Alternative and sustainable drinking water and sanitation security in flood prone areas of north Bihar- Report on the groundwater seminar organised by Megh Pyne Abhiyan and ACWADAM (2011)

The report is divided into the following sections:

Seminar highlights

The seminar highlighted the severe issues of water and sanitation (WATSAN) in flood regions of north Bihar and how a large vulnerable community is affected by it. How understanding of the problems associated with flooding can be enhanced and various stakeholders collaborate around the sanitation challenge, was discussed. Though Right to water and sanitation as legally binding in international law, only one in three have access to improved sanitation in South Asia. What is required is a paradigm shift regarding sanitation - a change in attitude for reuse of human manure in a safe manner and the recovery of treated greywater to the environment.

Challenges, alternatives and opportunities

Though rivers overflow and the lands are saturated with water during monsoons, there is a severe shortage of drinking water in this region. Eklavya Prasad, Megh Pyne Abhiyan, highlighted the strong local beliefs, raised questions on the duration of the abysmal drinking water scenario and how failed monsoon crop had an impact on the economic condition of the small and marginal farmer.

S. Vishwanath commenced with the idea that solutions to any problems have to be contextual and have to materialize from the affected area itself. He then listed goals and discussed SODIS (Solar disinfection) a method to treat biologically contaminated water, the dying art of dug wells, rooftop harvesting and sanitation practices.

Himanshu Kulkarni shared experiences about the science of groundwater, citing diverse examples and emphasized that groundwater is both, the source and sink in the alluvial flood plains.

Session was moderated by Prem Kumar Verma and chaired by Alka Palrecha.

Alternatives, sustainability and security

There is an urgent need to challenge and change current attitudes and practices of natural resource management that encourage dependence on others. The approach should be to enhance people’s capabilities, coping capacities, and self-interest, thereby placing the possibility of solutions at a level where they can decide for themselves.

Chandrashekhar stressed upon the need to understand the scientific linkages between the various components of nature and of those components with humans. Vinay Kumar emphasized on the importance of analysing various aspects of floods and the problems caused by their recurrence and building a team that includes local community members, social mobilisation and demonstrations in terms of gatherings and jal yatras.

Activists, local potters, farmers- many varied voices from the affected villages spoke on their individual experiences.

K. Nelson Royal moderated this session while Padmaja Nair chaired the session.

Groundwater quality and flood plains

Policy and decision makers predict that groundwater will pose the biggest challenge to the water management sector especially in India, due to the highly decentralized and individualistic pattern of groundwater use.

Sudarsan Sahu, Scientist, Central Groundwater Board’s (CGWB) gave a presentation on the occurrence of arsenic in groundwater of Bihar. He illustrated how a total of 57 blocks across 15 districts with a population of more than 1 crore have been reported to be arsenic affected.

Siddharth Patil, ACWADAM, spoke about the intensive water quality testing by MPA and also the results of the tests in the form of groundwater profiling. The results showed high presence of iron and arsenic more in handpumps than in dug wells, showing that the problem of arsenic contamination in groundwater was on the rise.

K Vijayalakshmi,and Pramod Kumar, Development Alternatives discussed different pathways by which arsenic enters groundwater and also about some ill effects of consuming arsenic contaminated water and benefits of DA’s ‘Jal Tara arsenic filter’.

Ashok Ghosh spoke on appropriate arsenic mitigation strategies for rural Bihar like rain water harvesting, dug wells, etc. As per his estimates, directly and indirectly about 24 per cent of Bihar’s population was affected by arsenic problems.

The session was chaired by S.Vishwanath and moderated by Chandrashekhar .

Innovative practices appropriate for the alluvial flood plains of north Bihar

Camilla Wirseen in her presentation stated that sanitation is a UN declared human right, and without access to it, many communities are left vulnerable to a multitude of health impacts and disasters. She shed light on ’ Peepoo’; a single-use, self-sanitising, biodegradable toilet that after use turns into valuable fertiliser.

Carol Steinfeld, an ecological solutions advocate promoted ecological approach as a feasible way of addressing the concerns arising out of present day sanitation practice in her presentation. She defined urine as liquid gold because of its nutrient load, which alone can be used as a fertilizer.

Banku Bihari Sarkar spoke about WASH response during emergency situations and pointed out how unhygienic existence impacts human existence during emergencies like floods. DP Singh, Pubic

Health and Engineering Department (PHED), explained the roles and responsibility of the department, responsible for rural water supply, sanitation and hygiene.

Nitya Jacob, UNICEF, emphasized that knowledge management for alluvial flood prone areas with an emphasis on drinking water and sanitation though essential, needs to be presented in an organized way for maximum benefit. He also highlighted the requirement and significance of a network, substantiating it with an example.

Some alternative treatment options shared for water and sanitation were :

Water treatment

• Kanchan Arsenic Filter: Has 2 removal units for arsenic and pathogens; usable at individual level
• JalNirmal Arsenex sachet: Removes turbidity, arsenic and iron from drinking water; usable at individual level
• Arsenic Removal Systems: Attached to hand pumps, useful where arsenic has been detected in groundwater; useful for both community and individual use
• INDION Jalshudhi: Low-cost drinking water purification , eliminates bacteria and turbidity; usable at both community and individual level
• Water Purification Unit: Teats any kind and quality of surface or high salinity ground water; suitable for individual use
• Solar-powered Water Purification System: Treats any kind of water
• Fcubed : System needs no powe;scalable from the individual to community level
• Water purifier: Requires no electricity, can be set up in 10 minutes in the remotest areas, and filters out even viruses using ultra filtration; useful for both individuals and communities
• Dr. Ashok Gadgil’s water purification system: Delivers up to four gallons potable water perminute; good for communities
• Boiling water for 3-5 minutes, useful in households
• Sodis: Water in transparent bottles is kept in bright sunlight for 4-6 hours; useful at the individual level
• Chlorination: Add 4 drops of standard bleach to a litre of water,let it stand for 30 minutes; used at individual or community levels
• Bicycle power portable water filtration system: Use in disaster zones suitable for communities
• The Solar Cube: Provides up to 10,000 litres of clean drinking water per day from polluted water or salt water; useful for communities

Safe disposal of excreta during emergencies:

• Peepoo: Individual packet latrines in which faeces are collected and disposed in biodegradable bags, compost the faeces within 3-4 days; only suited for individual use.
• Bucket or elevated toilet: An elevated structure over a tank lined with a large replaceable plastic bag; useful for individuals or communities
• Chemical toilets: Have a tank with a chemical to aid decomposition
• Trench toilets: Faeces are covered with soil; good for communities
• Elevated pit latrines: Built on a 3-5 foot high mound with the slopes stabilized to prevent
• Erosion; useful for individuals
• Eco san latrines:Have an elevated structure over a container or bin which stores organic
• waste for decomposition; used by individuals or communities
• Combined Pit latrine: Has two pits, one direct and the other offset connected by a PVC pipe;useful in floods and suitable for shallow water table areas
• Floating toilet: An adaptation of the ecosan latrine for individuals and communities

S.Vishwanath moderated the session and Vijoy Prakash chaired the session.

Scaling up: Exploring potential for linking alternative framework with existing centrally sponsored schemes

MGNREGA funds could be potentially leveraged to rehabilitate the drainage and chaur system of Bihar and for deepening and desilting of the main drainage channels where flooding occurs. Prem Verma, Secretary, Samta, spoke on his experience of how a plan materialised on developing matka filters under state sponsored schemes. Anil Verma, Team Leader, PRADAN, Bihar spoke on how system of root intensification (SRI) may be a potential tool to overcome flood related agricultural concerns in north Bihar.

Prabhakar Sinha, SWASTH, specified that technology options for sanitation and drinking water should go hand in hand, because both supplement each other. The way forward was discussed , evolving a response that will establish an alternative WATSAN model that will adapt to community needs. The framework would be made operational through a set of regulations developed by ACWADAM-MPA.

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