Cost Effective & Sustainable Drinking Water Service Delivery: Lessons From Kerala

Dr. V. Kurien Baby IASJune 2010

Mazhapolima : Participatory Well Recharge Programme – Background

“Water, water, every where, Nor a drop to drink” Samuel Taylor Coleridge

• Kerala has 3000 mm rainfall p.a and 44 rivers• Water Scarcity a recurring phenomena every

summer• Source un-sustainability and quality issues • Highest density of open dug wells in the world • 70% of the people still depend of wells for drinking • Investments of Rs. 50000 mn in 45 lakh open wells• High access to pipes, poor access to quality water • High household investment as coping strategies

Water Resources – Demand Water Resources – Demand and Supply: Kerala – 2021 AD and Supply: Kerala – 2021 AD

A. Projected Demand MCM

(i) Domestic 3,230

(ii) Industrial 4,270

(iii) Irrigation 28,900

(iv)Environmental Req. 12,200

Total Demand 48,600

B. Projected Supply 42,700

Demand Supply Gap 5,900

Rural Water Supply: KeralaSupply Side

(access to pipes)

Demand Side (access to water)

70 % wells

59% piped

55% not used for drinking

90%batcerio.contam.

14.5% safe water

Rs 3187 crore (req’d)

30% piped

Access to safe water

60%

Faecal contamination

83.3% private finance

Rs 5,100 crore

16.7% public finance

Business as Usual: Uncovered Households

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

1,600,000

1,800,000

2,000,000

Year

Ho

use

ho

lds

Rural Household Un covered Urban Household Un covered

Business as Usual Scenario: At Current Level of Investment

Water Scenario: Thrissur District

Seasonality of Wells

Perennial Wells in Thrissur

Salinity at our Door Steps

Can we be mute spectators when this water tragedy is taking shape in front of us?

Mazhapolima: Overarching Goal: Health Outcome

Objectives• Provide sustainable access to safe drinking

water thru’ open well recharge (not only pied water – conjunctive provision)

• Recharge ground water- source sustainability– (local action Vs. climate change)

• Improved service level and quality (Sanitized wells – sustainable water campaign)

• Drought mitigation and reduce public spending on tanker supply

• Strengthening decentralization• Pilot test cost effective alternate models

Approach and Strategy

• Community Driven• Participatory approach • Demand Driven• PRI Centric• Facilitatory role for GoK• Process Oriented, Outcome based• Cost Effective – transparency audit• Campaign Mode

Institutional Architecture

Activity Description

Special Gramasabha/Ward sabha

Starts with special grama/ward sabha announcing the message” Our water our future” and ‘wells for welfare’. will conduct the reconnaissance survey/PRA and prepare a water resource atlas /scarcity Map with the inventory of open wells and ponds and prepare the resource map

Preparation of Action Plan and Approval

Ward/GP level

The ward sabha will approve the Action plan comprising the following components: (i) IEC and Awareness campaign: (ii) Training and Capacity Building Plan; (iii) implementation plan: (iv) financing plan and (v) monitoring (quantity and quality) and documentation plan

Implementation Task Force or Jalasuraksha

Samithies

A task Force supported by the resource team will be constituted from among the key stakeholders at the GP level with the mandate of programme implementation.

Block Jalasuraksha

Samithies

Block level Committee will consolidate the block level plan, oversee implementation, coordinate and direct action, poling and leveraging resources and infuse innovative resource mobilization ad integration of ongoing programmes

District Jalasuraksha

Samithies

District Advisory Committee will be chaired by the DP President and DC Vice Chairman with Block presidents and Presidents of the GP Association and selected experts as members and DPO as convener.The Executive Committee will be Chaired by the DC and selected experts, NGOs and key departments as members

Activity Plan – Bottom UP

Technology choice Specification Indicative Cost-Range in Rs

Open well (Drinking)

Roof top harvest with Sand filter*

PVC Gutters are fixed to collect water from roof and water is diverted to the filter using a PVC pipe. The filter consists of sand, metal and charcoal

2500-3750

Roof top harvest with ordinary Nylon filter

Water is harvested from the roof and is diverted to the well through a Nylon or cloth filter using a PVC pipe.

1250-2500

Open wells/Ponds (Non drinking)

Rooftop harvesting with out filter

Water harvested from the roof top is directly fed into the well

500-1000

Surface run off catch Using a bund, trench or pit 500-1000

Rain pits Open pit dug with a specification of 0.75 m x 0.75m x 0.75m

250-500

Backwash with Phyto-remediation

Usually meant for ponds in the lowlands, where a variety of plants and shrubs and trees are planted around the pond to purify water, appropriating the purification properties of plants and trees

2000-4000

(*) Additional Rs. 500 may have to be added for polyethylene sheets for thatched roofs

Menu of Technology Options

Technology Options

Stakeholder Group Capacity Building ComponentsGrama Panchayath Council Awareness on Ground water table,

extraction, recharge techniques and legal regimes

Local Volunteers including Kudumbasree,

Jalamithrams, NGOs, CBOs and local skilled persons

Skill building on Rain Water Harvesting, Water Literacy, Quality campaignMonitoring and Documentation

Media Awareness Programmes and Exposure programmes on focused good practices

Task Forces, Executive Committee, DPC, Members

of District and Block Panchayath

Monitoring, Documentation and Awareness Programmes along with Exposure visits to Good practices.

Capacity Building

Key Performance Indicators

• Substantial cost savings and targets exceeded by 200% in 14 months (T 3000 Ach. >10000 Wells)

• Financial Targets exceeded by 15 times GoK funds of Rs. 10 mn leverage funds Rs 150 mn (GoI 8 mln, GoK 3 mn, Arghyam, UNDP/UNICEF, Pvt. Sector(banks/Edu insts, business)NGOs, CBOs , KWA)

• Source and Quality sustainability ensured (community based quality assurance WQS&M)

• GoK integrated the programme for PRIs/GoI for GWR)• Action Research Outcomes

Recharging Open Wells in the Coastal Riverine Island of (VP)Thuruth improves

water quality

Satellite image of VP Thuruth at the confluence of Periyar River.

Mazhapolima: Backwash Method -Before and After

Key Outcomes• Reduced morbidity better health (Third party audit)• Reversal of investment trajectory (extraction /production

to source sustainability) –address climate change• Replicability and Statewide scaling up- 3 districts GO issued• GoK announced Water Security plan (jalasuraksha) for

State• Programme Convergence ( NREGA, watershed, soil conservation, minor

irrigation, PRI plans, GWD programmes)• Programme institutionalized with PRIs – GoK & DPC• National/regional media joined the campaign – National

River Action Framework (hit in India Water Portal)• UNDP /UNICEF (MDG) workshop & exposure visit• State & National award for Adat GP

Media Tour

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