‘Water Relief!’ – A Report: The Water Resources Committee’s Joint Project
The brilliant efforts of the ongoing undertaking to provide safe drinking water at Govandi (near Chembur) by RCB’s Water Resources Committee have brought in the much needed difference in the lives of residents living in and around Rafi Nagar slum. Committee Chair, PP Sandip Agarwalla visited the ‘Jal Jeevan Centre’ (under the Aquaguard JalJeevan Project, as it is termed), with WinS Chairman, PRID and past TRF Trustee Rtn. Sushil Gupta on Sunday, 14th February, 2016 to oversee its progress. RCB partnered with Eureka Forbes Institute of Environment and Apnalaya for this venture in June 2015, with the aim of establishing a community Water Plant in Rafi Nagar, with water shops reaching out to 6,500 households with a population of 31,000! This is a sustainable social model that addresses growing health issues faced by people in Rafi Nagar, which is located adjacent to one of the world’s largest waste-dumping sites.
The community lacks basic amenities in terms of proper drainage, pipelines to distribute potable water, public health facilities, access to decent housing and sanitary living conditions. There has also been a rise in the number of health issues faced by children due to general lack of sanitation combined with contaminated water leading to chronic waterborne ailments. The most innovative aspect of this plant is that it is run and managed by a self-help group of 4-5 women who will earn a monthly income. These groups will also own and supervise the operations of the water filtration units. They will generate revenue by selling the potable water to the community at an affordable cost of Rs 0.50 per litre. Through this Community Managed Sustainable Social Business Model, RCB aims to assist in providing safe drinking water to all.