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

Dr. V. Kurien Baby

Sr. Programme Officer, IRC International Water & Sanitation Centre , The Hague, Netherlands

Background
2008 April drought period joined as DC Tanker lorry supply increasing as strategy at huge costs By 2021 Demand supply gap 5900 mcm IWMI Kerala Economic scarcity GoI study on drinking water status and strategy key findings shift in investment trajectory Well based approach 50% non perennial /quality cost effectiveness

Background - Kerala
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 world 70% of the people still depend of wells for drinking Investments of Rs. 12000 crore in 45 lakh wells High access to pipes, poor access to quality water High household investment as coping strategies

Business as Usual Scenario: At Current Level of Investment

Business as Usual: Uncovered Households
2,000,000 1,800,000 1,600,000

Households

1,400,000 1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 0

20 05 20 06 20 07 20 08 20 09 20 10 20 11 20 12 20 13 20 14 20 15 20 16 20 17 20 18 20 19 20 20 20 21 20 22 20 23 20 24 20 25 20 26 20 27

Year

Rural Household Un covered

Urban Household Un covered

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 Govt. department convergence Facilitatory role for GoK Process Oriented, Outcome based Cost Effective transparency audit Campaign Mode

Institutional Architecture

Activity Plan Bottom UP

Activity Special Gramasabha/ Ward sabha Description 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

Implementation Task Force or Jalasuraksha Samithies

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
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 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

Block Jalasuraksha Samithies

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

Menu of Technology Options

Technology choice Open well (Drinking) Roof top harvest with PVC Gutters are fixed to collect water from roof 2500-3750 Sand filter* and water is diverted to the filter using a PVC pipe. The filter consists of sand, metal and charcoal Roof top harvest with Water is harvested from the roof and is diverted to 1250-2500 ordinary Nylon filter the well through a Nylon or cloth filter using a PVC pipe. Open wells/Ponds (Non drinking) Rooftop harvesting Water harvested from the roof top is directly fed 500-1000 with out filter into the well Surface run off catch Rain pits Using a bund, trench or pit 500-1000 Specification Indicative CostRange in Rs

Open pit dug with a specification of 0.75 m x 0.75m 250-500 x 0.75m

Backwash with Phyto- Usually meant for ponds in the lowlands, where a 2000-4000 remediation variety of plants and shrubs and trees are planted around the pond to purify water, appropriating the purification properties of plants and trees (*) Additional Rs. 500 may have to be added for polyethylene sheets for thatched roofs

Technology Options

Capacity Building
Capacity Building Components Grama Panchayath Council Awareness on Ground water table, extraction, recharge techniques and legal regimes Local Volunteers including Skill building on Rain Water Harvesting, Kudumbasree, Water Literacy, Quality campaign Jalamithrams, NGOs, CBOs Monitoring and Documentation and local skilled persons
Media Task Forces, Executive Committee, DPC, Members of District and Block Panchayath Stakeholder Group

Awareness Programmes and Exposure programmes on focused good practices Monitoring, Documentation and Awareness Programmes along with Exposure visits to Good practices.

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 advocacy/awareness

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 Polciy 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) 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 Water Digest Award 2010

Looking towards Future Watershed river basin approach building block Policy integration GOI treat well as private asset Area approach for better outcome Focus on water quality Integration through NREGA KILA OR CWRDM LAND WATER MGT CENTRE Climate change water-food-livelihood securities and vulnerability reduction focus well as MUS/marginal holdings

Media Tour
1520 hits in Google

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