RCB Helps Warghadpada

APPROXIMATELY 4.5 HOURS FROM MUMBAI LIES WARGHADPADA, A HAMLET SITUATED IN MOKHADA TALUKA. WAGHARPADA EXPERIENCED LOAD SHEDDING FOR 10-12 HOURS REGULARLY AND ON SOME DAYS DURING MONSOONS, THE HAMLET MANAGED WITHOUT AELECTRICITY FOR THE ENTIRE DAY. SOME OF THE OTHER CHALLENGES IT FACED WERE POOR HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION AND CONNECTIVITY COUPLED WITH LOW AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY.

Last October, the Rotary Club of Mumbai supported an IRDP at Gumbadpada, also in Mokhada, and at its inauguration villagers from the neighbouring village Warghadpada approached the Club for similar support.

RCB and Sumitomo Chemicals agreed to support Warghadpada also and help tackle issues faced by the villagers from a holistic development perspective. The same was made possible with the support of our team members as also the on-ground support by our partners Diganta Swaraj Foundation.

The village is comprised of five wadis – Warghadpada, Bandarwadi, Bhangrewadi, Varchiwadi & Ghanewadi, all of which are dependent on different sources for their water requirement.

While some villagers sourced water from a nearby dam, others sourced water from the village well which rarely lasted throughout the year. Since the village is almost 1.5 km away from the source, the villagers spent an hour walking to procure water. In addition, as the said water source was open to cattle and humans, it exposed villagers to a risk of disease and epidemic.

The Covid 19 lockdown delayed the project. Seeing the plight of the villagers, however, the project team requested permissions be eased once the lockdown was eased in Palghar. On May 5th, 2020 Warghadpada got water while the homes and streets in the village got solar support.

Further work had to be suspended until the rains subsided and work was resumed in September. Upon resumption, Team Chirag took all precautions by distributing masks to beneficiaries and ensuring that social distancing and safety norms were adhered to.

At Warghadpada, solar power is being used as a pivot to bring about a complete five-point rural transformation in sectors such as Health & Sanitation, Social Security, Livelihood, Education and Clean and Affordable Home Energy and thereby emerging as an ideal village model that is replicable.

The IRDP is a one-year programme of the Chirag Rural Development Foundation in Warghadpada (District – Palghar, Taluka – Mokhada). The main occupation of the villagers is agriculture. The farmers are dependent on the erratic rainfall and hence there is no cultivation undertaken during the non-monsoon period. The residents typically start migrating from October to May. Drawing from this abysmal situation, the project involves a series of activities with an objective of providing access to water for drinking and agricultural purposes powered by solar units with an empowered community which is active in the community development process.

Changes that the project has brought about can be appreciated by comparing its benefits Pre & Post implementation in the aforesaid sectors.