A consolidated reply of experiences and examples shared by various members of the Solution Exchange Water Community
Compiled by Nitya Jacob, Resource Person and Ramya Gopalan and Sunetra Lala, Research Associates
Issue Date: 21 October 2008
Posted 8 August 2008
Dear members,
I am working as District Collector, Thrissur, Kerala. For the total 6-lakh households in the district, we have a total number of 4.5 lakh open/dug wells. As per 2001 census, 71% of the total population of the district depends on open wells for drinking. Estimates indicate that the aggregate household investment in open wells comes to about Rs. 1,800 crores and the wells have a combined capacity to yield 6.6 million m3 per day. Though we have an average annual rainfall of about 3,000 mm, about 70% of these wells are non-perennial.
Additionally, because of heavy surface runoff, groundwater levels in several blocks have fallen sharply, and coupled with saline intrusion at an accelerated pace, have led to water quality problems.
In order to address the issues of quantity, quality and sustainability the District Administration in collaboration with the PRIs have launched a process driven, participatory well re-charge programme called Mazhapolima at an average cost of Rs. 1500 per open well. The total cost of about Rs. 920 million (Rs 92 crore) is envisaged to be financed largely by households themselves through demand generation, combined with ongoing decentralized programmes such as NREGP/GOK-GoI, and sponsorships. Informed decision-making, a menu of simple technical choices, strong IEC and awareness creation following social marketing tools for demand generation on a campaign mode, and process orientation are fundamental to the programme. The overall goal of the programme is to improve the health and welfare of communities through improved access to drinking water.
This is a new programme, and I would like to elicit views and suggestions from our sector partners and practitioners to help make it more effective. We would also like community members to share experiences and lessons from similar programmes in India and abroad that have made water available in an environmentally sustainable, cost-effective manner.
Please suggest social marketing tools for demand generation based on hands-on experiences of similar nature
Provide information on simple and/or traditional technology options, as well as inclusive and innovative financing options
Experiences from existing M&E frameworks that will encompass the diversity of approaches, need based implementation arrangements and multiplicity of processes based on outcome
1. Uday Bhawalkar, Bhawalkar Vermitech Private Limited, Pune
2. P. S. Yadav, Haryana Institute of Rural Development and Department of Development and Panchayats, Haryana
3. Biplav Paul, Lokvikas, Ahmedabad
4. Suneel Grover, The SDSG Foundation, Punjab
5. Tapan Ghosh, Kutch Nav Nirman Abhiyan, Gujarat
6. Megha Phansalkar, Development Professional, Pune
7. Abhishek Mendiratta, Consultant, New Delhi
8. Sharat Singh, Society for Promotion of Wasteland Development, Ranchi
9. M. M. Sharma, ICRISAT, Hyderabad
10. Vijay Kumar, Chartered Environmental and Water Resources Exploration and Development Associates, New Delhi
11. Rajesh Shah, Peer Water Exchange, Bangalore
12. K. A. S. Mani, Andhra Pradesh Farmer Managed Groundwater System, Hyderabad
13. S. Vishwanath, Biome and Agrhyam, Bangalore
14. Tushar Shah, International Water Management Institute, Gujarat
15. Arunabha Majumder, All India Institute of Health and Public Hygiene (AIIH&PH), Kolkata
16. M. Dinesh Kumar, International Water Management Institute, Hyderabad
17. David Foster, Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad
18. S. Janakarajan, Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai
19. Sachin Tendulkar, Mineral Foundation of Goa, Goa
20. R. Jagadiswara Rao, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati
21. Ajit Sheshadri, Vigyan Vijay Foundation, New Delhi
22. A. Latha, River Research Centre, Kerala
23. Mihir Maitra, Independent Consultant (formerly with India Canada Environment Facility, New Delhi
24. George Thomas, Evangelical Social Action Forum (ESAF), Trichur
25. Apoorva Oza, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in India, Ahmedabad
26. Avinash Zutshi, Feedback Ventures, Gurgaon
27. Biju Jacob George, Tsunami Reconstruction Project, Tamil Nadu
28. Terry Thomas, Wilbur Smith Associates, Bangalore
29. T. K. Gowrishankar, Remede, Andhra Pradesh
30. Murali Kochukrishnan, Action for Food Production, Bhubaneswar
31. Surekha Sule, Freelance Journalist, Pune
32. Latha Bhaskar, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment (ATREE), Kerala
33. Isac John, Socio-Economic Unit Foundation, Calicut
34. D. Chandrasekharam, Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay
35. Subramanian K. S., National Remote Sensing Agency, Hyderabad
36. R. K. Rao, Samata, Hyderabad
37. V. Kurian Baby, Government of Kerala, Thrissur
The Thrissur district administration launched Mazhapolima because water levels in domestic wells in the district have fallen over the past few years owing to over-exploitation and shrinking areas for recharge and most run dry in the summer. The query sought inputs on social marketing, technology options, and M&E frameworks that would help take the scheme forward and make it more effective.
Wells remain the main source of water for domestic use in Kerala with an average of 250 wells per sq. km., and therefore, the Government has launched Mazhapolima to recharge wells and ensure water quality. This year, the core intervention is to recharge already-constructed wells to keep costs low, with the involvement of householders. This brings in a mix of traditional wisdom and proven practices, relegated to the background under a regime the promised free water at the doorstep.
A secondary benefit will be groundwater recharge, and the scheme may even augment summer river flows. Alongside recharge, Mazhapolima will address the bacteriological and nitrate contamination of water caused by pit latrines, and we seek collaboration with the All India Institute of Health and Public Hygiene as well as others in this area. The Government of Kerala has launched community water quality surveillance and monitoring.
The total outlay is Rs 92 crore of which Rs. 65 crore will come from the households, but the existing investment in construction of wells in the district is estimated at Rs 1800 crore. It is much cheaper than investments families make in PVC tanks at Rs 5-6 per litre. A small investment of Rs 500 is enough to modify rooftops, otherwise unsuitable for rainwater harvesting.
Members they suggested rainwater harvesting for recharging wells as Thrissur gets an average of 3,000 mm of rain a year. A problem, noted a member, with such systems is the relatively high cost as wells are usually situated at the highest point in the field (to facilitate gravity irrigation). In Rajasthan, the cost would be around Rs 25,000 per well, much higher than the Rs 1,500 the Thrissur administration was providing under the scheme. In the State, the Khadin system collects rainwater in a trough that percolates into the ground, recharging wells. In Goa, with similar rainfall patterns and geo-morphology, a government-support micro-watershed restoration programme has been very successful. Another successful project is in Kothapally, Andhra Pradesh.
Members suggested tapping into a scheme launched in 2007, called the Dugwell Recharge Scheme, by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development. Under this, the government provides Rs 4,000 per well for dugwell recharge. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme can be used to pay those who contribute their labour.
Members suggested a basin-level approach to the well-recharge programme, working from the uplands down. The National Remote Sensing Centre, Indian Space Research Organization, Hyderabad, has carried out the Ground Water Prospects for the entire state of Kerala using satellite imagery. The Centre for Science and Technology has a long list of successful case studies on the subject.
In addition to recharging, members suggested the administration address the reason why the wells run dry in summer. Cultivation of water-intensive crops is a major factor, and governments provide free power to farmers that encourage them to pump ground water. The other is the aquifer simply does not have the storage capacity to hold the monsoon runoff, and most of the rain flows into the rivers as base flow. Watershed treatment by bunding with boulder dams may address this partially. The other solution is to check water use for agriculture during the dry season, as this is the largest single user of water. Modeling to determine rates of recharge and withdrawal will help to determine the efficacy of different methods. They quoted the examples of the bhungroos in Saurashtra, and Ralegaon Sidhi and Hiware Bazar in Maharashtra.
An issue with using groundwater runoff for recharging wells is contamination with fertilizers, pesticides, organic matter and, most importantly, human faeces. The latter also seeps into groundwater through latrines constructed under the Total Sanitation Campaign, raising nitrate levels. Members noted a study has indicated faecal material is present in most wells; people in Kerala got around this by boiling drinking water. RWS would circumvent this problem, and it is affordable. It is also possible to have community RWS to augment water flows into wells.
Effective community mobilization is important for the scheme’s success, said members. In a village near Nashik, Maharashtra farmers have formed groups and contributed funds for an irrigation system; something is possible in Thrissur. They have also changed cropping patterns and put improved irrigations systems in place. It is necessary to emphasise groundwater is like a bank; people can only withdraw what they put in. This can happen only when the community is aware of the issues and involved in the programme.
Women, who have the onus of providing water, are central to any recharge scheme and have to be part of the information and education campaign. The campaign has to explain concepts such as aquifers, geo-morphology and underground water flows in simple language, members said. A door-to-door campaign is most effective. Kerala’s powerful panchayats, NGO and the media have to be part of the process. Folk media and street plays are useful media for sharing information that must incorporate local knowledge.
Children, suggested members, are powerful change agents; nature walks can help them understand the link between surface and ground water flows. People from Thrissur can visit other parts of India to assess similar schemes. People have to be informed mining for sand along the rivers in the district and deep tubewells supplying water for commercial use are two main reasons why wells go dry during summers.
The information material has also to persuade people to participate in Mazhapolima for its success, said members. They have to participate in the planning process; there are ICT tools already available that are simple enough for people to use with minimal training. These can help inventorising small water bodies, wells, recharge canals and the topography of the region.
Respondents stressed the importance of community involvement in the project’s M&E and recommended several networked ICT-based systems usable at the household level for monitoring water levels and quality, and for district-wide programme monitoring.
Injection of Rainwater into Open Wells for Enabling Water Quality Improvement
In partnership with the Kadalundi panchayat, the organization executed a programme where rainwater was fed directly into open wells to create a 'lens' of fresh water around the well. This arrested salt water intrusion and several households revived their wells for both drinking water and irrigation. After its success, the community has taken ownership of the programme.
Revival of Wells, Kothapally
ICRISAT has a Watershed Project in a village called Kothapally, about 45 km from Hyderabad under the leadership of Dr S P Wani for the last seven years. They have successfully revived 68 of the 72 wells in the village by rainwater recharging and the farmers grow flowers and vegetables even in summer.
Integrated Water Resources Management, Wayanad
In an IWRM initiative, the organization used a new approach based on community awareness to propagate sanitation. This supplemented the technically sound interventions in a phased manner and the community accepted this approach as it addressed both information and technical needs. However, the funding for the project ended prematurely when the Netherlands government withdrew bilateral funding.
Qualitative Assessment of Dugwell Water
The All India Institute of Health and Public Hygiene surveyed dugwells in Kerala and found most had faecal contamination. This is due to run-off from fields and leaching from subsoil water. While this is easily addressed by boiling the water, it points to the need for better protection of water sources.
Jalanidhi Project: 3,681 Schemes Completed
Under the Kerala state government's water supply programme, 3681 water supply systems, managed by 3891 beneficiary groups have been completed as on end June 2008. The beneficiary communities are operating and maintaining these schemes, demonstrating their willingness to participate in similar programmes.
Sanitation in Cheru Panchayat Samiti, Thrissur
A team from Haryana visited the district with a group of 200 sarpanches to study the success of the Total Sanitation Campaign. The people of the district had contributed in large measure to the success, and this same community, when mobilised, could be an important factor in the success of Mazhapolima. It underscored the importance of community mobilisation and involvement.
National Remote Sensing Maps Provide Data on Groundwater
The National Remote Sensing Centre, Indian Space Research Organisation, has mapped the groundwater resources of the entire state on a scale of 1:50,000. These maps show the ground water prospect zones and the suitable sites for water harvesting structures using satellite images. The Central Ground Water Board was also involved in this project. It has helped develop a water map for Kerala.
Akasha Ganga Project Works to Recharge Wells, Kozhikode District
In 2000, the District Rural Development Authority launched a programme called Akasha Ganga. This recharge project aimed at developing a recharge system for wells and other water sources using other point recharge structures such as tube-wells, dug-wells, etc., by tapping rainwater. The project stressed successfully on mobilising communities.
Cost of Well Revival
In Rajasthan, the cost of reviving field wells is estimated at Rs 25,000 per well. This is because the wells in the fields are located at the highest point to facilitate irrigation. The channels for reviving the wells also silt up rapidly. Water contamination by pesticides and fertilisers is another issue and is very difficult to treat.
Khadin System
Khadin is a land-use system in Rajasthan in which runoff from a catchment is stored in fields at lower levels behind a bund. Fields immediately behind the bund typically remain submerged during the rainy season while those at higher levels within the khadin have assured moisture for a rainy season crop. A second crop is grown on stored moisture in areas that are submerged during the rainy season. Farmers manage to eke out a crop during the rainy season even in drought years.
Microwater/Watershed Programme
Goa has a similar monsoon pattern to Kerala and faces water shortages in summer. The NGO has partnered with the state government to implement a microwatershed programme in the highland areas with encouraging results. Water levels rose 40 cm in the lean season and there was better retention of moisture in fields.
Free Power to Farmers
Many states encourage excessive groundwater pumping by providing free power to farmers. While this subsidized power is justified in the name of the poor, in practice few poor people benefit from it, as most have neither deep wells nor pumps to make use of free power. The shallow wells of the poor farmers are first to run dry when the groundwater falls.
Ralegaon Sidhi
Ralegaon Siddhi (aka Ralegan Shindi) is a village in Parner Taluka of Ahmednagar District, Maharashtra, India. Since 1975, led by Anna Hazare, the village has carried out programmes like tree planting, terracing to reduce soil erosion and digging canals to retain rainwater. It is an oasis of prosperity and a model for the country, and a model for environmental conservation and revival.
Hiware Bazar
From a den of vice, this village in Maharashtra has emerged as a model of water management. The sarpanch, Popat Panwar, has used several innovative measures to improve water availability. Villagers have voluntarily imposed checks on cattle grazing and growing water-intensive crops, and now it is a prosperous, educated village.
Farmers' Cooperative for Irrigation, Nashik
Left to their own devices, 200 farmers in the Nashik district of Maharashtra formed a cooperative to harness water from a distant source and irrigate their fields. They have developed their own system to tap and store rainwater and use it during the dry months for agriculture. Alongside, they have changed cropping patterns to match the amount of water available.
Community Involvement in Drinking Water
The Punjab state government and the World Bank are implementing a community-based drinking water scheme, assisted by several NGOs, across the state. The community's involvement is central in the scheme. It is partly supported by the World Bank, the Union Government and the state government.
Bhungroos for Water, Banaskantha
The NGO has built several water harvesting structures called bhungroos in this extremely arid district that have enabled families improve their economic conditions. These meet their irrigation needs and have helped raise the water tables. With the improved water situation, families no longer have to migrate seasonally in search of work. These were the traditional water management systems of the region.
Dug Well Programme, Saurashtra
Farmers in Saurashtra went on well-digging spree in the 1960s and 1970s to irrigate crops. Initially, there was an abundance of water but this soon ended as they used the water to irrigate both kharif and rabi crops. Farmers then bored tubewells to reach deeper aquifers, compounding the problem. The result is now they are severely short of water.
Groundwater Recharge
AKRSPI has tried a range of well-recharge options, and while some have worked, others have not. They feel the costs, even at Rs 25,000, are not high because this includes a significant labour component, that farmers can contribute themselves. The project should go ahead based on a needs survey of the farmers rather than an extensive study of the entire area.
NABARD's Scheme for Dugwells
NABARD provides a grant of up to Rs 4,000 for financing dugwells in hard rock areas under a special programme covering 100 districts of India. Individual farmers can now avail of the scheme and are required to contribute labour.
Recommended Documentation