Introduction

 SEDS approached Arghyam to seek advice on the quality of drinking water in the area. Anantpur is the second most drought-prone area in India, and a lot of work has been done to deal with the water supply situation by the Government of Andhra Pradesh as well as NGOs and charities such as SEDS and the Sai Baba Trust, to name a few. There seems to be an adequate supply of water in the district, but very little or no attention has been paid to the quality of water.

SEDS is working through an integrated rural development approach with an emphasis on women's empowerment, watersheds, re-a-forestation and natural resource management. This is within five Mandals in the southern part of Anantpur district, in south western Andhra Pradesh, namely Penukonda, Roddam, Gorantla, Somadepalli and Chilamathur. In these 5 mandals SEDS currently supports 125 villages, including some 12,000 women and their familiies. Through its sustained efforts SEDS has made a significant impact on the lives of the people in the area and the local environment, building a good rapport with the community.

Mandal Prajat Parishat School, Bomreddipalli:

The first school we visited had just 23 students up to the 5th standard, of which some are sponsored by SEDS. The water here had a fluoride level of 1.5 – 2. The locals mentioned to us that they felt their appetite increased when they drank this water. It was borewell water pouring out of a broken pump; a lot was being wasted in and around the area due to broken pumps, taps and pipes. They also had a toilet facility which was not being used by the children.

Students of MPP School

Private borewell, Bomreddipalli:

The second stop on our field visit was at a private farm land, where a borewell had been dug on the property to a depth of 120 feet. Farmers were taking water from here (with the owner's permission) and carrying it back to their villages. While talking to us, they asked for their own borewell so they wouldn't have to carry it from the farm to their villages. Here we found the water to be potable.

Farmers taking water from the borewell

ZPH School, Mavatur:

This school had 208 children (116 boys + 92 girls) up to the 10th standard, of which 15 students are sponsored by SEDS. We found that the toilets had no water and were out of use, even though there were even separate boys and girls' toilets. The school campus had drinking water supply, which we found had a high fluoride level of 3 ppm. SEDS have planted trees on the school campus and have 4 Vidya volunteers working in the school on a temporary basis.

Toilets out of use with no water

School campus

LGB Nagar, Roddam Mandal:

We tested the borewell water here and found that it had a fluoride level of 2 ppm. The villagers felt this water tasted unusually salty and were not using it; instead they were buying 25 litre cans for Rs. 20, which was found to be potable upon testing.

Borewell water with 2 ppm fluoride level

Villagers testing the water themselves

ZPH School, Thurakalapathnam:

This school had 318 students from the 6th to the 10th standard. The toilets were in quite a state of disrepair; water coming out of a hand pump on the campus was tested and found to have fluoride levels of 3 ppm.

Hand pump on school premises

Children testing water

Kasturba Gandhi Balika Gurukula Vidyalaya School:

The last school we visited was a girls' school, which had 170 students from the 6th to the 10th standard. The school is primarily for girls who have dropped out, and is run by the APRE Society, but it is also government-funded. There is an RO system provided by the government which is a year old and well maintained. Borewell water was used for the RO, which was potable but the borewell water had high fluoride (1.5 – 2 ppm.).

RO system on the school premises

In conclusion:

The results of the fluoride and nitrate tests conducted at a few water sources were an eye opener for SEDS and the residents of the area, since most of the district has a fluoride problem. SEDS will now work towards collecting more data on the quality of water in Anantpur, before presenting them to the relevant authorities in the area.