Chittoor, an arid district in Andhra Pradesh, faces seasonal drought. This causes acute water scarcity, leading to very low drinking water availability. Dhan Vayalagam foundation has focuses on developing and renovating traditional water harvesting structures as an effective way to collect rainwater and recharge groundwater, and helps people access water through the summer months. This was done through:

Presence of Arsenic above permissible limits in groundwater and lack of sanitation infrastructure in schools took a toll on the health of school children in the 24 North Paraganas district. This project helped improve the water and sanitation in 12 schools in this district. Access to safe drinking water was given to 14,000 students due to the project interventions. Provisions were made to provide well designed sanitation facilities for adolescent girls and women teachers, while significant focus was given to improving menstrual hygiene.

The Government of Karnataka and BAIF Institute of Rural Development – Karnataka (BIRD-K) engaged in finding a permanent solution for mitigation of Fluorosis in three districts of Karnataka through an initiative called ‘Sachetana’.

The Government of Karnataka and BAIF Institute of Rural Development – Karnataka (BIRD-K) engaged in finding a permanent solution for mitigation of Fluorosis in three districts of Karnataka through an initiative called ‘Sachetana’.

Every year fierce floods affect the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in North Bihar due to heavy rainfall and breaching of embankments. During the floods, there is a critical lack of safe drinking water, sanitation and shelter that increases the vulnerability of people to the outbreak of diseases and malnutrition.

The project improved water quality by tackling the fluoride problem in a village in Andhra Pradesh. Existing concerns within the government systems of Chitoor district about fluoride contamination were validated through water quality studies. Several decentralised fluoride mitigation measures were tested during the pilot phase. This helped in the identification of several cost-effective solutions for improving water quality and led to efforts to introduce these measures in the district.

Huge stress on limited water sources in Chingtham village resulted in reduced drinking water availability. The project helped improve awareness on the need for safe drinking water, health and sanitation. It also helped people access safe drinking water, with infection from contaminated water by reducing contamination from around 70% at the beginning of the project to 20% at the end.

The project also promoted appropriate sanitation technologies such as Ecosan toilets. There was also an increase in women’s involvement in planning, decision making and management of water.