In Pawarvasti, the rural Darewadi village of western India, 34 underserved families are in critical need of safe drinking water and proper sanitation. Blue Planet Network, and its member Watershed Organizational Trust, will build a new water well, a 7,500-liter storage tank and several toilets to help 139 very disadvantage people, including 48 children and 43 women, with clean water sources to lead healthier, more productive lives.
Sustainable clean water will exponentially mitigate the ill-health and extreme poverty Pawarvasti endures. With accessible clean water, children can attend school and focus on their studies instead of walking 1-3 miles per day fetching water. Ten-year-old Sharda Pawar in 4th grade shared, "My name is Sharda. We have to help our mother fetch drinking water, making two trips in the morning and several trips in the evening. We don't get sufficient time for studying."
A 300-foot-deep well, complete with a 7,500-liter storage tank, will drastically free the villagers, including hundreds of workers, women, and students from walking miles, or 3-4 hours per day, to other villages for clean water. This project will be implemented through a village Water Committee involving 7 women, responsible for implementation, quality control and long-term maintenance. This project will generate economic opportunities & remove the village's dependence on faraway water sources.
Sustainable, locally maintained safe drinking water and sanitation are essential elements in building better lives: the family unit can grow stronger, educational opportunities for women & children increase as less time is needed to lug water or to recover from water-borne diseases, farming as well as other businesses compromised by water shortages can turn a profit & women's leadership roles prevail. Please see our photos of some of Pawarvasti's residents who will benefit.