Drinking Water and Sanitation Initiative in Coastal villages of Gujarat June 24, 2011

Scale of Salinity Ingress problem in Gujarat Gujarat having longest coastline (1/3rd) of the country facing acute drinking water quality problems. Red zone shown fully saline area where TDS is as high as 5,000 PPM. These issues needs to be tackled strategically.

Scale of Salinity Ingress problem in Gujarat Estimated Impact of Salinity – due to sea water ingress: 1,200 – 1,500 villages across Eight coastal districts in Saurashtra & Kutch Salinity related problems directly and indirectly has an impact on over 1.8 million household in these coastal regions 85% of population dependent on groundwater Kidney stone, skin disease, etc. are the major health problems Approximately Rs. 9230/hh/year on medical costs Women in coastal Gujarat, walk 1-3 kilometers daily for drinking water, spending 2-3 hours daily just to fetch 3-4 pots of water. Adolescent girls miss school. Women develop backache over time; men also collect water in cans on cycle when distances are larger.

Coastal Areas Development Project (CADP) Ensuring Water Security and Safe Sanitation in the Coastal Villages of Gujarat Drinking Water issues Quality of water – high TDS and fluoride Quantity: No-source villages Seasonal water scarcity Pressure on common property resources due to industrialisation and increasing population density Sanitation Issues Physical achievement is high; usage of latrines is very low Major issues are behavioral change and capacity to contribute, low level of willingness “Sanitation = toilet” mentality; environmental sanitation issues are neglected Major cause of health issues are Open defecation and contamination of drinking water source

Coastal Areas Development Project (CADP) Ensuring Water Security and Safe Sanitation in the Coastal Villages of Gujarat

Project fact sheet 9 districts, 21 blocks, 300 coastal villages Drinking water to 100,000 families Improved sanitation facilities to 15,000 families Open Defecation free status to 150 villages With a view to scale up the coverage with holistic approach, a special project ‘CADP’ has been developed in partnership with WASMO. WASMO is a semi-government organisation established by GOG to tackle drinking water issues in the state through decentralization approach. This is an ideal example of partnership with Government as it not only contributes 60% of the project cost, but also integrates issues of water, sanitation, health and hygiene issues. This would be one of its kind project in India in terms of scale and cost. Decentralization approach means community plan, design, implement and own the systems. Why CADP is unique? – from 100 villages to 300 villages which is 25% of the total coastal villages). Total project cost: INR 520 Million The State government contribution: INR 356 Million (70%) Community contribution: INR 63 Million (12%) SRTT contribution through CSPC: INR 50 Million (10%) Hilton Foundation contribution: INR 50 Million (10%)

Approach Integrated Implementation Design by leveraging resources and building partnerships to achieve Drinking Water Security through dual water supply systems Roof Top Rain Water Harvesting Structure Water Resource Management for local source strengthening Piped water supply Improved delivery mechanism Sanitation – Toilets, Solid and Liquid Waste Management, Environmental Sanitation Improving personal health and hygiene related aspects Water Quality Monitoring Development of low cost Mini-Water Quality Laboratory with NGOs – bridging gap between

Contd… Enhanced project duration with enhanced facilitation support to NGOs (from 18 months cycle to 36 months) Major thrust on software and sustainability aspects (through fund and resource availability) Flexibility for innovations Two tier structures: Drinking Water: CSPC as a nodal agency for financial management at State level Sanitation: Partnership with TSC project at district level for smooth fund flow (joint bank account with DRDA) and additional support to beneficiaries

Key learnings Water availability ensures higher adoption for sanitation Common Institutional arrangement for drinking water and sanitation through Water Committee helps achieving quality output Need of technological alternatives based on demand and geographical situation Innovations required in sanitation technology considering geohydrological constraints Enhanced subsidy for poorest family Protection of local sources are crucial for ensuring drinking water availability Behavioral change - a key challenge Solid Waste Management for larger villages

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