Environment & Poverty Times

07 2012

UNEP/GRID-Arendal

12 13

Promoting traditional solutions with Project Boond Project Boond was carried out in the village of Chak Ramnagar and changed the lifestyle of the deprived Banjara community, also known as the gypsy community of India. The Oil Industry Development Board (OIDB), the Drought Relief Trust (DRT) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), through their corporate social responsibil- ity programmes provided financial support for the participatory community work to resolve water problems along with the expertise involvement of Natural Solutions consultants.

Banjaras are known for their age-old practices of water harvesting, carried out throughout the desert state of Rajasthan. With passing time the community has lost the traditional knowledge of its forebears due to a lack of interest from the scientific community and government policies. It is now open to doubt whether many water-har- vesting structures will provide sustainable, long-term solutions. Unplanned structures are worthless in a context of climate change and monsoon failure. On the other hand age-old structures (old wells) in Rajasthan are still major sources of water even during the drought period.

The project implemented approaches rooted in traditions from Rajasthan, which rely on natural solutions to solve water problems. Ponds were built to collect and store wa- ter, but were made in a way conducive to groundwater recharging. The deep infiltra- tion of the surface water through kuccha constructions – traditional, bio-compatible materials – recharges groundwater, in a way which reduces the salinity problems of the area. Only minimal use was made of cement- based concrete and other materials that stop water percolation, with a high proportion of materials that encourage natural seepage. The reservoir systems were designed to trap every drop of rainwater without checking its downstream movement.

Before Project Boond the target site had only one well, with saline water (the concentra- tion rising from slight to moderate between winter and summer). It had not been used for human consumption for the past de- cade. After improvements were made to groundwater recharging and surface-water harvesting, the conditions changed. Saline water was improved to freshwater and is now consumed by villagers. Similarly, tra- ditional well-digging know-how combined with advanced assessment techniques led

Village pond filled with surface run-off water and nearby well, inspected by community youth leader Surjit Singh. RSNH Photo Library

to the construction of a new well yielding freshwater. This well is important because all the nearby underground pumps have saline water. It is now not only feeding the target village, but also allowing people from nearby villages to collect water from it. The reservoir developed in the village is designed so that as much water as possible can be harvested from nearby open areas, thus helping the fields to retain their moisture content for longer. Livestock is getting freshwater from the reservoir all year long.

Community involvement

Project Boond encouraged community participation through camps to motivate the various target groups in the village. The camps featured street theatre, screening of films and documentaries, lectures, one-day events related to the environment and so on. Children and women were the main targets, as they cannot move out under prevailing social conditions. Women are the first to feel the impact of water scarcity, as they are responsible for collecting and managing water use in their families.

It is also interesting to note that many of the children from villages involved in the project played an important role in encouraging their parents to work for a safer and more sustainable future. To this end the RSNH organized meetings and programmes with children. The RSNH team, taught the chil- dren that they – not old people – will have to cope with future problems. So the children should demand that the older people in their family help them to a safer future. Women often face more immediate problems than men regarding access to water. As a result more women became involved in develop- ment work through self-help groups.

Impact on the region The villagers of Chak Ramnagar took part in building work, so Project Boond gener- ated extra income for deprived villagers, an additional asset for the community. Since completion of the drought-proofing work, the women have saved time previously spent collecting water, thus contributing more effectively to other activities. Thanks to improved groundwater conditions the land

was fit for crops requiring more water. The most significant impact was the reduction in irrigation time due to the soil’s moisture content. Furthermore they revived local plant species, especially various types of grass (Desmostachya bipinnata, Vetiveria zizanioi- des, Saccharum spontaneum and Saccharum munja). These species help bind the soil as well as retaining moisture. In addition to their ecological importance these species are of economic value to the local commu- nity. Some are used for traditional Banjara artefacts, which appeal to visitors and tour- ists. So with improved water conditions the village is also protecting local plant species and reviving the site’s original ecological conditions. These activities entailed public participation in practices to preserve liveli- hoods derived from local natural resources, fulfilling the aims set by global conserva- tion groups for World Heritage at Keoladeo national park.

About the author: Satya Prakash Mehra is Advi- sor for the Rajputana Society of Natural History and Manager for Project Boond.

UNICEF supports rainwater harvesting for families on remote islands in Indonesia

By Suzanna Dayne

This article was previously published on the UNICEF website: http://www.unicef.org/ infobycountry/indonesia_42209.html

The island of Alor is just two short flights away from Bali, and yet it is a world away in terms of clean drinking water, one of the most basic necessities.

Climate-change experts warn that the prob- lem could get worse. It rains here a mere four months a year, and residents often resort to collecting water from local streams. The only alternative used to be buying water from small tanker-trucks which travel round the island. ‘If it’s the dry season we have to

walk five kilometres from early morning, and sometimes we don’t get home till noon,’ says Juliana, a homemaker. ‘I have to bring this 20-litre can. Sometimes it’s enough, sometimes it isn’t.’

Teachers at the local school say children often have to help and then they are too tired to study. ‘We used to have to go down to the river in the morning before school,’ said La- hal Ayub Bain, a junior high school student. ‘Then we’d take a quick bath and take water back home. Then we could go to school.’

A community effort

UNICEF is working on the island to help families like Lahal’s through its rainwater har- vesting programme. Rainwater harvesting is

a community effort. First, local residents are taught how to build the tanks, which collect water run-off from tin roofs. They then fan out to different villages and build more tanks with the help from residents.

It takes just a couple of days to build a tank for a home. The system can supply enough water for drinking and cooking for a family to last most of the year.

‘Every house has one’

The people on Alor say the tanks have changed their lives. Ema Dolpali lives on nearby Pura Island in a simple home with her husband and two children. There are no streams or water trucks, so the entire village had been relying on one well for all its water

needs. ‘Our ancestors lived up the mountain but then they moved further down, and the population increased, so we had to add a well – but the water was often salty,’ she says. ‘Now we have help from UNICEF and we are very happy with the rainwater tanks. Every house has one, so we rarely have to go to the well.’

The rain clouds are beginning to gather over the island and suddenly it starts to pour. Children run out of their homes to wash their faces, splash and play in the puddles. In this part of Indonesia, a rainy day is not a day to stay indoors.

About the author: Suzanna Dayne is UNICEF correspondent in Indonesia.