Featured Project

The GOAL

By raising funds, There is Life will be able to fund a village in Udaipur India with enough money to make this village water secure. As directed by the local NGO, Seva Mandir, this village will receive new water tanks, the restoration of open wells, and an anicut. This project will help 750 people, taking about one year to complete with local employment.

The Need

In the Aravalli Hills in the Udaipur District of India, there lives a village with 750 people (roughly 150 families) who currently have a serious strain on getting access to clean water. This hilly region receives an average annual rainfall of 630 mm which is not evenly distributed throughout the year, thus experiencing more regular droughts. Water conserved from rainfall does not meet the needs for agriculture, household consumption or other uses, creating water-stress throughout the community. The main causes of high prevalence water-borne diseases in rural parts of the region, is lack of access to clean drinking water and low hygiene practices. Annually, around 40-70% of families are affected by water-borne diseases, sadly, highest amongst children.

In more than 90% of families, women and girls are solely responsible for collecting water, spending 20 to 60 minutes walking 250 metres to 1 km per trip. They make 2-3 trips daily over hilly terrain to collect water. The increasing threat of climate change has an adverse effect on water availability, women, being most affected. The drudgery of collecting water for household consumption has been intensified by Covid-19. Migrant workers (mainly men), are now returning home and putting a strain on resources.

the plan

Work will be completed in tandem with local community institutions, facilitated by Seva Mandir. For this particular village to be water secure for future years to come, Seva Mandir has designed a specific water program:

1. Restoration of village wells

   Open wells will be renovated to ensure the protection of the water from hazardous materials. Accessibility to water within the well will be improved.

2. Installation of new water tanks

   One water tank will supply the need of approximately 25 families for 2 days. These new water tanks will be located at pivotal locations around the village to maximize availability. Each water tank can hold 5,000 liters of water and will be refilled every other day by pumping water from the connecting well.

3. Repairing an existing anicut

   Anicuts are used in the Aravalli Hills to direct groundwater to wells as a way of recharging them. They act as a dam to impound water for maintaining and regulating irrigation. 

4. Promote Capacity Building

Representatives from beneficiary families are trained for treatment of water and maintenance of infrastructure. In addition, village institutions are facilitated to develop management norms such as benefit distribution and conflict resolution. Training sessions will be conducted for the communities on hygiene and safe water handling practices.