AMRITADHARA – A simple safe drinking water system

WHAT HUMANITARIAN NEED IS BEING ADDRESSED?

Waterborne and skin diseases are on the rise due to inundation, subsequent stagnation and submergence from frequent flooding especially during monsoon. An absence of proper solid waste management practices can create breeding grounds for vectors and prevent access to safe drinking water, especially for poor and marginalized families.

WHAT IS THE INNOVATIVE SOLUTION AND HOW WILL IT IMPROVE EXISTING HUMANITARIAN PRACTICE?

The Professional Institute For Development And Socio Environmental Management (PRISM) innovation is “AMRITADHARA”: a simple, safe drinking water system. It can effectively remove arsenic/fluoride, iron, hardness and bacteria from water.

It also significantly reduces salinity and removes brownish colour, bad odour. It has been developed and designed it to treat both surface and sub-surface water as per the need of the people.

The key parts of the innovation are:

1. It creates drinking water from poor quality water;
2. It is user-friendly.
3. It’s affordable as the cost comes to Rs 0.015 per litre of safe drinking water;
4. Dependency on energy, skilled people, accessories are removed;
5. Provides social entrepreneurship opportunities for the unemployed;
6. Follows WHO recommended Household Water Treatment & Safe Storage (HWTS);
7. This has potentials to change behavioural pattern(s) of maintaining Personal Hygiene;
8. Full compliance to regulatory norms.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

PRISM’s goal is to reduce water-borne diseases and increase nutritional and health status. Protein-energy malnutrition decreases children’s resistance to infections, including water related diarrheal diseases which can be addressed through assured access to safe drinking water. Knowledge transfer and change of perceptions help people to understand the difference between filter & purifier, the importance of treatment and safe storage.

The Do-it-Yourself model removes dependency on energy, skilled people, accessories and affordability. This in turn would have an impact on behaviour change and encourage the community to take initiatives in spearheading the cause.

Since Basirhat is an arsenic prone area, the added benefit for the community would be to get arsenic-free safe drinking water. Many families have hand pumps but due to poor quality of water the women mostly walk to fetch water from the deep tube well, this drudgery to women will be reduced if they use AMRITADHARA.