Introduction
The Water for Women project phase – II aimed to provide access to water in the above-mentioned area through water replenishment interventions by rainwater harvesting. The major components of the project are rainwater harvesting reservoirs, Installation of hand pumps at the reservoirs, distribution of water wheels to a carefully drawn out criteria prioritizing the most vulnerable, and women’s training program on water, sanitation, health, and hygiene (WASH) and water purification techniques. This was done through the formation of community organizations, consisting of both men and women. Women-centered training was organized to train village womenfolk regarding health and hygienic practices and water purification techniques. The physical burden on women of fetching water was planned to be reduced through the distribution of the H2O Wheels to the most vulnerable.
Administratively, the Water for Women – II project area falls in the rural part of the Thatta district. The area is sparsely populated with scattered settlements of not more than 20-30 households. Located in an arid environment with limited water resources, none of these settlements have any social development infrastructure. Rain-fed cultivation and livestock herding are the primary livelihoods of the local population. Due to low recharge, the water table is falling rapidly. Hence, harvesting rainwater and its conservation is the priority activity of the project area.
There is almost no female education throughout the area, and the primary reason is the responsibility of fetching water that does not allow them to access whatever paltry education facilities exist in this area. There is a strong trend of migration of the majority of people and livestock to adjoining canal cultivated areas, particularly during drought. Overall, there are inadequate facilities of education, health, water, and veterinary services in the project area.
The general climate of the area is aridly influenced by adjoining Kohistan and its rainfall pattern. The area receives 100-150 mm rainfall mostly in the monsoon season whereas the rest of the months of the year are almost dry. In some years, no rainfall was received resulting in severe droughts in the area. There are two main sources of water i.e. rain /hill torrent water, people of the project area are mainly dependent on rainwater collected during the monsoons in depressions, which evaporates after 3-4 months due to arid climate; rest of the year, the people have to depend on rainwater that had collected in natural depressions.
The Kohistanis give priority to the food for the entire year, second to the feed for their livestock, and lastly, sale of the surplus in the markets particularly for clearing their debts. Livestock rearing particularly goat, sheep, and cows are the main assets and they use them and their products for earning their livelihood.
Formation of Community Organization
The social mobilization team of Indus Earth Trust formed women and men community organizations in each beneficiary village. 25 community organizations of men and women were formed and made responsible for implementing the project activities with the assistance of Indus Earth Trust. These community organizations prepared the list of deserving women for water wheels and sand filtration units and also identified the potential location of water reservoirs and hand pumps. Community organizations are particularly important in underprivileged areas and work with poor communities where the government is unable or unwilling to provide much-needed social services, especially in Jhimpir and Kohistan areas of district Thatta.
Community Management Skills Training – CMST
IET has strongly believed in capacity building of the local communities e.g. local people must be equipped with skills, knowledge, and techniques according to project tasks and goals. IET designs a comprehensive training program (CMST) for community representatives. The Community Management Skill Training (CMST) is designed for presidents and managers of Community Organizations to mobilize and strengthen their capacities to identify their problems and decide priorities on their own.
The training aims to enhance the knowledge, skill, and capabilities of the participants in planning and managing their developmental activities and to utilize the available local resources as well. It provides the participants an opportunity to build their capacities to break the vicious cycle of poverty by undertaking poverty reduction and income-generating activities on their own according to the community’s needs. Community participation in development projects such as Water for Women is a crucial element for its success. Participation of the community is in the form of Community contribution, involvement in the decision-making process, identification of the locations of reservoirs and hand pumps.
WASH Training for Women
Lack of access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) affects women disproportionally, due to both biological and cultural factors. In addition to meeting women’s specific practical needs, WASH is also essential for their social and economic development, contributing towards gender equality and the realization of their health and hygiene. .
WASH training of 250 women and girls from various villages of Jhimpir and Kohistan, eight sessions were conducted and 30 women participated in each session. WASH training is valuable both for young and senior women beneficiaries that were affected by health hygiene issues. Community members on practices that need to be included in the practices to live healthy lives and prevent water-borne diseases.
The core intent of the WASH Improvement training emphasized the teaching of basic sanitation and hygiene to WASH trainees with a focus on behavioral change, capacity building, and implementation of WASH practices in the Kohistan communities.
WASH Awareness Sessions at Schools
The Indus Earth Trust held WASH awareness classes in Kohistan schools to enhance children’s health and hygiene practices as part of the ‘Water for Women’ initiative Phase II. Health and hygiene in schools are widely seen as a critical intervention for promoting children’s rights to a healthy and clean environment, as well as influencing generational shifts in health promotion behavior and attitudes. IET created a visual WASH manual for schoolchildren in the local language (Sindhi).
WASH Manual
The Master trainers were provided the Manual for guidance in their community training sessions, and the WASH in schools’ programs.
Defining WASH in Schools
The WASH training was held with school children, as they are the early adapters. However, due to the cultural burden of fetching water, it was observed that the girl child was denied the opportunity to go to school. As the WASH manual is mostly pictorial, the extra copies were handed over to school children, while all Master Trainers received them as well.
IET trainer emphasized effective learning, children perform better if surrounded by a clean and hygienic environment. Enrolment and retention of girls, lack of private sanitary facilities for girls can discourage parents from sending girls to schools and contribute to the drop-out of girls, especially adolescents. Growing girls find it difficult to attend schools that have no or a few badly maintained facilities.
They tend to go home during recess and not return. Reduced diseases and worm infestation – If sanitation and hygiene facilities are absent or are badly maintained and used, schools and pre-schools become health hazards. Children urinate and defecate behind and around school buildings in whatever vacant space is available. This is bad practice, a source of infection, and sends strong negative signals to the children and teachers that this is an accepted norm.
Rainwater Harvesting Reservoirs
Rainwater harvesting is the process of collecting, purifying, storing, and utilizing rainwater for irrigation and other applications. Rainwater is collected when it falls to the ground, stored, and used later when needed. It can be cleansed, making it suitable for human consumption. It is used on a daily basis as well as in huge industrial settings.
Rainwater is free of pollutants, salts, minerals, and other natural and man-made impurities. In locations with high rainfall, excess rainwater can be used to recharge groundwater using artificial recharge techniques. Rainwater harvesting is a solution that has been used in many parts of the world where traditional water delivery systems are unavailable or have failed to meet people’s needs. It is a centuries-old technique for collecting water.
Rainwater collection can occur on both a local and large scale. A simple, economical, technically viable, and socially acceptable safe drinking water delivery system for geo-hydrological locations (rural/urban) can be implemented. In Kohistan, rainwater harvesting systems can be considered a solution to the problem of contaminated ground water, particularly in arsenic and saline-affected areas. The physical, chemical, and bacteriological properties of captured rainfall make it a suitable and acceptable source of drinkable water.
Hand pumps
Hand pump is a traditional method of obtaining groundwater in rural areas of the Sindh; hand pump will lift water from an average depth of 25 to 35 feet. A foundation of hand pump will be constructed for community keeping pitchers and jars in it. The design of the structure considers easy access by everyone. Indus Earth Trust ensures water laboratory test of each and every drinking water source. In addition, water scheme is built, before delivery of its function to the target communities; a water quality test is carried out. The test is to ensure the suitability of the water for drinking and identify any potential microbiological contamination and for further treatment. Hand pumps were installed at 10 locations identified with safe drinking water. Hand pumps provide water extracted from the ground, purifying it through the sand.
Focus on Gender Mainstreaming
Fetching water is the primary task of women, in rural as well as poor urban localities. In rural areas, in communities living far from a suitable water source, women and girls spend several hours a day traveling to collect water to meet their family’s needs. As this task is so time consuming, young girls are unable to get educated. Providing a water source close by will reduce demand on their time and will enable them to undertake other productive activities to better their lives. It also lessens the physical burden, which has been documented to have an adverse effect on their body. The proposed Water for Women Project, in Kohistan aims to reduce hardship by making clean water sources accessible and teaching filtration techniques to ensure water is safe for human consumption.
Water Wheels for Women
Indus Earth Trust has introduced water wheels to transport water, particularly over great distances. These can hold 30-35 liters, which is twice the capacity of traditional containers. Women just need to make one journey to the water source. Women must push the water wheel to relieve the weight of carrying the water container off their shoulders and heads, resulting in improved health.
Objectives
- Social Mobilization and community organization of targeted communities
- Training of community leaders’ male and female on CMST
- Water Replenishment through rain water harvesting
- Access safe drinking water through hand pumps
- Train local women in WASH specifically water purification through the water sand filtration
- Reduce labor of women through water wheels
- Showcasing achievements of Water for Women project II