In Desperately Dry Western India CARE is Working to Make Every Drop Count...
by Madhuri Dass, Communications Officer, CARE India
Two years of little rain has left India in a severe state of drought, and now, summer has come early, bringing abnormally high temperatures, and making a bad situation worse.
The state of Rajashthan, typically arid to begin with, is the hardest-hit part of India. At least 26 million people in 20,000 villages are suffering
 |
| When CARE desilted this well, it was the first time ever for the 46 year-old water resource in Ratanpura village, Jodhpur District.
|
the effects of the prolonged dry spell. The water supply is so low that some residents say they have forgotten what fresh, clean, water tastes like. They have become used to letting a tumbler of well water stand for hours so that the fine sand settles enough for it to be somewhat drinkable.
CARE is using $50,000 in emergency funds to increase the water supply in Rajasthan by building new water systems. CARE is working with communities to dig new wells, and make existing wells deeper. CARE also is working to improving traditional ways to capture rainwater.
In the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan, residents of Ratanpura have been unable to draw water from the only well in the village until now. The 125-foot deep well -- one of the deepest in the area when it was first dug -- used to provide 200 households with enough water for their daily needs. But the well had nearly dried up because of shifting sand dunes.
Now, CARE has made it possible for people to pump water from the well again, by removing the silt from it.
When CARE began de-silting the well, almost the whole village turned out to cheer on the workers. "There is going to be more water at last!" they exclaimed. A woman presided over the ceremony inaugurating the process. This was the first time that a woman had ever been at the head of any "shubh kaam," or "auspicious activity," in the village. Then the workers, including men from the village, began to pull out pails full of sand from the well. It took about a week to unclog the well. When the water supply was re-established, a villager came forward to say that he was willing to contribute money to establish a "pani panchayat." Loosely translated, a pani panchayat is a locally governed system to maintain the well and manage the distribution of water. Thanks to CARE, the people in the village not only have access to water again, but they are taking responsibility for this precious resource into their own hands.
Back to Orissa Cyclone Stories
If you have questions or comments, please click here and fill out our feedback form. Thank you.
