Water For People launched its India operations in West Bengal in 1996, beginning with an arsenic mitigation program in the North 24 Parganas and Nadia districts. Drawing from the insights gained through this initiative, Water For People India broadened its focus, expanding from arsenic mitigation to integrated water and sanitation activities within schools and underserved communities.
By 2007, Water For People India had adopted a comprehensive approach, developing and implementing sustainable water and sanitation solutions in both West Bengal and Bihar. Since its inception, the organization has pioneered efforts to meet the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) needs of communities, schools, and healthcare centers. It has consistently expanded its scope and geographic reach.
Today, Water For People India is widely recognized for its integrated approach to designing sustainable water and sanitation infrastructure and services. The organization has successfully implemented initiatives to expand and strengthen WASH systems across 28 districts in West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra, Assam, and Odisha. To date, nearly 1.2 million people have benefited from community drinking water and sanitation projects, WASH programs in public institutions, and market-driven sanitation solutions.
Established in 2008, Water For People India aligns with the global vision and mission to improve access to water and sanitation in rural areas and urban slums. As a direct-implementation agency, it collaborates with civil societies, local NGO partners, and entrepreneurs to achieve its goals.
In an exclusive exchange with The Interview World at the ASSOCHAM Conference on Enhancing Water Use Efficiency, Bishwadeep Ghose, Country Director of Water For People, highlighted the organization’s key initiatives to address India’s water challenges. He elaborated on the social impact of water on communities, shared strategies to reduce leakages in last-mile water delivery, and emphasized the importance of water budgeting. Here are the key insights from his interview.
Q: What key solutions and initiatives does Water for People India provide to address water challenges in India?
A: Our name reflects our mission. We strive to deliver water to people, ensuring equity and accessibility for communities. However, this task is far from simple. In the diverse landscape of India, particularly in rural areas where we operate, the challenges are immense. Some regions suffer from severe water scarcity, while others grapple with excessive flooding. In mountainous areas, water sources are often distant from homes, making access difficult. In certain places, water is not available year-round, leading to issues of sustainability and equity.
Our goal is to address these challenges, aiming for water security. We are making strides in states like West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, and Maharashtra, working closely with rural communities affected by these water issues. Together, we seek practical solutions to ensure water reaches those who need it most.
Q: How does your work in water management influence the social impact of the communities you serve?
A: The impact of climate change varies significantly depending on the location. Vulnerability is a key focus in our mission, where we strive to identify the communities most at risk. Vulnerability, in this context, refers to how climate hazards, such as flooding, directly affect people’s lives. For instance, when a flood occurs, it immediately disrupts access to safe and clean water.
This disruption leads to a cascade of health problems, resulting in direct health costs. Take fluoride contamination, for example. In children aged 0 to 14, it causes skeletal fluorosis, leading to bent legs and ultimately, a loss of livelihood. As these children grow up, they struggle to find work, which adds to the social cost. Consider the magnitude: 55 million people unable to earn a living due to such conditions. The burden is enormous.
Similarly, arsenic, a known poison since Shakespeare’s time, is linked to cancer. In regions like Bengal and Bihar, where we operate, Mahavir Cancer Hospital has detected a correlation between water contamination and the rising cancer cases. We work to establish these connections, aiming to understand the underlying causes and address them.
The social cost extends further. In arid regions of Maharashtra, for example, women and children must walk long distances to fetch water. This issue is not isolated to Maharashtra but is also prevalent in the Northeast, the Himalayas, and Rajasthan. Unfortunately, this has become normalized—we accept it as their traditional role. But this mindset is flawed and unjust. Children belong in classrooms, not on water-fetching duties. Women have more valuable tasks than spending countless hours securing water.
Fortunately, initiatives like the Jal Jeevan Mission offer hope. With proper infrastructure, such as piped water in homes year-round, we can significantly reduce this drudgery and the associated social costs.
Migration is another consequence of these issues. People are often forced to leave their homes in flood-prone areas, like Madhubani and Sundarbans, to seek jobs in cities. The living conditions in these urban areas are often poor, with fragile social structures. Migrants are far from their families, sometimes leaving them behind to send money home. These are all social costs, and we haven’t even touched on the environmental costs, which are equally pressing.
Q: Can you explain the concept of a water budget and its significance in sustainable water management?
A: Just as we manage financial budgets, we also manage water budgets. We begin by engaging with the community to understand their needs for agriculture, livestock, and drinking water. We then assess the available water sources to meet these demands.
For instance, agriculture often requires the largest water allocation, but the need varies by crop. Paddy, for example, demands substantial water, while millets require much less. To optimize water use, we advocate for crop diversification, which reduces overall water demand for agriculture.
Our approach includes collaborating closely with the community. We gather information on their actual water needs and available sources. By tabulating this data together, we determine the water requirements for agriculture, livestock, and domestic use. For households, we calculate the per capita water need and multiply it by the number of residents. We apply the same method for livestock.
We also evaluate the water input, such as annual rainfall, which varies by location—Pune, for example, receives 400 mm annually, while other regions might get 1200 mm. Using this data to calculate runoff, infiltration, recharge, and aquifer levels, we understand the water supply. If there is a deficit, the community recognizes the issue and begins to address it.
For agricultural needs, they may choose crop diversification, while for drinking water, they prioritize securing reliable sources like borewells, ensuring these are the last to dry up. Some regions, like Andhra, have even imposed a 10-year ban on drilling new borewells to manage resources effectively.
Successful water management depends on community involvement from the outset. Imposing rules from the outside is less effective than having the community take ownership of their water budgeting process. This participatory approach, known as participatory groundwater management, involves guiding the community through understanding and managing their resources, leading to more sustainable and accepted solutions.
Q: Given the absence of significant industrial activity in Bihar and certain areas experiencing arsenic contamination, what are the underlying environmental factors contributing to the pollution of waterbeds in these regions?
A: Two primary types of contamination affect water quality: geogenic and chemical. Geogenic contamination originates from natural sources. As minerals within rocks become exposed and release substances like arsenic chloride, they infiltrate the water, causing contamination. This issue is particularly significant in areas like Karnataka, where the depletion of hard rock aquifers exacerbates fluoride concentration. As the water table drops, reduced dilution intensifies fluoride levels, leading to increased contamination—a direct consequence of deeper water extraction.
In contrast, chemical contamination stems from human activities and is largely avoidable. Studies by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) reveal alarming levels of heavy metals in Bangalore’s lake water, much of it traced back to household effluents. Detergents, pesticides, and untreated industrial discharge seep into groundwater, contributing to widespread pollution. Factories that bypass proper water treatment processes further aggravate this issue.
Biological contamination, another critical concern, predominantly causes waterborne illnesses like diarrhea. Open defecation in rural areas, whether by humans or cattle, leads to the contamination of drinking water sources during rainfall. Coliform bacteria, commonly present in such polluted water, exceed safe levels and result in severe health risks when consumed.
In summary, water contamination arises from three primary sources: geogenic (natural rock minerals), chemical (effluents and industrial discharge), and biological (pathogens from open defecation). Addressing these issues requires targeted strategies to mitigate the harmful impacts on public health and water safety.
Q: What strategies can be implemented to eliminate last-mile leakage and ensure the reliable delivery of potable water directly to households?
A: There are two ways to address this issue: a straightforward explanation and a more nuanced perspective. The term “non-revenue water” refers to the water lost in the system before it reaches consumers, predominantly affecting urban areas.
Consider this: if a certain volume of water is pumped through pipes, the amount that actually arrives at your doorstep is significantly reduced. For instance, in Bangalore, nearly 48% of the water is classified as non-revenue water, meaning that almost half of it is lost. This high level of loss is largely due to aging infrastructure and undetected leaks, which contribute to transmission losses.
In rural areas, the situation differs. Approximately 90% of water sources rely on groundwater. If the water table depletes, pipes will run dry, leaving homes without sufficient water supply. In Bangalore, municipal supply from the Cauvery River meets only 30-40% of the city’s needs. The remainder relies on groundwater, primarily accessed through tankers or borewells.
When water supply is inadequate, people turn to tankers. Two decades ago, 5000 liters of water cost around Rs. 500. Today, it costs Rs. 1200-1500. This price increase reflects a rising demand and a shrinking supply. Thus, whether the issue is due to infrastructure leakage or groundwater scarcity, the result is the same: insufficient water at the tap, whether in urban or rural areas.
Q: Could you elaborate on the methods you employ to detect and address water leakage issues in supply conduits?
A: There are multiple perspectives to consider. To address water issues effectively, we must examine the entire ecosystem, not just the infrastructure. We advocate for understanding water’s natural behavior—it falls and flows according to hydrological principles. Our planning should align with hydrological units such as basins and watersheds, which are often overlooked in urban planning.
We must assess all water sources within a catchment area, including ponds, lakes, and the role of vegetation. Trees, for instance, impact micro-climates, enhance rainfall, stabilize soil, and reduce runoff. Comprehensive planning should encompass both supply augmentation and demand management.
If supply augmentation through recharge or storage is insufficient, demand management becomes crucial. Conservation efforts must focus on reducing consumption when water is scarce. We need to quantify water use, whether in urban or rural settings, by assessing surface and groundwater sources and rainfall.
One approach is to develop a water budget for both rural and urban areas. By integrating demands and supplies, we can calculate and address any deficits effectively.
1 Comment
Nice