Access to safe drinking water for the Chittoor District

SMEC Foundation

Access

to

safe

drinking

water

for

the

Chittoor

District

Local communities in the Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh relied on village ponds for drinking and cooking water, otherwise faced miles of travel to the nearest clean water source, with 86% of the population living in rural areas, and 40% living below the poverty line. In the marginalised Dalit communities, less than 20% of people have access to protected water.

The SMEC Foundation, along with SMEC India, BridgIT Water Foundation Australia and sponsors The McKendrick Family Australia, have funded crucial bore wells and hand pumps in seven villages within this region, known as the 2022 Indian Drilled Well Project. The project was implemented by the Society for Rural Health, Education and Development (SHRED).

The finalised construction of the seven drilled boreholes included:

Preliminary mobilisation, hydro-geological surveys and bore siting
Drilling of borehole and well development, 500ft depth x 6” casing pipe and labour
Hand pump, India MKII procurement and installation
Construction of platform and drainage channel
Training of Water Use Committees on equipment sustainability
WASH awareness training

In some villages the water accessed by these hand pumps is used to carry out worship each morning, and only following this do they use it in their homes. At the inauguration ceremony villagers performed the ‘Pooja’ of handpumps to give thanks and take blessings of “Varun Deva” (The God of Water).

Another village has one of the new hand pump and bore wells located in front of a ‘Angawadi’, a pre-formal school where children are provided with education and food. Prior to this no water facilities were available for drinking or washing.

Members of the community shared stories at the inauguration ceremony about how these pumps have changed lives, particularly since some villages have non-functioning overhead tanks installed for piped water. This is also hindered by unrepaired electric motors for pumping water or lack of electricity supply.

Partner

BridgIT Water Foundation Australia, Society for Rural Health, Education and Development (SHRED and The McKendrick Family Australia

Location

India

Expertise

SMEC Foundation

We all were overwhelmed to see the warmth, happiness, relief and a sense of pride and ownership towards the assets created through this wonderful initiative, among the beneficiaries. They were brimming with joy to get clean and safe drinking water near their houses.

— Pushpendra Sharma, Head of Legal & Commercial for South Asia and Central Asia

Seven communities, 1,653 households and 7,106 Dalit people’s long-held dream of convenient access to safe and clean water for use in their homes has been achieved.