Outline of the 13th Darvish Yu Water Fund Project

1. Project title
Solar Water ATM and Bio-sanitation for Agrarian Community

2. Project site
Cheliyama Village, Raghunathpur-II Block, Purulia District, West Bengal State, India

India	West Bengal

3. Project period
April to November 2019

4. Local partner
South Asian Forum for Environment (SAFE)
https://www.safeinch.org/

5. Water problems at the target site
There is no managed water resources that can be shared by the residents of Cheliyama Village, and the people fetch water from puddles and ponds nearby. Water from the puddles and ponds however is unstable in its quality and quantity due to lacking of proper management for human use and they dry up during the drought season. Current water resources are not enough to meet the villagers’ demand for drinking water.
In Cheliyama Village, fetching water from those water sources is a job for women and most women go to the water sources, 2 to 2.5 kilometers away from the village, walking about 5 hours every day. Thus, due to spending a lot of time in fetching water every day, the women in the village cannot afford time to take action for getting out of their poverty. The inability to obtain sufficient water also causes frequent disputes on water among the women.
The people of the village do open defecation at the ponds because they have to live up to the limited quantity and quality of water available and there is no custom of using a toilet, which resulting in negative effects to health and hygiene conditions. The awareness on public health at the individual and local level is very low in the village.
There are no community-shared and managed water resources in the village. Also, the number of sanitation facilities is insufficient. It is hard for the people to procure technology and funds in developing the necessary facilities and to establish a system to operate and manage the facilities by themselves in a fair manner. 

6. Outputs

• Consultation with the local people before the implementation of the project
• Meetings with stakeholders for the launch of the project
• Improvement of existing reservoirs
• Installation of water treatment equipment
• Installation of one water vending unit
• Construction of bio-toilets
• Construction of one biogas generator
• Awareness raising campaign and group discussions with the villagers
• Training on maintenance technique

 

7. Prospected beneficiaries
About 400 people in Cheliyama Village

8. Expected outcomes
By installing water treatment facilities and bio-toilets in Cheliyama Village, the villagers will be able to have access to safe drinking water throughout the year and the situation of the public health will be improved.

The project sites

Women fetching water from an existing pond	One of the water resources available in Cheliyama Village

Water from the river for domestic purposes	Water from the river for domestic purposes

▼For more information about the Fund and past projects, please visit the following website▼
https://www.waterforum.jp/en/what_we_do/grass_roots_projects/darvish

【Contact info】
Japan Water Forum
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