the World Bank
reports. Instead, groundwater
fills the needs. But when rain
stops and temperatures soar,
villagers -- as in this photo --
go without.

It's an all too common sight

for India. Summer monsoon
showers pour down, setting
in motion floods that destroy
homes, ruin roads and
devastate lives. In Gujarat,
nearly half of the state's
irrigation dams overflows in
summer, isolating entire
communities. Here, a girl
waits for help in a flooded
village in the western Indian
state of Gujarat.

Photo: Amit Dave / Reuters

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/dammed/photo.html