India has the highest number (76 Million) of people with no access to clean water in the world.75% of India’s population does not have accessible drinking water at home.

Walking miles, multiple times a day to fetch water is a long-standing tradition in the lives of most Indian women and girls. They carry pots of water on their heads and make multiple journeys to the water source to satisfy the needs of their household. This means they don’t get an education and it causes health problems related to water scarcity.

Through this campaign, MASARD, a non-profit organization from Bangalore, is looking to raise INR 5.21 Lakhs which will fund a part of the infrastructure to set up a community based Water Purification Plant with the capacity to purify more than 10,000 litres of water daily. This is being done in 5 villages in the area of PATHAKOTTA which is located an hour from Bangalore & will impact the lives of  1000 people.

MASARD runs Ashagram - an orphanage for boys in the Pathakotta area located 1 hour from Bangalore. The orphanage is in the midst of 5 villages & the entire area has no access to clean, potable water.The people in this area walk 4 kms every time they need to fetch water. They usually have to make 3-4 trips a day to satisfy their water needs & usually walk 12 kms a day .

Image: Map of Pathakotta, in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu

The funds raised will also help us cover the cost of digging a bore well and installing a submersible pump. The aim is to provide them pure, clean, drinkable water that meets the WHO global standards. This will impact not just the kids in the orphanage but also many villagers as its a community based project.

We have received a funding grant of INR 3.15 lakhs from a UK based charity on the condition that we provided a dependable source that continuously supplies water. In this case, we have secured that as we will be drawing water from a borewell.  We have also been able to secure a funding grant of INR 2.59 lakhs through a Norway based Charity, viz. SevaChild Norway for construction of a shed for installing the machinery and construction of a Water Delivery Kiosk. We need the funds to be able to make true our resolve to get the villagers and children clean drinking water through the Water Purification plant.

Pic: The villagers in dire straits due to no access to safe drinking water

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

Currently, these people walk 4 kilometers / trip to fetch water. They then have to boil it to make it fit for drinking. The only way that these villagers and orphan children can access clean drinking water is if they walked further than that, and bought cans of water from shops paying between INR 40/- to INR 50/- per can of 20 litres. Which is a double whammy - walk longer distances & pay this, not so insignificant amount, as well.

Against these options, MASARD is planning to build this Water Purification plant, wherein these 1000 people will have to pay just a nominal charge of INR 5/- per 20 liter can of water - without having to walk those distances. This cost is to cover the maintenance cost of the Water Purification Plant and of the cleaning of the water cans as well. This will be paid by each of the families and the orphanage. The maintenance of this water plant shall be done by the Village water committee consisting of 7 women from the village & one representative from the orphanage. Please note that each and every one of the beneficiary families have agreed to pay this maintenance cost. 

Across India only those projects which charge the beneficiaries for the maintenance cost, are running successfully. Therefore, due to overwhelming evidence we have chosen to adopt this scheme. 

MASARD will procure 200 cans with a capacity 20 litres each at a cost of INR 130/- per can. This total cost of INR 26,000/-  will be borne by the NGO initially.  The cans will be distributed to the 200 families as an advance. The one time cost of INR 130/- per can shall be recovered from the beneficiaries later.

We plan to complete the project 60-70 days from the time we receive the full funds.

PROJECT IMPACT

On completion of the project, every family in these five villages and the children from the orphanage shall be provided two cans of 20 litres of purified drinking water per day which will be more than their actual requirements. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 20 litres of water is all that is needed to meet the very basic drinking, cooking, and hand washing needs of a four-member family for three days.

Around 1000 people, which is the population of these five villages and 50 orphan kids shall be impacted. Access to clean water will help in significantly reducing the number of water borne disease, improving their health and improving the overall quality of life. It shall also reduce the time spent walking and the resulting ailments that keep them from working, studying and taking care of their families. It shall also significantly reduce absenteeism of students from attending school. Reduced medical expenses for treatment of water-borne diseases will result in money saving.

The orphan kids from Ashagram Orphanage will have safe drinking water available at their doorstep. These kids will save time and energy spent on fetching water from far away. They will have more time to spend studying and developing other interests. They will no longer have to face health problems such as diarrhea, dysentery, fevers, and other water borne diseases.

THE OVERALL BUDGET OF THE PROJECT

Total cost = 10.5L 

Funds we have already raised from 2 partners in Norway and UK =5.74 L INR 

Balance amount to be raised = 4.76 L INR + Cost of crowdfunding of 45000 

TOTAL AMOUNT TO BE RAISED = 5.31L INR 

ABOUT US 

MASARD (Mass-based Association for Social Service and Rural Development), is a well-known, registered NGO with a vision to build a society, devoid of all forms of disparities and capable of sustaining itself without poverty, disease or hunger. We are a Bangalore based NGO and have been doing work for the last 33 years.

A society harmoniously balanced between man and nature. In realizing this vision, MASARD embarks on process of empowerment of the downtrodden and vulnerable sections of the society, promoting in them, economic independence and social dignity through strategic participatory planning.