- By JVG Krishna Murthy
- 0 Comments
WHEELS Initiatives on Water & Sanitation
by
Nishank Seth
Water is so abundantly available to us that most of us take it for granted. Living in the United States, we assume that enough water would be easily available everywhere — in the big cities and smaller towns. Our homes in the US have a continuous water supply. We open the tap and water gushes out. It feels like you can just snap your fingers, and a jug of crystal-clear water appears in front of you.
There is a very different situation on the other side of the world. There are many regions, including Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, where clean, drinking water is not freely available. And I am not just referring to desert areas, but any place that faces a water shortage as they are not able to collect and store fresh drinking water.
My grandparents live in India, and when I visit them and travel around India the difference between India and the US is so clear. Many large regions in India face extreme water shortages. 600 million people in India face water stress. When I visit India, it is surprising to know that even in some big towns drinking water is not supplied in all residential areas through water pipes 24 hours a day. While driving through the country past roadside villages, we can see that women and children gather at local hand pumps or wells with plastic and brass drums and buckets pumping water for a long time just to access fresh water for their village, which is then carried home for household use.
Some states in India have a big shortage of water, especially during the summer months, as temperatures can reach up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 Celsius)! In the western state of Rajasthan, things can get so bad that the government has to send “water trains” in the scorching summer months. A train engine pulls 50 or 60 tanks of drinking water. The train makes frequent stops along its route to supply water to all the villages on its path. This water is drawn by villagers and carried to their villages, where it is carefully stored.
One negative impact of the water shortage is that packaged water is sold everywhere in plastic bottles. This only adds to environmental pollution. Many rivers in India, and many developing countries, are increasingly being polluted. This is a big health hazard for humans and animals who drink that water. This also leads to an increase in the cost because water purification plants have to be set up outside big cities near streams and rivers. The water plants also emit CO2 (Carbon Dioxide), which only adds to the problem.
About 200,000 people in India, and 3.5 million people worldwide, die every year because they do not have access to safe water, and millions more face “water stress”. Many people suffer from “waterborne diseases”. This leads to a huge economic burden, of approximately $600 million per year, on the people and the country. The impact on human health and the economic burden is significant. It requires immediate attention from the government and local municipalities. The problem is so big that the government alone cannot manage this. Broader awareness and help are needed from not-for-profit and voluntary organizations.
WHEELS Global Foundation, a non-profit organization run by very motivated ex-IIT professionals in the USA and India, is making efforts to address this problem with scalable solutions across India. The WHEELS mission is to improve lives in rural India by applying technology-enabled solutions to solve complex issues facing society.
WHEELS has made significant contributions to providing clean water to communities. One such initiative is installing a 1500 liter/hour (400 gallon/hour) capacity Clean Drinking Water Plant (CDWP) in collaboration with a (NGO) partner, “The Sevak Foundation.” The idea is to sell water to villagers at an affordable price of Rs. 2 (2.4 cents) for every 20 liters (5 gallons). These plants have been set up in over twenty villages in three Indian States (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Gujarat). The aim is to help more than 80,000 people who live in these 20 villages (4000 average population in each village). This is just the start. If the project succeeds in these three states, it will be replicated in other states in India.
WHEELS is also involved in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh, where the primary source of water is groundwater (springs) or surface water (streams). However, groundwater depletion is a major issue. Over 50% of the springs in the Himalayan region are either drying up or experiencing a significant decrease in discharge. This is because of the long neglect of drainage systems and catchment areas. WHEELS has been working with the state government on the “HP Pilot Project” to help make groundwater an option for fresh water for the people of Himachal Pradesh.
Underground water accessible through handpumps is one of the major sources of freshwater in India. Unfortunately, bacteria and disease-causing microbes from nearby human waste contaminate groundwater making it undrinkable. Since 85% of Indian villages rely on groundwater this is a significant problem that requires immediate attention. To address this challenge, WHEELS partner TaralTec created the Maji Reactor. This small device applies a new technology in fluid dynamics to destroy microbes in unfiltered water by simply fitting it onto a hand pump without the help of any special tools or training. This tool is maintenance-free and effectively eliminates water-borne diseases and makes the water safe for use at home and drinking. WHEELS’ attempt to address this problem is one of the most recent additions to their list of initiatives. It’s just a matter of time to scale this solution to other parts of India.
There are several other initiatives such as the “Save Indian Farmers” initiative where WHEELS is working with other agencies to help the residents address the problem of a decline in the quantity of agricultural produce in areas affected by drought.
Together, with WHEELS, we can help the 600 million people in India overcome the challenges of not having enough clean water and give them access to safe, purified drinking water to improve the lives of rural communities.
Sources:
♦ Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) report:
♦ Clean drinking water | UNICEF India
♦ India’s burden of waterborne diseases is underestimated – PMC
♦ PHED contemplates resuming water train
♦ Lifelong safe drinking water from borewells? – WHEELS Global Foundation
- By JVG Krishna Murthy
- 0 Comments
WHEELS Initiatives on Water & Sanitation
by
Nishank Seth
Water is so abundantly available to us that most of us take it for granted. Living in the United States, we assume that enough water would be easily available everywhere — in the big cities and smaller towns. Our homes in the US have a continuous water supply. We open the tap and water gushes out. It feels like you can just snap your fingers, and a jug of crystal-clear water appears in front of you.
There is a very different situation on the other side of the world. There are many regions, including Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, where clean, drinking water is not freely available. And I am not just referring to desert areas, but any place that faces a water shortage as they are not able to collect and store fresh drinking water.
My grandparents live in India, and when I visit them and travel around India the difference between India and the US is so clear. Many large regions in India face extreme water shortages. 600 million people in India face water stress. When I visit India, it is surprising to know that even in some big towns drinking water is not supplied in all residential areas through water pipes 24 hours a day. While driving through the country past roadside villages, we can see that women and children gather at local hand pumps or wells with plastic and brass drums and buckets pumping water for a long time just to access fresh water for their village, which is then carried home for household use.
Some states in India have a big shortage of water, especially during the summer months, as temperatures can reach up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 Celsius)! In the western state of Rajasthan, things can get so bad that the government has to send “water trains” in the scorching summer months. A train engine pulls 50 or 60 tanks of drinking water. The train makes frequent stops along its route to supply water to all the villages on its path. This water is drawn by villagers and carried to their villages, where it is carefully stored.
One negative impact of the water shortage is that packaged water is sold everywhere in plastic bottles. This only adds to environmental pollution. Many rivers in India, and many developing countries, are increasingly being polluted. This is a big health hazard for humans and animals who drink that water. This also leads to an increase in the cost because water purification plants have to be set up outside big cities near streams and rivers. The water plants also emit CO2 (Carbon Dioxide), which only adds to the problem.
About 200,000 people in India, and 3.5 million people worldwide, die every year because they do not have access to safe water, and millions more face “water stress”. Many people suffer from “waterborne diseases”. This leads to a huge economic burden, of approximately $600 million per year, on the people and the country. The impact on human health and the economic burden is significant. It requires immediate attention from the government and local municipalities. The problem is so big that the government alone cannot manage this. Broader awareness and help are needed from not-for-profit and voluntary organizations.
WHEELS Global Foundation, a non-profit organization run by very motivated ex-IIT professionals in the USA and India, is making efforts to address this problem with scalable solutions across India. The WHEELS mission is to improve lives in rural India by applying technology-enabled solutions to solve complex issues facing society.
WHEELS has made significant contributions to providing clean water to communities. One such initiative is installing a 1500 liter/hour (400 gallon/hour) capacity Clean Drinking Water Plant (CDWP) in collaboration with a (NGO) partner, “The Sevak Foundation.” The idea is to sell water to villagers at an affordable price of Rs. 2 (2.4 cents) for every 20 liters (5 gallons). These plants have been set up in over twenty villages in three Indian States (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Gujarat). The aim is to help more than 80,000 people who live in these 20 villages (4000 average population in each village). This is just the start. If the project succeeds in these three states, it will be replicated in other states in India.
WHEELS is also involved in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh, where the primary source of water is groundwater (springs) or surface water (streams). However, groundwater depletion is a major issue. Over 50% of the springs in the Himalayan region are either drying up or experiencing a significant decrease in discharge. This is because of the long neglect of drainage systems and catchment areas. WHEELS has been working with the state government on the “HP Pilot Project” to help make groundwater an option for fresh water for the people of Himachal Pradesh.
Underground water accessible through handpumps is one of the major sources of freshwater in India. Unfortunately, bacteria and disease-causing microbes from nearby human waste contaminate groundwater making it undrinkable. Since 85% of Indian villages rely on groundwater this is a significant problem that requires immediate attention. To address this challenge, WHEELS partner TaralTec created the Maji Reactor. This small device applies a new technology in fluid dynamics to destroy microbes in unfiltered water by simply fitting it onto a hand pump without the help of any special tools or training. This tool is maintenance-free and effectively eliminates water-borne diseases and makes the water safe for use at home and drinking. WHEELS’ attempt to address this problem is one of the most recent additions to their list of initiatives. It’s just a matter of time to scale this solution to other parts of India.
There are several other initiatives such as the “Save Indian Farmers” initiative where WHEELS is working with other agencies to help the residents address the problem of a decline in the quantity of agricultural produce in areas affected by drought.
Together, with WHEELS, we can help the 600 million people in India overcome the challenges of not having enough clean water and give them access to safe, purified drinking water to improve the lives of rural communities.
Sources:
♦ Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) report:
♦ Clean drinking water | UNICEF India
♦ India’s burden of waterborne diseases is underestimated – PMC
♦ PHED contemplates resuming water train
♦ Lifelong safe drinking water from borewells? – WHEELS Global Foundation
