Tribal Village Water Program |
PROPOSAL FOR A NEW APPROACH TO RURAL VILLAGE WATER PROGRAM IN MAHARASHTRA BY APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY By Dr. Costantino Faillace cfaillace@hotmail.com Phone in Italia39 - 06 - 7964232 |
The following paper was presented at the Indian Water Works Association - 29th Convention which occurred on 3-5th , January in Calcutta, India and is included in the proceedings of the convention. This paper received one of the prizes for recognized conference papers.
| Abstract The paper discusses briefly the water supply situation in Maharastra as determined by the author's experience in developing clean water sources for tribal villages in Pune and Thana Districts. Nearly 50% of hand-pumps and water supply systems were out of order due to lack of proper maintenance. The paper examines the causes of this situation and enumerates the influencing factors. The proposed approach includes fully involving the people in the planning, implementation, operation and maintenance of the water systems. The need to raise water quality is emphasized , by controlling contamination by pollutants due to poor well design of both drilled wells and dug wells. In particular, the paper describes various appropriate hand-dug well designs aimed at protecting the water quality. The suggested appropriate technology mainly takes into consideration the well size and its interrelation with the number of users and location of the villages, and the available facilities for operation and maintenance with limited outside assistance. However the paper stresses that appropriate well design is only a component in an integrated solution, as simple, appropriate technology alone will not prevent the occurrence of water-borne diseases. The improvement of the hygienic conditions of the wells coupled with health education and village sanitation programs are essential for reaching this goal, joined with training in the use and repair of equipment. The contribution of the users to pay for the cost of the operation and maintenance is also essential to assure smooth operation and long life of the water supply systems. |