Water
The lack of drinking water is a serious problem that affects living conditions in most rural areas of southern India. Access to drinking water is a basic human right and an essential element in the prevention of diseases, improving health and reducing the already heavy workload of women and children who often travel long distances to fetch water. After 30 years of effort, SOPAR has contributed to the construction of 500 water towers and 4,500 manually operated water pumps which have benefited more than one million people.
Investing in people
Whether a bore well, an overhead tank or a purification system, the key to success lies not only in the installation of systems, but moreover in the active participation of villagers. Each project is an opportunity to organize a local committee in the village that will be responsible for ensuring the long-term viability of the project and maximize the benefits of the project. The committee will among other things convince the villagers of the need to contribute 10 to 15% of the costs in money and manpower needed to start the project. The result is a collective project in which SOPAR contributes.
In the case of Gangadevipally, in 1992 the village approached us for the installation of an over-head tank. Since then, the village (under the water committee’s leadership) has gone on to win a number of national awards, including the “Gram Panchayat Award” for best village governance in the whole country. Gangadevipally is a “Model Village,” a success story we hope will inspire other villages to take the first steps toward development in their area.
Bore wells
 This program is designed for communities of about 100-200 people, or around 40 families. Our wells are usually drilled directly onto easily accessible streets in every village to benefit the largest possible number of beneficiaries. To try to ensure lasting water resources, the well is drilled to depths reaching 150-200 feet. Also, no additional bore well can be within 500 feet of the new site. Bore wells installed over 25 years ago are still functioning efficiently today, becoming a testament to the sustainability of integrated development in Andhra Pradesh villages.
OverHead Tanks
We have been helping communities in their quest for water through the construction of overhead water tanks. These water towers are an important step in the evolution of the community and often mark the beginning of a prosperous time. Indeed the construction of a water tower often triggers a process of integrated development which enables a community to pursue the goal of becoming a model village.
This program is usually for larger communities and villages. In the case of over-head tanks, water is pumped from a tube well to an overhead reservoir. Gravity draws the water downward and it is then distributed through a pipeline to individual houses in the village. This way, access to water becomes safe and much more convenient for all families. Such accessibility allows the community to maintain cleanliness in the home and to cultivate kitchen or backyard gardens to grow nutritious food. Time is saved by not having to travel to collect water and women can instead spend it on income-generating activities or spend more time at home with their children.
Water purification
 High levels of fluoride in ground water are one of the most common and escalating problems in Andhra Pradesh. Especially in drought-affected areas, more than 90 percent of drinking water is drawn from the ground. Unfortunately, this water is contaminated with dangerous fluoride and other impurities, which puts the whole state at risk.
Consuming water with excess fluoride produces both dental fluorosis (which leads to tooth discolouration and decay) and skeletal flurosis (which causes pain and deforms bones and joints). The visible effects of fluorosis are slow to present themselves, so little concern is shown in the illness’s early stages. Of course, ignoring the disease does not mean it disappears. Those that suffer from it can experience severe tooth decay and sometimes become permanently crippled.
We began a community-managed defluoridation program in 2004 to battle the problem of fluorosis. The “reverse osmosis” technology, which is used not only removes the excess fluoride, but also other unwanted impurities in the water such as chlorine, lead, and sodium. Since the water purification systems are owned and run by the communities, the cost of upkeep is low. Long-term sustainability is ensured and the entire village is provided safe water at only Rs. 1 per 20-liter can. Along with establishing ownership amongst a newly empowered village community, the Water Purification program can create a visible health impact within two months of installation.
Surface Water Management
Surface water management in an important aspect of SOPAR’s work and largely improves the quality of life for rural communities in Andhra Pradesh, India.
Our aim is to renovate the abandoned but viable traditional water reservoirs built centuries ago. Silt is excavated from the reservoirs and applied to farmland to improve the soil’s fertility. Therefore during the monsoon, the water can accumulate in the reservoirs thus allow for percolation and replenishment of the groundwater table.
More than 600 villages have participated in renovating more than 400 irrigation tanks. Soil fertility has increased in the area after spreading the silt onto it. Water levels have also increased by up to 30 percent in thousands of wells around the renovated tanks. The availability of water throughout the year allows fisherman to raise fish continuously and farmers’ cattle can get sufficient fodder and water as well.
The benefits reach all levels of development—social, economic, and environmental. Using the existing infrastructure requires no technical expertise and keeps costs down.
The beneficiaries contribute an impressive 70 percent of the cost, while the NGO partners pay 30 percent. This is a rare cost-sharing ratio, but the projects continue to multiply, indicating the importance and relevance of such an undertaking.
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