Ask any one, and the biggest problem faced by the people of Vidarbha
region of India is water. Where groundwater is available, it is too salty (salinity ~800) to drink, wash with, or use to
cook. In other regions where water is not so saline,the water table drops with summer and the people are starved. It
is for this reason VHF took on the task of bringing relief to some villages. These villages were selected to be particularly
hard-hit. That was the origin of the check dams project, which evolved as a partnership between the Rotary clubs of Mercer
Island, Washington and of Akola. Funding came in large part from Rotary International. VHF managed all the work on the ground.
See the video below to get a sense of this program.
This is a 2.20 minute narrated story of our dams.
Sanitation
In 2008, a group of Rotarians of Mercer Island
visited the village Gaunapur, 20km north of Akola city, to see the site of a future check-dam, As they left the site and their
jeep drove the dusty road to the village, two figures seated across each other on either side of the road were revealed.
Women relieving themselves in the mere privacy of the darkness of dusk. A plan was born to build toilets. Funding
was arranged in our ongoing partnership with Rotary International. About 300-400 family toilets will be built, covering
3-4 villages, with contributions from families as a requirement. The project is to end in 2012.
Clean
Drinking Water
The same group of Rotarians had also seen a salt-encrusted well in
the village. It was evident that this was not potable water. Dr. Kibe of Akola, a nephrologist (kidney specialist) explained
the high incidence of kidney disease in the region from this excess salinity. So, the toilets project includes in it a component
for clean drinking water. Our strategy is to provide filtration and disinfection where water is not too saline, and to provide
desalination facilities where needed. A management plan for sustainability is in the works. We invite ideas or experiences.
Please contact us.
Rainfall
Monitoring rainfall is part of planning
and managing our water projects. We have set up an electronic rain and temperature gage in Akola city. Each day, our associate
Tushar Palaskar records the rain data and temperature in the mid-afternoon (not shown). Below, you can see the seasonal rainfall
for 2010 and also for 2009. The chart is updated every few days,untill we learn to do it automatically.
