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PROJECT JAL @ Kutch, Gujarat

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Introduction

Kutch is district in the state of Gujarat, and the largest district in India. The Rann of Kutch is famous for its salt flats which look like white landscapes after the shallow waters dry up each season before the monsoons.
Kutch is also famous for the Banni grasslands with their marshy wetlands, which, however, have degraded to a large extent due to habitat destruction in the recent past.
Water is a serious issue in Kutch. The  district is surrounded by the Gulf of Kutch and the Arabian Sea in the South and West. The water is excessively saline, which is more than permissible limits of WHO (World Health Organisation). In most villages, the T.D.S. of water is more than 900mg/litre, which is supposed to be poor quality of water. In some villages, water is a serious issue with T.D.S. levels shooting up to 1900mg/litre. This water is unacceptable for drinking purposes.

Need for the project

With alarmingly high TDS levels, drinking water remains a serious issue in Kutch. Schools in Kutch do not have safe drinking water for their students which gives rise to various health issues.

Proposed solution

The schools can be provided with RO filters, which will make safe drinking water available to children. 1 RO filter with 25 lit/hr capacity can suffice a school with 125 students.

Project Jal execution

Green Works Trust partnered with Kutch-based NGO ‘Centre for Desert and Oceans (CEDO) to execute this project. RO filters were installed in 50+ schools in the remote areas of Kutch. The project was accomplished in 2 phases— first phase covered 25 schools; and the 2nd phase covered 54 schools. We were able to reach out to 4 additional schools. We reached out to more than 7000 students through this project.

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Benefits of the project

  • Pure and safe drinking water which is a basic necessity of life, made available to school children
  • Along with students, teachers and other staff members also get the benefit of safe drinking water.
  • Not only the school staff, but their families and some neighbouring households also get safe drinking water.
  • Better oral hygiene and health of children due to decreased TDS levels.
  • Increased attendance of students at school.
  • Increased admissions to schools.

Inauguration function of Project Jal

Project Jal was formally inaugurated in a function hosted at Prarthamik Shala, Nagalpur in Kutch. The function was attended by school Principals, teachers, students and teams from CEDO and GWT.  The inaugural function was graced by the presence of the head of CSR of Cox and Kings, Mr. Thomas Thottathil.

Habitat Restoration by Student power

The task for GWT and CEDO did not end with the installation of RO filters in schools.

We did plantation drives in the same schools.

Saplings of local species were planted in and around the school premises. The refuse water from RO filters is getting thoughtfully utilised to water these saplings. And the cherry on the cake is that, the entire plantation drive is run by  ‘Student power’ under the guidance of experts. All students not only participated in the plantation, but also promised to look after the saplings. More than 11,000 saplings of native species were planted during this plantation drive. By efforts like these, the lost habitat of Banni grasslands can be restored, slowly but steadily.

As a summary of the project, we can put an infographic mentioning key highlights:

  • RO filters installed in 54 schools
  • Reached out to more than 7000 rural students
  • Planted more than 11,000 saplings