India; Rainwater Harvesting And Groundwater Recharge
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New world economy India is a fast growing market for consumer goods, technology and global investment.According to investment bank Morgan Stanley (in “New Tigers of Asia”) the rise of India is tipped to become one of the most important economic forces in the world and the worlds largest economy.According to research firm IDC (India Brand Equity Foundation), India will also be one of the three leading IT markets in the Asia Pacific. But at the same time it has a major social challenge of poverty, where business can play a key role in tackling this serious task along with community based partners. Increasingly business is looking for ways to develop their business relationships, reputation and community engagement, aligned to the social priorities of the new Indian Congress Government and their Common Minimum Programme where their commitment to rural development is one of their highest priorities. Many national and international companies have both direct and indirect interests in, and impacts on, water in their products and processes water treatment, purification, products that require water, and water infrastructure and can benefit from practical, down to earth partnerships to channel resources, skills and goodwill to meet the development challenge. Access to water for drinking and sanitation is a central target in the UN Millennium Development Goals (Target 10: to halve by 2015 the proportion of people without safe access to drinking water). The stark fact is that in India 80 per cent of the population simply lacks access to safe drinking water, but helping solve this problem may not be such an impossible task. Most Indians have extremely limited and unreliable access to what they need most. Around three-quarters of the population have no public sanitary facilities (such as toilets). They experience a daily crisis. Many even die from it: microbes in their drinking water kill every year more than one million Indian children. 700 million people still living in villages, and the 200 million or so who constitute the urban poor lack access to safe water and sanitation. The United Nations claims each person needs 30 to 50 litres a day for their needs. It is our belief that something very practical and inexpensive can and should be done involving corporations and donors, where the impact is felt immediately on women and children with a high impact on life expectancy and health and where the partnership can be sustainable. They can enter community partnerships for water access, using time tested, low cost, decentralised methods for roof top rainwater harvesting, ground-water recharge and small-scale urban sanitation. There can also be a greater part for decentralised solar power to meet basic needs. According to the UK Financial Times Supply and demands , rainwater harvesting and community empowerment projects are one of the most hopeful and cost effective solutions to water crisis whose solutions have eluded Governments and development agencies for decades because they have not taken it seriously Meeting needs with intelligent solutions There are many approaches to water access but rural and remote areas have distinct challenges and opportunities. One solution already tested is Rooftop Rainwater harvesting, which is a well established traditional approach over hundreds of years, collecting natural rainfall and channelling it into underground tanks that can store and 1 WWW.SUSTDEV.ORG AGRICULTURE & WATER Water and community development: Rainwater harvesting and ground- water recharge A sustainable approach to human development at the global level Robert Davies, International Business Leaders Forum & Bunker Roy, The Barefoot College, Rajasthan, India The following is based on a briefing paper prepared for a seminar hosted by The Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) in December 2004. The paper aims to present some ideas and practical applications with regards to rainwater harvesting in India and other countries as well as public-private partnerships that can make a critical difference to one of the greatest global challenges – access to safe drinking water. SDI-13 14/4 Figure 1. Lack of adequate management leads to poor allocation of resources.
Transcript
New world economyIndia is a fast growing market forconsumer goods, technology and globalinvestment. According to investmentbank Morgan Stanley (in “New Tigersof Asia”) the rise of India is tipped tobecome one of the most importanteconomic forces in the world and theworlds largest economy. According toresearch firm IDC (India Brand EquityFoundation), India will also be one of thethree leading IT markets in the AsiaPacific. But at the same time it has amajor social challenge of poverty, wherebusiness can play a key role in tacklingthis serious task along with communitybased partners. Increasingly business is looking for ways to develop theirbusiness relationships, reputation andcommunity engagement, aligned to the social priorities of the new Indian Congress Government and theirCommon Minimum Programme wheretheir commitment to rural developmentis one of their highest priorities.
Many national and internationalcompanies have both direct and indirectinterests in, and impacts on, water intheir products and processes watertreatment, purification, products thatrequire water, and water infrastructureand can benefit from practical, down toearth partnerships to channel resources,skills and goodwill to meet thedevelopment challenge.
Access to water for drinking andsanitation is a central target in the UNMillennium Development Goals (Target10: to halve by 2015 the proportion ofpeople without safe access to drinkingwater). The stark fact is that in India 80 per cent of the population simplylacks access to safe drinking water, buthelping solve this problem may not besuch an impossible task.
Most Indians have extremely limitedand unreliable access to what they needmost. Around three-quarters of thepopulation have no public sanitaryfacilities (such as toilets). Theyexperience a daily crisis. Many even diefrom it: microbes in their drinkingwater kill every year more than onemillion Indian children. 700 millionpeople still living in villages, and the200 million or so who constitute theurban poor lack access to safe water andsanitation. The United Nations claimseach person needs 30 to 50 litres a dayfor their needs.
It is our belief that something verypractical and inexpensive can andshould be done involving corporationsand donors, where the impact is feltimmediately on women and childrenwith a high impact on life expectancyand health and where the partnershipcan be sustainable. They can entercommunity partnerships for wateraccess, using time tested, low cost,decentralised methods for roof top
rainwater harvesting, ground-waterrecharge and small-scale urbansanitation.
There can also be a greater part fordecentralised solar power to meet basicneeds. According to the UK FinancialTimes Supply and demands, rainwaterharvesting and communityempowerment projects are one of themost hopeful and cost effectivesolutions to water crisis whose solutionshave eluded Governments anddevelopment agencies for decadesbecause they have not taken it seriously
Meeting needs withintelligent solutionsThere are many approaches to wateraccess but rural and remote areas havedistinct challenges and opportunities.One solution already tested is RooftopRainwater harvesting, which is a wellestablished traditional approach overhundreds of years, collecting naturalrainfall and channelling it intounderground tanks that can store and
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AGRICULTURE & WATER
Water and community development:Rainwater harvesting and ground-water rechargeA sustainable approach to human development at the global level Robert Davies, International Business Leaders Forum & Bunker Roy, The Barefoot College, Rajasthan, India
The following is based on a briefing paper prepared for a seminar hosted by The Prince of Wales International BusinessLeaders Forum (IBLF) in December 2004. The paper aims to present some ideas and practical applications with regards torainwater harvesting in India and other countries as well as public-private partnerships that can make a critical difference to one of the greatest global challenges – access to safe drinking water.
SDI-13 14/4
Figure 1. Lack of adequate management leads to poor allocation of resources.
provide safe water for daily needs forweeks and months.
The other low cost complementarysolution is ground water recharge. Byconstructing small dams across drytributaries and riverbeds and allowingthe rainwater collected to percolate,it is possible to replenish wells andaquifers. By channelling surfacerainwater into unused and dry openwells some several hundred feetdeep, it is possible to revitalise thethousands of dry hand pumpsand traditional open wells forirrigation. Local people can betrained to repair or maintain theirown hand pumps.
With the onset of so-called modernand large, if expensive and oftenunreliable, public water infrastructureprojects and technology, rainwaterharvesting in the main becameunfashionable in public policy. It is beingreintroduced on a local scale across awide area by the Barefoot College inTilonia, Rajasthan, under the leadershipof Bunker Roy where a model approachto roof top rainwater harvesting withcommunity empowerment has beendeveloped and is being replicated morewidely. Roofs of schools and communitybuildings are adapted to catch theinfrequent and precious rainwater andchannel it to underground tanks built inthe foundations.Traditional knowledge,local materials and community skillshave been applied in the construction ofthese tanks by Barefoot architects andthis has given the community a sense ofownership. In turn this brings asubstantial community contribution involuntary labour, supervision and raw
materials.The financial accounts for theprojects are sometimes painted in largecolumns of figures on the school walls.This demonstrates transparently thecosts, and where the money went to,thus tackling the notorious corruptionthat has come in the way of large publicinfrastructure projects.
To date there are many projectsstarting up, offering water at a fractionof the cost of water sellers and out ofscale water infrastructure projects. Inaddition to the pioneering work of theBarefoot College, the Jal BhagirathiFoundation, Tarun Bharat Sangh, Wellsfor India and work of organisationssuch as WaterAid, together with the hygiene education work oforganisations such as Arpana, areengaged in many projects.
What is needed to spread the vision,provide technical assistance and trainingfor Barefoot engineers and builders, toprovide low cost finance for projects andmaterials. A typical roof top rainwater-harvesting project in a remote ruralschool to collect 100,000 litres wouldcost a one-time investment of less than$10,000. This would provide drinkingwater to about 40 children andfunctioning toilets in a school for morethan five months in a drought region.
Why does business have aninterest in access to water? The answers are not complicated.Investors need to demonstrate practicalconcern with one of India’s keyproblems. Companies cannot prosper inconsumer markets that lack safe waterand suffer from attendant healthproblems. Markets grow better in areas
well served with water and withhealthier consumers. Manycompanies have direct experienceof water as a factor in production,and are major industrial users of
precious water supplies that demanda sustainable approach. Some are in the
water business and benefit from diverseapproaches to meeting needs in poorurban and rural communities.
They can make a difference throughentering practical partnerships offeringa sustainable approach that is scalable.Philanthropic funds can be made moreeffective, bringing long-term returns tocommunities.
How can business help?Business can contribute by partneringprojects at the location or area offactories, plants and offices, as part of market entry or new investments in India, as part of communityprogrammes, or as an extension ofemployee engagement or philanthropicprogrammes. The potential role forbusiness and donors is on four levels:
• Entering partnerships withcommunity organisations providingcost effective and high returndonations to support the developmentof roof top rainwater harvesting;
• Providing project funds for rainwaterharvesting projects at the village level;
• Providing funding to support trainingin hand-pump maintenance andtechnical assistance to spread themethods and techniques more widely;
• Supporting decentralised sanitationand drinking water projects.
Other areas of businesses involvementinclude companies engaging staff indirect support through fundraising,project visits and, where possible,technical support. Development fundscan also be established to help channelresources for innovation andreplication.
Summary of seminarconclusions The International Business LeadersForum workshop held at ClarenceHouse in December 2004 includedparticipants from organisations as
WATER & SANITATION
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SDI-13 14/4
Figure 2. Shared water resources engage community participation.
By channelling surfacerainwater into unused and dry open
wells some several hundred feet deep, it is possible to revitalise the thousands of
dry hand pumps and traditional open wells for irrigation.
diverse as Alcan, Shell International,Coca-Cola,WaterAid, GlaxoSmithKlineand Wells for India and communityleaders from Rajasthan UNDP andUNICEF. Each made a variety ofcommitments to help and agreed withthe following conclusions:
• Community-based solutions towater challenges, which draw uponlocal knowledge and skills and utilise traditional, low-cost and low-technology techniques;
• Local ownership over projects,facilitated by consultation with localcommunities to give them anemotional and where possible,financial stake in project success;
• Reducing local dependency byinvolving local authorities and villagesat ‘planning’ as well as doing stages ofproject and programme development,and empowering local people byproviding them with the skillsrequired to sustain projects over thelong term;
• Integrating issues by merging theconcept of rainwater harvesting withbroader issue of watershed managementand, similarly, analysing water access andsanitation issues in terms of widerimplications for health, education andenergy (for example);
• Training and capacity buildingneed to be delivered at the communitylevel using organisations with grassroots credibility to facilitate replicationof projects;
• Multilateral partnerships that drawupon the core competencies of all partners involved, and includemechanisms for monitoring successes/failures, managing conflicts andmaintaining relationships in the longterm;
• The private sector to be part of the solution rather than the problembringing core competences, contributingfunding mechanisms and adoptingprojects within the areas of theirfacilities and operations;
• Using schools, which provide both a symbolic starting point (becausethey are public buildings) and anenvironment for pushing conceptsand technologies as an integrated partof learning in the curricula, as thefocus for projects;
• Funding mechanisms need to beexplored that enable projects to bescaled, with more precise financialcostings and specifications and avariety of approaches to pay backincluding micro-credit, communitycontributions etc.
Participants also identified aneed for:• Good examples of projects andpartnerships, as well as opportunitiesto see these examples in practice andto learn from, evaluate and understandthe business model that drives them;
• Strong policy and regulatoryframeworks that recognise theinterests of everyone involved (such ascontrol of excess groundwater use ofdeep well digging) and take intoaccount the views and needs of civilsociety;
• Analysis of finance implications.How do you access funding for aproject? What role should village andmunicipal finances play?
• Promotion of the business casefor why companies should getinvolved in the water issue.
Our view is simple, the above makesclear that there is much that businessand donors can do and by choosing toaccept the challenge facing them, asolution to the provision of clean waterfor India and other countries could beclose at hand. Following the workshop,the feasibility of these ideas will be explored further, and IBLF willfacilitate greater business engagement in solutions and partnerships.
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SDI-13 14/4
Figure 3. HRH, The Prince of Wales with Robert Davies and Bunker Roy.
Robert Davies is the founder Chief Executive
Officer of The Prince of Wales International
Business Leaders Forum, and has lead its activities
since 1990 with global corporations promoting
responsible business practices globally to benefit
business and society. In turn this is helping to
achieve social, economic and environmentally
sustainable development, particularly in new and
emerging market economies. The IBLF currently
has over 80 corporate members and is active in
partnerships for development in over 50 countries.
Bunker Roy has been living and working in the
small village of Tilonia for the last 34 years.The
Barefoot College which he started is the only
College in India built by the rural poor for the rural
