Success - Vermi-compost

Water harvesting in Karheda School

Mewat, a relatively backward district in the otherwise prosperous state of Haryana faces an acute shortage of drinking water supply. Though Karheda village has ground water table within 6 feet, it is highly saline and unsafe for human consumption. Adding to the woes of the villagers is the erratic and inadequate public water supply. After analyzing the Karheda water situation, the Sehgal Foundation made efforts to make the community water conscious and demonstrated various methods of collecting and conserving rain water and the little supply they receive from public water supply.

When we adopted Karheda in 2005 and surveyed the village’s water situation, it was evident that homes are generally not directly connected to the public water supply pipe. Instead, the pipe usually opened at various points along its length, and water is illegally diverted. When the water supply is on, water flows into the street which leads to water wastage, low water pressure, and a messy and unhygienic environment. Domestic wastewater is similarly disposed off in the open”, said program leader of water management. As the community was desperate to have regular water supply to its village, it was relatively easy to introduce the Foundation’s strategies of collecting and conserving water.

Recharge wells and soak pits were introduced for the first time in the village. A recharge well is Soak pits are simple drainage structures that facilitate the disposal, filtration and percolation of wastewater into the ground. A ‘tap campaign’ was started in the village in which the community was made aware about the need for taps. Taps were fixed at many missing locations and the leaks were sealed during this campaign. Villagers were encouraged to use water supply points and not to break the pipelines for individuals’ conveniences.

Water harvesting in Karheda School Mewat, a relatively backward district in the otherwise prosperous state of Haryana faces an acute shortage of drinking water supply. Though Karheda village has ground water table within 6 feet, it is highly saline and unsafe for human consumption. Adding to the woes of the villagers is the erratic and inadequate public water supply. After analyzing the Karheda water situation, the Sehgal Foundation made efforts to make the community water conscious and demonstrated various methods of collecting and conserving rain water and the little supply they receive from public water supply. When we adopted Karheda in 2005 and surveyed the village’s water situation, it was evident that homes are generally not directly connected to the public water supply pipe. Instead, the pipe usually opened at various points along its length, and water is illegally diverted. When the water supply is on, water flows into the street which leads to water wastage, low water pressure, and a messy and unhygienic environment. Domestic wastewater is similarly disposed off in the open”, said program leader of water management. As the community was desperate to have regular water supply to its village, it was relatively easy to introduce the Foundation’s strategies of collecting and conserving water. Recharge wells and soak pits were introduced for the first time in the village. A recharge well is Soak pits are simple drainage structures that facilitate the disposal, filtration and percolation of wastewater into the ground. A ‘tap campaign’ was started in the village in which the community was made aware about the need for taps. Taps were fixed at many missing locations and the leaks were sealed during this campaign. Villagers were encouraged to use water supply points and not to break the pipelines for individuals’ conveniences.

The Sehgal Foundation always believes in the adage “small intervention, big impact.” A small example of which is the Roof Water Harvesting (RWH) initiative implemented in Karheda’s government primary school. The school was in an urgent need for safe drinking water supply. Previously water from the public supply was being stored in an underground tank in the school, but this was not used for consumption since the tank was not maintained hygienically. Sometimes students had to go home to get a drink of water; cooking mid-day meal for 200 children was proving very difficult.
The program leader and the field staff of the Foundation analyzed the situation and possibilities of providing drinking water to the premises. It was estimated that the school would require about five hundred liters of water per day. Therefore, for 200 working days, the total annual need worked out to be about 1,00,000 liters. Collecting rainwater from rooftops is a tried and successful rainwater harvesting technique in India . With the help of community participation a roof water harvesting system on one block of the school building was initiated in May 2005. The area of the roof was 160 sq. m. which could yield 80,000 liters of rainwater annually. This roof water was directed to a recharge well that was built within the school premises. As it was already proved - sweet water is of lower density than saline underground water and since there is no turbulence in the underground flow; the sweet water layer ‘floats’ above the saline water. This project was successfully completed in June 2006, prior to the monsoons. It is observed that since July 2006, the Karheda school has been self sufficient with potable water. This roof water harvesting system has had other benefits too - earlier, the rain water from the roof of the school used to create messy puddles in front of class rooms as there was no drainage facility. Since the surface run off is directed to recharge into another tank, now the school compound is comparatively clean and dry. This water harvesting system is acting as a model for water conservation, both for the village for replication and as part of the water literacy curriculum being taught in the school by the Foundation. School children are now proving to be excellent messengers of water management to the community. Considering the fact that the present rain water harvesting structure is able to capture about 80,000 liters of water annually, the Foundation is planning to connect roves of second block of school building to the existing recharging system by June 2007. This will enable the school to contain 50,000 liters of rain water, surpassing the required amount and thus resulting in a sustainable water supply for the school. The Foundation wholeheartedly acknowledges the role of the Village Education Committee and the special interest taken by the Block Education Officer in helping realize this endeavor. The Foundation also acknowledges the villagers of Karheda for their over whelming support, which continues till date…