Copyright © Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), 2015

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Copyright © Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), 2015. All rights reserved.

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Bhandara has a population of more than 1.2 million

people. The main economic activity is agriculture,

especially rice, industries and forest resources.

66.6% of the population has drinking water sources

outside their home in Bhandara district (per India

Development Indicators 2012, reported by

UNICEF). Surface and subsurface water in

Bhandara is polluted mainly due to fertilisers,

pesticides, brassware pollutants, mining, ordinance

industry pollution and their waste water discharge

into the river and ground water. Multi contaminants

are found in the local water sources - mainly

nitrate, TDS, Fluorine and Chlorine, bivalent

cations copper and zinc leading to health hazards.

There are frequent episodes of water borne

diseases – cholera, jaundice, and typhoid

especially in the monsoon season, as sewage

treatment facilities are negligible and raw sewage

is discharged into the river.

BHEL understands the importance of clean

drinking water as fundamental to good health. With

Safe Water Network, BHEL sought to improve the

lives of the rural poor around its station vicinity by

providing locally- owned and operated, affordable,

sustainable water to communities to improve their

health, generate livelihoods and most importantly

enable girls to attend school. BHEL committed to

set up 240 mw solar photo voltaic cells and 100

mw photo voltaic modules in Sakoli, providing

employment to over 3,000 people.

This report captures how the BHEL corporate

social responsibility (CSR) intervention transformed

the lives of the people in these villages and

adjoining areas where treated water is supplied.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/topic/BHEL

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CONTEXT ........................................................................................................................................ 3

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................. 6

1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 8

2. BHANDARA ............................................................................................................................... 8

3. IMPLEMENTATION DETAILS ................................................................................................... 9

4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY & FINDINGS ........................................................................... 12

Qualitative ....................................................................................................................................... 12

Quantitative .................................................................................................................................... 12

Findings .......................................................................................................................................... 12

Safe Water Network Monitoring ...................................................................................................... 15

Indicators ........................................................................................................................................ 16

Water Quality .................................................................................................................................. 18

5. IMPACT ................................................................................................................................... 18

I. Social Impact ........................................................................................................................... 18

Consumer reported health benefits ................................................................................................. 22

Health and hygiene education to consumers .................................................................................. 22

II. Economic Impact ..................................................................................................................... 24

Livelihood generation ...................................................................................................................... 24

III. Environment Impact ................................................................................................................. 24

Environmental sustainability............................................................................................................ 24

6. RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................ 25

7. IJAL-COMMUNITIES-BENEFITS ............................................................................................ 26

Better access .................................................................................................................................. 26

Improved health .............................................................................................................................. 27

Benefits .......................................................................................................................................... 27

Reject Water Utilization ................................................................................................................... 28

8. ANNEXURE ............................................................................................................................. 29

a. Questionnaire ....................................................................................................................... 29

b. Water quality test reports (reports of all stations available on request) ................................. 31

c. Logical Framework Analysis ................................................................................................. 35

d. List of beneficiaries .............................................................................................................. 36

e. Operators trained ................................................................................................................. 38

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List of Tables

Table 1 iJal stations in Bhandara district............................................................................................................................ 12

Table 2. Summary findings of baseline and end line study: ..................................................................................... 15

Table 3 Field Progress Snapshot July2015 ...................................................................................................................... 17

Table 4. List of number of operators and distributors .................................................................................................. 24

Table 5. Details of water harvesting structures ............................................................................................................... 25

List of figures

Figure 1 Bhandara district map ................................................................................................................................................. 8

Figure 2 Picture of iJal station ................................................................................................................................................. 11

Figure 3 Map showing iJal stations in the region ........................................................................................................... 11

Figure 4 Distribution of population according to age .................................................................................................... 13

Figure 5 Bar graph showing occupation ............................................................................................................................ 13

Figure 6 iJal users and non-users according to their socio economic class .................................................... 13

Figure 7 Bar graph showing the Family size .................................................................................................................... 14

Figure 8. SEC profile of users .................................................................................................................................................. 14

Figure 9 Water collection ........................................................................................................................................................... 18

Figure 10. Reasons for using iJal .......................................................................................................................................... 19

Figure 11. Impact of iJal on other sources ........................................................................................................................ 19

Figure 12. Purpose of iJal .......................................................................................................................................................... 20

Figure 13 Frequency of buying iJal ....................................................................................................................................... 20

Figure 14 Reasons for using iJal ............................................................................................................................................ 21

Figure 15. Impact on short term illnesses .......................................................................................................................... 22

Figure16. Impact on long term illnesses ............................................................................................................................. 22

Figure 17 Especially designed can for water collection and storage. .................................................................. 23

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This impact assessment report has been made for Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) by Tata

Institute of Social Sciences to evaluate the impact of BHEL CSR intervention. BHEL under the

Golden Jubilee CSR project had awarded a grant to Safe Water Network India to set up water

treatment stations – reverse osmosis treatment system equipped with ‘remote monitoring system’ in

ten villages in the Bhandara district. The project duration was one year from June 2014 –June 2015.

These were set up in the villages of Lakhni, Sendurwafa, Murmadi, Rajegaon, Pimpalgaon, Pohara,

Kesalwada, Dharmapuri, Palandur, Pindkepar. These villages were selected by Safe Water Network

and approved by BHEL. The selection process was based on a community need assessment

covering water quality challenges, community willingness to pay for safe water, and proximity to the

upcoming BHEL solar factory. The choice of location was also guided by the baseline report of the

region conducted by Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) for the PSUs to assist them in their

CSR intervention. TISS has also studied the milestone reports submitted by Safe Water Network to

BHEL during the contract period.

The SWN along with Local NGO conducted community mobilisation and selected the entrepreneurs

in consultation with the community and sarpanch; eligibility depended partly on the ability of the

entrepreneur to invest in infrastructure and his commitment to be inclusive in water delivery.

The salient features of the project were rigorous community mobilisation and demand activation to

improve the consumer knowledge, attitude, behaviour and practices towards safe water, willingness

to buy, hygiene and sanitation practices. Safe Water Network’s Technical Assistance department

provided training to the local NGO for setting up iJal stations and the local youth to operate and

maintain the station which includes the fundamentals of water quality and BIS 10500 quality criteria.

The entrepreneurs set up additional distribution channels to reach remote hamlets to increase

revenue. Communities were acclimatized to collect and store water in a 20L narrow mouth cans

made of virgin food grade polymer, and to purchase their daily water through pre cash loaded RFID

cards which Safe Water Network uses to track the consumer behaviour and purchase. Measures

were deployed for rain water harvesting like roof water harvesting, ground water recharge, and

complete reject water usage for sanitation, cattle wash and cattle feed, household usage in washing

etc.

A brief glimpse of the project impact:

iJal station villages 10 installed and commissioned

Lakhani, Murmadi, Sendurwafa, Rajegaon, Pimpalgaon, Pohara,

Kesalwada, Dharmapuri, Palandur, Pindkepar

Safe Water current Access 37,512

Registered users 40%

Water Quality BIS 10500

Quantity of water produced 96000L or 160 cans daily on an average per station

Livelihood generated 20

Operators trained 10

Distribution network 10

Utilization of Reject water

from iJal stations

All 10 stations – sanitation, cattle wash, cattle feed, washing

clothes

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Baseline and Endline survey on consumer knowledge attitude and practices around safe water

as well as the community behaviour reports that there has been a clear improvement in the

awareness of the importance of safe drinking water in the region, WASH activities and benefit

to the women. More boys and men are fetching water from the iJal station as contrast to water

collection by women and girl child.

The following are some of the positive impacts in the project area:

Safe water provision –

Increase in accessibility to pure and safe drinking water in the intervention village.

Positive effect on the wealth and income of consumers as it has allowed them to save money

on health expenditures and improved ability to work due to less sick days.

Health Benefits

Improvement in health self-reported incidence of diarrhoea and dysentery has reduced,

especially amongst children.

Reduction in water borne disease diarrhoea and jaundice as reported by the local doctor.

Benefit to women and girl child

Reduction in drudgery for women from daily water collection.

Increased school attendance as reported by teacher and mothers

Safety and privacy levels have increased, particularly among the women in the locality; reduced

disputes at water collection points

WASH activities

Health and hygiene education has instilled

better hand-wash activity before eating food and after toilet

handling water safely to prevent recontamination.

Skill building

Community volunteers, operators, distributors received various trainings which have had positive

behavioural effects.

Livelihood generation

The local community owns and operates the iJal stations and this provides them with livelihood

generation.

However, there have been certain challenges faced by the consumers, especially the increased

cost of water delivery at home or hamlets as compared to collecting water at the kiosk. There is

need for field service entity to support these installations with maintenance services.

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Every year, approximately 37.7 million Indians, mainly children, die from preventable waterborne

diseases, of which 1.5 million are dying of diarrhoea alone, posing serious health risks.1 Preventable

waterborne diseases continue to reduce productivity in impacted communities and continue to be a

leading global cause of illness, death and poverty. BHEL recognises the benefits of safe water and

awarded the implementation of ten water treatment stations to Safe Water Network in the Bhandara

district for communities welfare. The project was implemented June 2014-June 2015 under BHEL

Golden Jubilee CSR initiative.

Bhandara district is situated on the left bank of the river Wainganga, Nagpur division in the state of

Maharashtra. The Wainganga basin is the main water source, which includes the Wainganga River

and tributaries like Bavanthadi, Chulbandh, Godora and Sun Rivers. It is fondly called the 'District of

Lakes.' The district is underlain by crystalline rocks while rest of the Maharashtra State is covered

by Deccan Trap basalt. It is endowed with a large number of irrigation tanks known as ‘Malguzari

Tanks’.

Figure 1. Bhandara district map

District Statistics

Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS)

National Rural Drinking Water Programme, 2014-2015

General Information

Geographical Area 3716.65 sq. km

Administrative Divisions 7 Talukas: Bhandara, Lakhandur, Lakhani, Mohadi, Pauni, Sakoli,

Tumsar

1 World Bank 2010 Report.

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Blocks 7

Gram Panchayat 542

Villages 780

Habitations 795

[SC: 62 (7.80%)] [ST: 77 (9.69%)] [Others: 656 (82.52%)]

Rural Population

(In Lakhs)

11.06

[SC: 1.99 (17.96%)] [ST: 0.97 (8.74%)] [GEN: 8.11 (73.30%)]

Covered Population

(In Lakhs)

9.70

[SC: 1.73 (86.83%)] [ST: 0.86 (89.24%)] [GEN: 7.11 (87.70%)]

Literacy Rate 67.67%

Normal Annual Rainfall 1250 to 1500mm

Geomorphology

Major Physiographic unit Two; Structural units like hills and ridges, denundational units like

pediments and fluvial units

Major Drainage One: Wainganga River and its tributaries like Bagh, Chulbandh,

Panghodi Suz, Gadhavi, Chandan, Bavanthadi

Principal crops (2000-01) Rice, Pulses, Oil Seeds

Groundwater Monitoring Wells

Dug Wells 24

Piezometers 2

Climate and Rainfall

Minimum Temperature 6°C

Maximum Temperature 45°C

Villages in Bhandara were identified by Safe Water Network and approved by BHEL. These sites

were severely affected by ground water quality – salinity, hardness, nitrate, etc and the surface

water had high microbial contamination causing diarrhoea and jaundice. The following steps were

completed at each of the ten sites.

Screening Phase: Raising Awareness and Mobilizing Communities

There was a thorough evaluation of each community before the start of construction of safe water

station to understand the water needs, cultural considerations, governance structure, willingness to

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pay, and appropriate technology solution. Community engagement was key to promoting hygiene

and safe water management, and strengthening governance structures.

The core of the program is consumer activation using a series of activities to reach men, women

and children. A set of activities that were conducted over two months:

‘Dastak’- door to door campaign

Mohalla meetings in each section of village for inclusion

‘Jal Neeru agnipariksham’ (TDS, pH meter and fluoride testing, and electrolyser tests used to

show consumers quality of existing sources )

Standardised and replicable Marathi audio visual recording on tablets, shown to key opinion

leaders Sarpanch, Asha, Anganwadi, local RMP, teachers and other influential person

Inauguration of the iJal station with huge fanfare involving speeches by sarpanch, BHEL CSR

team and other village elders.

Preparatory Phase

The preparatory phase involves selecting the location of the station and discussion with the Gram

Panchayat and the community or entrepreneur regarding the space for installation of iJal stations in

their villages. The acceptability of the villagers regarding the project can also be assessed through

the interaction with various stakeholders during this period. The ground water level and the water

quality tests are also done for checking the water quality and need for the project. After the water

quality test reports show impurities beyond the permissible limits then installation of an iJal station is

finalised.

Implementation Phase: Training Local Capacity & Construction of iJal Stations

This phase entailed identification of the entrepreneur and Gram Panchayat as well as approval from

the Sarpanch to permit the raw water abstraction and the setting up of the Safe Water Station. Local

operators were identified and trained to operate and maintain the iJal station, which covered the

topics: water quality fundamentals, daily station operation, maintenance and repair, book keeping,

reporting- water quality, consumer and station operation in prescribed format and setting up

distribution routes. The operators once trained have full capacity to run the iJal station also keeping

in track the technical details of the iJal station.

The consumer pay Rs. 5/- for 20L of treated water. This money is responsible for the operation &

maintenance of the iJal station and the salary of the operator. It has been observed that a sense of

ownership has inculcated within the operators because during the survey it was seen that the iJal

stations were well maintained throughout.

iJal stations measure about 15x20’ with tile floors and walls and aluminium doors and windows.

They are well-lit and ventilated. The treatment technology is a 1000 LPH reverse osmosis stations

equipped with remote monitoring system and an automatic voltage regulator. The station has a six

step purification process with sand filter, carbon filter, micron filter, reverse osmosis membrane,

ultraviolet treatment and residual chlorine. There are three dosing pumps of antiscalant, pH and

chlorination. The treated water is stored in 5000L tank and conforms to the BIS 10500 quality. The

water quality reports of raw water, treated water and reject water are displayed at the station site.

Water is dispensed to the consumer at specified times in the morning and evening paid for monthly

using RFID cards at the rate Rs5 / 20L for the walk in consumer. A remote monitoring system with

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24x7 station monitoring capability captures and transmits the data pertaining to water quality, station

health and consumer purchase through GPRS to the central control room of Safe Water Network.

The records report that safe water is supplied reliably and there is <2% technical downtime. For the

reject water utilisation various options have been worked at the site depending upon feasibility,

including sanitation, cattle wash and cattle feed, and household usage in washing. The water is sold

at varying price ranging between Rs 10-15 at distribution points.

The iJal station regularly supplies about 3200L- 4000L per day of treated drinking water. The

stations remain open every day as per the opening schedule displayed at the iJal station.

Figure 2. Picture of iJal station

The map given below shows the location of the iJal stations in the Bhandara district.

Figure 3. Map showing iJal stations in the region

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Table 1. iJal stations in Bhandara district

S.No iJal Station No. of HH Station Inauguration

date

% of village population

enrolled for safe

drinking water

1 Lakhni 2698 20th October 2014 71%

2 Sendurwafa 1798 20th October 2014 46%

3 Murmadi 1342 20th October 2014 41%

4 Rajegaon 538 21st November 2014 71%

5 Pimpalgaon 705 15th December 2014 42%

6 Kesalwada 747 30th January 2015 40%

7 Pohara 1103 30th January 2015 11%

8 Dharmapuri 236 19th March 2015 98%

9 Palandur 1006 31st March 2015 24%

10 Pindkepar 663 31st March 2015 17%

A quantitative survey of baseline and endline and also qualitative research with focused group

discussions and in-depth interviews of key opinion leaders was conducted.

Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with local doctor, ASHA, anganwadi, school

teachers, village elders explored the knowledge, attitude, behavior and practices around water and

sources of water. Questions on the ability and willingness of community to buy safe water, water

practices of the community, needs and existing venues of safe water provision informed decisions

on the feasibility of initiating a market-based model for rural poor.

The quantitative study focused on the community’s socioeconomic condition, literacy levels and

knowledge on water quality and water borne disease, impact of water collection on women and

children, current sources of drinking water in the village, water collection and storage practices at

home, frequency of water collection. Data was collected through household surveys and also

through water quality tests.

The baseline study, conducted in the villages Lakhani, Pimpalgaon, Mundipar and Sakoli, found:

Water Source: Traditional sources, such as hand-pumps and tube-wells were widely used by

Bhandara inhabitants. Communities did not buy water from the market.

Water Quality: The ground water had quality issues with respect to hardness, nitrate and

salinity. Some of the community members and local doctors reported incidence of jaundice

during and after rainy season.

Collection Behavior: The females were found to be primarily responsible for collecting water.

Socio-Economic Class: Mostly backward classes.

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Demographic Characteristics

Figure 4. Distribution of population according to age

The above pie chart shows the population according to age, with the highest respondents of about

23% falling within the age 36-50 years.

Figure 5. Bar graph showing occupation

The bar graph for occupation shows that maximum population is involved as skilled laborers like

carpenters, masons etc. for their livelihood.

Figure 6. iJal users and non-users according to their socio economic class

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The Socio Economic Class (SEC) classification was determined using the methodology defined by

the Indian Readership Survey: highest level of education level attained by the chief wage earner

and the type of Household the respondent lives in (Pucca, Semi Pucca, Semi Kuccha). R1 is the

highest SEC strata, while R4 signifies the bottom of the strata. Therefore from the above SEC graph

it is seen that there are minimum users from the SEC R4 which signifies the bottom of the strata.

And the people from high strata have high number of users of iJal

Figure 7. Bar graph showing the Family size

The above bar graph of family size shows the households with respect to the family size. It can be

concluded that maximum number of households has a family size of 4.

SEC Profile of Users of various sources of water (Regular User)

Figure 8. SEC profile of users

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Figure above shows that adoption to iJal was seen mostly by upper socio economic class

households.2 The figure also shows a reduction in use of handpumps, home tap water and covered

wells by R1 and R2 population.

Table 2. Summary findings of baseline and end line study:

Baseline (%) End line (%) Remarks

Knowledge

Awareness about

importance of good quality

water

34 60 The knowledge about

safe drinking water has

increased considerably.

iJal is pure and clean water Not launched 84% (57%

mentioned it as

RO Water)

iJal connected as pure

and clean water is

evident among larger

population

Attitude- Water habits

Good Water quality (Rank 1

as most important factor for

well-being)

35% 47% Significant rise in

understanding the

importance of safe water

Good hygienic habits will

lead to less occasions of

family members falling sick

Not launched i-Jal User – 73%

i-Jal Non User –

51%

The attitude towards

hygiene is stronger

among users of iJal

Practices Health

Health problems:

Jaundice

Dizziness/Nausea

Headache

Loose motions

Cold/cough

Severe joint pain

15

24

36

12

80

53

1

5

6

3

56

2

The incidences of water

related ailments have

also reduced.

Behaviour

Who goes to collect water

from iJal station

Females went

to collect

water from

other sources.

Male : 62%,

female :33 %,

help: 5%

Males generally go to

collect water from iJal

station

Source: Endline survey conducted on March, 2015

Daily operations of the iJal station are recorded through the Remote Monitoring system, used for

monitoring the station. Data is fed into the Safe Water Network database as shown in the table

below:

Villages, where the iJal stations are located;

Station location with GPS coordinates;

2 Determined using the methodology defined by the Indian Readership Survey: highest level of education level

attained by the chief wage earner and the type of Household the respondent lives in (Pucca, Semi Pucca, Semi

Kuccha). R1 is the highest SEC strata, while R4 signifies the bottom of the strata.

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Date of launch;

Access;

Household participation with socio-economic classification; and

Technology partners.

*Data Sourced from Safe Water Network Report to BHEL

There are various indicators that are used by Safe Water Network for monitoring of the iJal stations.

The indicators that are used are:

Volume: It is the amount of iJal used by the consumers from the iJal station. The average

volume of water generated per station per month is 96000 litres.

Adoption: It is the number of Households that have started using the iJal water. There is 40%

adoption till date in all the 10 villages. There are about 15011 persons who are drinking iJal i.e.

almost 40% of the total population.

Finance: The finance is monitored by tracking the Capex repayment, can repayment and service

fee payments.

Downtime: <2% technical downtime and 0% sales downtime

Water quality: The quality of water TDS, pH, chlorine is checked daily and is recorded by the

operator in the station itself. Periodically, after every six months, a water sample of Raw, reject

and treated water from every iJal station is sent for testing to selected accredited laboratory. The

table given below shows a snapshot of the monitored data of the 10 iJal stations of Bhandara

district. These are how the water quality, volumes, adoption, finance, downtime are kept track of

on a daily basis. The data is then collated and reported on a monthly basis. We find strong M&E

of each iJal station.

Below is a recent recorded data of the RMS system in the 10 iJal stations of

Maharashtra.

Operations over Prior Month

MoM Volumes: 4% (10 Stations operational > 1 month) | (Stations > 1 year = 0)

The Maharashtra cluster also reported a 4% growth in volumes through strong distribution (3%

in July and 409% from June to July’15). The average can sale recorded from Jan-Jul’15 is 123

cans per day.

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Table 3. Field Progress Snapshot July2015

FIELD PROGRESS SNAPSHOT – JULY 2015

Districts

Launch

Year

iJal Statio

ns

YTD Jul'15 Volumes

Jul-14 Volumes

Jun-15

Volumes

Jul-15 Volumes

Month

-on-Month

Year-on-Year

Year To Date%

Jul-15

YTD Avg Cans sold/Da

y

Total HHs

Jun-15

Jul-15

Dropout

s

Revived

HH Registration

Post Dropout

s

Capex Repayment

Can Repayment Service Fee Payments

Technical & Sales

Downtime %

Amount

(INR)

% LTD

Amount

(INR)

LTD (INR)

Amount (INR)

Total Till

Date

ALL INDIA 4,836,

180 0

833,060

870,180

8% 32% 13%

123 873 873 313.

4 66 0 37%

₹ 35,80

0 1%

₹ 12,48

0

₹ 394,560

₹ 18,000

₹ 82,000

Jul'15: 0.2% Tech, 2.4% Sales YTD 2015:

0.3% Tech; 1.5% Sales

MAHARASHTRA 4,836,

180 NF

833,060

870,180

4% NA NA 123 873 873 313 66 0 37% ₹

35,800

1% ₹

12,480

₹ 394,560

₹ 18,000

₹ 82,000

0%

BHANDARA

2014

Lakhani

1,399,340

NF 239,2

00 227,9

00 -

5% NF - 330 1200 814 846 146 0 58% 3% ₹ 84,000 ₹ 2,000

₹ 16,000

-

Murmadi

894,280

NF 144,1

20 143,2

00 -

1% NF - 211 1200 487 487 59 0 36%

₹ 1,000

2% ₹ 51,600 ₹ 2,000 ₹

16,000 -

Sendurwafa

891,340

NF 141,0

20 178,2

80 26%

NF - 210 1200 475 551 90 0 38% 3% ₹

3,600 ₹ 45,600 ₹ 2,000

₹ 16,000

-

Rajegaon

246,140

NF 34,20

0 34,54

0 1% NF - 58 231 156 163 44 0 52%

₹ 8,000

0% ₹ 720 ₹ 21,400 ₹ 2,000 ₹ 6,000 -

Pimpalgaon

483,960

NF 75,48

0 78,38

0 4% NF - 114 794 320 336 64 0 34%

₹ 5,000

2% ₹ 41,720 ₹ 2,000 ₹ 8,000 -

Kesalwada

318,220

NF 55,14

0 70,04

0 27%

NF - 87 747 213 302 40 0 35% ₹

7,300 0% ₹ 25,920 ₹ 2,000 ₹ 8,000 -

Pohara

159,680

NF 26,32

0 31,28

0 19%

NF - 44 1174 127 129 85 0 4% ₹

5,000 2% ₹ 27,360 ₹ 2,000 ₹ 8,000 -

2015

Dharmapuri

182,320

NF 44,04

0 37,16

0

-16%

NF - 68 283 194 278 44 0 83% ₹

1,500 0%

₹ 3,120

₹ 48,720 ₹ 0 -

Palandur

161,340

NF 42,70

0 45,46

0 6% NF - 66 1149 259 278 60 0 19%

₹ 3,000

0% ₹ 30,000 ₹ 2,000 ₹ 2,000 -

Pindkepar

99,560

NF 30,84

0 23,94

0

-22%

NF - 40 747 89 130 28 0 14% ₹

5,000 0%

₹ 5,040

₹ 18,240 ₹ 2,000 ₹ 2,000 -

Data Sourced from Safe Water Network Report ’Financial sustainability’

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During the baseline survey the water quality of the region was tested and it was found that the

water sample contained high fluoride, nitrate and TDS, more than the permissible limits:

1. High Fluoride (>1 ppm)

2. High Nitrates (>45 ppm)

3. High TDS (>500 ppm)

After the iJal station was installed the source of drinking water for the people who use iJal has

improved. The treated water quality test results from the iJal station showed that the problem of

high fluoride, high nitrate and high TDS has been solved and the treated water complied with the

norms of BIS 10500:2012. The water quality test result of an iJal station is given below:

Water quality test result (for Pohara iJal station)

Standard Raw water Treated water

Fluoride 1.0ppm max 0.9 0.4

Nitrate 45ppm max 126.2 35.5

TDS 500ppm max 1254 100

The impact of the project has been divided into three sub headings: social impact including

health impact, economic impact and environment impact.

The awareness generation activity for safe drinking water informed community members on

water quality and its impact on health. It encouraged them to use treated water to safe guard

their health. There is a positive change in the community.

Water collection from iJal station

During baseline survey it was found that it was mostly females who collected water from tube

wells, handpumps etc. But after the project implementation it was seen that males were mostly

responsible for collection of water from iJal stations as shown in Figure 9 below.

Source: End line survey conducted on March, 2015

Figure 9. Water collection

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Reasons for using iJal water


Figure 10. Reasons for using iJal

The above figure depicts the reason for the community to adopt iJal for drinking purposes with

the majority of the respondents responding that iJal water is clean water.

Impact of iJal on other sources:


Figure 11. Impact of iJal on other sources

Before the implementation of the project in the area the main source of drinking water were hand

pumps, bore or tube wells, open wells and tap water. After the installation of iJal stations there

was reduced usage of hand pumps water for drinking. However those who used taps at home

did not change the water source. Survey showed that other sources of water are mostly used for

washing clothes, bathing etc.

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Purpose of iJal usage:

Communities were asked about how they use iJal water. It was observed that iJal users used it

mostly for drinking in home and outside of home followed by cooking. It seems the project has

increased community awareness of the importance of drinking safe water.


Figure 12. Purpose of iJal

Frequency of buying iJal amongst registered users


Figure 13. Frequency of buying iJal

From the above figure it can be seen that 64% of the users have bought iJal more than 21 times

a month. It was also found that since the users pay for water they tend to value the product and

use it judiciously. In addition, they observe that the water is clean, pure and tastes good so

ultimately they become loyal users of iJal. Figure below shows the result of the endline survey

where users were asked to score the options why they used iJal; the top answer is that the water

is pure.

21


Figure 14. Reasons for using iJal

User satisfaction:

Source: End line survey conducted in March, 2015

It has been found out that 83% of the consumers are satisfied with water from iJal stations.

Therefore 77% of the consumers are strongly willing to buy in future also. 78% are strongly

willing to recommend iJal to other members of the community.

22

Source: As per endline survey conducted on March, 2015

Figure 15. Impact on short term illnesses


Figure16. Impact on long term illnesses

As per the above figure the incidence of short term illnesses has decreased.

It was observed that there was a positive attitudinal change within the community regarding

the importance of safe water and personal hygienic habits.

Regular health & hygiene education-related programs are displayed at the iJal station. There are

activities around water and health especially during the village selection phase and during

inauguration where there is active registration of users for iJal. There are focused programs for

the key opinion leaders and in schools to promote safe water adoption. Consumers understood

23

the need of a narrow mouth can for water collection to safeguard water quality at home and

during handling.

Figure 17. Especially designed can for water collection and storage.

Consumer mindset:

Consumers felt water to be the most important ingredient to a healthy life.

There was a very strong association of iJal with quality and good water properties like color,

smell and visual appeal as well as health benefits among both users & non-users.

The consumers were asked to answer few questions and their analyzed findings have been

stated in the tables below:

Consumer Mindset

Users Non Users

To avoid illness in the family, we need to consume the

best quality water

74 42

Worth travelling a longer distance to get clean drinking

water

52 24

Treated water is the best quality water available 72 46


Consumer Mindset

Users Non Users

Good hygienic habits will lead to less occasions of

family members falling sick

73 51


There is increased awareness amongst consumers towards water and health as well as need of

hygiene.

24

The iJal stations have generated livelihoods for various people directly or indirectly associated

with the safe drinking water provision in the district – entrepreneur, operator, distributor -driver,

loader/helper and retailer at the distribution point. The project has generated both full time and

part time employment for about 20 people among the community - 10 operators and 10 as

distributors. Also due to the convenience of location of iJal stations the communities self report

time saving in water collection, usage of time saved in other livelihood generation activities like

‘Papad making’. Below is the list of number of operators and distributors in the 10iJal stations of

Bhandara district.

Table 4. List of number of operators and distributors

S.No iJal Station Operator Distributor

1 Lakhani 1 2

2 Murmadi 1

3 Sendurwafa 1 2

4 Rajegaon 1

5 Pimpalgaon 1

6 Kesalwada 1 2

7 Pohara 1 1

8 Dharmapuri 1 2

9 Palandur 1 1

10 Pindkepar 1

TOTAL 10 10

Sustainability Measures - Water Harvesting & Reject Water Management at iJal Stations:

iJal Stations use RO systems due to salinity water quality challenge. The source water is ground

water. Hence for environmental sustainability artificial recharge structures have been constructed

to augment the ground water.

The estimation of recharge water is carried out to understand the percentage of water offset due

to recharge measures at each site. For example, the case study of a village Kesalwada, the

withdrawal is estimated at around 480 cubic meters per annum. Based on the roof area available

for water collection to the recharge measure and hydrogeological conditions, it is estimated

around 110 cubic meter water can be recharged annually. That means around 23% of the total

ground water withdrawal can be recharged through construction of artificial structures.

The same understanding can be applied to calculate the effect of reject water on the local

ecosystem. In Kesalwada, around 240 cubic meters of water is the reject generated. As per the

plan, this will be distributed to 8 families staying close by to the Kesalwada iJal Station. This

indicates that the reject water is going to be utilized for other than drinking purpose to meet the

water requirement of these families.

25

The construction work of water harvesting structures carried out in the following villages and

ground water recharge has been worked out as presented below:

Table 5. Details of water harvesting structures

Village

Location/ Station source or public source

Type of source

Area m²

Rain Water Volume m³

Expected annual recharge m³

Annual expected GW withdrawal m³

% of water offset by recharge

Lakhani Near Station, defunct well Dug well 106.58 128 96 5024 2%

Kesalwada Station raw water source

Bore well 110.96 133 100 1185 8%

Dharmapuri Station raw water source

Bore well 109.56 131 99 774 13%

Rajegaon

near dug well cum BW (Station raw water source)

dug well cum bore well

106.295 128 96 792 12%

Pind Ke Par Station raw water source

Bore well 297 356 267 313 85%

Palandur (School)

School Bore Well

Bore well 100 120 90 551 16%

Pimpalgaun (Hospital) Hand Pump

Hand Pump 95.81 115 86 1668 5%

Water level monitoring is conducted on a monthly basis from raw water sources to inform on

effect on recharge structures and trend of water level fluctuation.

The reject water storage and distribution to neighbouring households is observed where reject

water is be used for sanitation, cleanliness and other domestic needs, but for drinking.

For complete station capacity utilization, there is a need for active demand generation to

encourage nonusers to consume safe water, user to use safe water in cooking etc

It is observed that consumers are less satisfied with the iJal containers. Perhaps a smaller

sized can of 10-12 L can be introduced to them so that they have a choice to use either the

20L or smaller can for iJal.

Education activities can be carried out at schools. While conducting awareness focus can be

on electrolyser tests of home water samples to highlight water contamination.

Accelerate the mechanism of home delivery for more convenience.

26

Below is an overview of the whole iJal program and its important components.

The Customer has to come to the Safe Water iJal station to fetch water. They have been

provided with iJal cans which make it safer and easier for them to collect safe drinking water.

Distribution to households is also done through small trucks and auto rickshaws as shown in the

picture.

27

Due to easy access the people save time for themselves. The women of the communities shall

benefit from the extra time they save by getting a chance to study and to get involved in other

activities. With easy access of safe drinking water the health of the community shall improve.

The children shall also have more school days in the coming future. Few related activities of the

project area have been captured in the pictures below.

The health of the community has improved to a large extent. One of the local doctor said that the

number of patients coming to him with water borne illnesses have reduced considerably.

iJal station has become a source of Livelihood for people. The operators that runs the station

earn a certain amount of money which eases his monthly expenses.

28

The reject water from the stations are presently being utilized for various purposes as shown

above. They are used for flushing toilets, washing dishes and clothes, bathing animals and few

people are using it for gardening purposes too.

29

a. Questionnaire

A snapshot of the Baseline Questionnaire (detailed questionnaire available on request)

30

A snapshot of endline questionnaire

31

b. Water quality test reports (reports of all stations available on request)

32

33

34

35

c. Logical Framework Analysis

Logical Framework Analysis

Goal/Objective To provide clean drinking water to the rural communities of Bhandara district, Maharashtra

NARRATIVE SUMMARY VERIFIABLE INDICATORS MEANS OF VERIFICATION ASSUMPTIONS

Outcome

Short term:

Awareness generated regarding importance of

pure & safe drinking water.

Easy access to safe drinking water. pH, TDS, Chlorine;

RMS data;

Personal interviews;

FGDs

Raw, treated & reject water

quality tests by Bhagavathi

Ana Labs;

Baseline & Endline survey

data ;

Observation

False rumours regarding

iJal from troublemakers;

Technical problems ;

Irresponsible operators

might cause problems in

functioning of iJal stations

Intermediate:

Increased usage of pure and safe drinking water;

Reduced rate of diarrhoea and stomach problems

Long term :

Reduced health problems

More school days for girls;

More time for females to do other work

Outputs

Public Awareness regarding safe water,

iJal Station commissioning;

Operation of iJal water station

Registration of users;

Detailed monitoring of the operation of iJal station

-10 iJal stations installed in 10 villages ;

-Technical registers, User profile registers,

Cash registers updated daily;

-RMS monitoring,

-RFID card

Project Monitoring through

Remote monitoring system

(RMS) recorded data directly

from web; Photographs

Source drying up;

Unavailability of operator;

Unwilling community

members

Activities

Raised community awareness,

Environment building activities;

Household surveys;

Operator nomination & training;

Installation of iJal stations

-Land for iJal Station;

-Equipment’s for 10 iJal stations

installation

Participation registers,

photographs, Baseline &

endline survey data

Cost : INR 1,45,00,000/-

Cooperation of

stakeholders, No

corruption, No inter

cultural conflicts and

resistances

Inputs

Physical Resource: Funding ; Technology infrastructure ;

Human Resource: SWN Facilitators, trainers,

Technicians, LNGO, Community members

BHEL , TATA, Pentair, LNGO Demographic data;

Agreement documents, MoU

Availability of facilitators,

trainers; Willingness of the

community

36

d. List of beneficiaries

Below is the list of the number of beneficiaries of the project:

S No. Villages No. of beneficiaries/Users

1 Lakhani 3,563

2 Murmadi 2,424

3 Sendurwafa 2,354

4 Rajegaon 598

5 Pimpalgaon 1,340

6 Kesalwada 1,335

7 Pohara 547

8 Dharmapuri 1,155

9 Palandur 1,147

10 Pindkepar 548

TOTAL 15011

37

A snapshot of the beneficiaries profile

38

e. Operators trained

S.

No

Name of iJal

Station / Village

Address Name of Entrepreneur

/ Operator to whom

Technical training has

been given

Mobile

Number

1 Lakhani Behind lakori road, post –lakhni,

tahasil- Lakhni, Dist- bhandara,

Maharastra,Pin-441804

Mr. Nitin Jaykrushna

Fenderkar / Mr. Anoop

09595522468

;

09404014810

;

09960046846

2 Murmadi Ganesh Nagar, village- murmadi,

post –lakhni, tahasil- Lakhni, Dist-

bhandara, Maharashtra, Pin-

441804

Mrs. Sumita Halmare /

Mr. Ashish

09623758278

3 Sendurwafa Beside piyush automobile,main

road,village- Sendurwafa, tahasil-

Sakoli, Dist- bhandara,

Maharastra, Pin-441802

Mr. Rakesh Jagiya / Mr.

Yogesh

09823005019

4 Rajegaon House # 123, Rajegoan, mandal

Lakhni, district Bhandara,

Maharashtra

Mr. Dhanajay Rajaram

Thakre / Mr. Shrikanth

09960019044

5 Pimpalgaon Rangepar road, opposite Thalathi

office, Pimpalgoan , post –lakhni,

tahasil- Lakhni, Dist- bhandar,

Maharastra

Mr. Vasant Keshavrav

Shivankar (Parasram) /

Mr. Bhandari

09158467909

6 Kesalwada Goan Kesalwada W, Mandal

Lakhni, District Bhandara,

Maharashtra

Mr. Anil Bhagwandas

Sachdev / Mr. Shubham

09881988190

7 Pohara Village- Pohra, tahasil- Lakhni,

Dist- bhandara, Maharastra, Pin-

441802

Mr. Deepak Ramdas

Walode / Mr. Gulshan

09823005019

8 Dharmapuri House # 113, Dharmapuri goan,

mandal Sakoli, district Bhandara,

Maharashtra

Mr. Praveen Genduji

Khotele / Mr. Domle

09767121767

9 Palandur 369 District Parisad Kanishta

Mahavidyalay javal, Palandur

Chou, post –lakhni, Mandal-

Lakhni, Dist- bhandar, Maharastra

Mrs. Sangeeta Mangesh

Yevale

09421712832

10 Pindkepar 17, Pindakepar Taluk, Sakoli,

District Bhandara, Maharashtra

Mr. Ashokrao Samarit /

Mr. Sandeep

09689837264

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Safe Water Access to 37512 people

iJal Station 10 villages in Bhandara district

Average water produced per month 96000L or 160 cans daily

Affordable water

20L can @Rs 5 each

Livelihood generated 20 Registered users of iJal 40%

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Documents

Copyright © Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), 2015