Thanks to water ATMs, many otherwise arid villages here have 24X7 access to the commodity at the swipe of a card - at 20 litres for Rs.5.
Under Cairn India's "Jeevan Amrit Project", kiosks with reverse osmosis (RO) plants have been installed to provide safe drinking water in villages like Bhakharpur, Kawas, Guda, Jogasar, Aakdada and Baytu to benefit 22,000 people.
"The project is a good example of a PPP model ( Public-Private Partnership), where Cairn India has partnered with the Rajasthan government's Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Tata Projects and the respective village panchayats to provide potable drinking water at the doorsteps of the local community," says Cairn India CSR head Nilesh Jain.
Rajasthan is one of the driest states of the country. Rainfall is erratic and there is a large variation in its distribution pattern in the state. The average annual rainfall ranges from 100 mm in Jaisalmer to 800 mm in Jhalawar.
At present, 22 RO plants (17 with the swipe facility) catering to drinking water needs of 22,000 villagers on a daily basis are up and running. The project is expected to scale up in the coming years in terms of number of plants and locations. Through this technology, villagers can now get clean drinking water by swiping their smart cards in the machines installed at the plant," says Cairn India general manager (CSR) Ritu Jhingon.
The cards come with an initial value of Rs 150 and can be recharged for a similar amount. Plans are afoot to also provide Rs 20 recharges. This makes the dispensers self-sustaining, with the revenue earned used by the village's water committee to meet the running expenses of the RO plant, such as salary of the operator, electricity and maintenance. The surplus money is used to undertake developmental work in the village.
It is said that since it has been launched, water-borne diseases have come down and change has been observed in the social behaviours of the villagers – where women usually carry the task of fetching water, men are now happily involved. The number of water-borne diseases, such as diarrhea in children, has come down. Cases of joint pain caused by high fluoride content in drinking water have also decreased.
Cairn India funds the cost of the RO plants, which are delivered and installed by Tata Projects, PHED provides the premises and the source water connection and a 15-member village water committee, formed under the panchayat, is responsible for operation and maintenance of the kiosks. Dhara, the local NGO partner for this project, spreads awareness about safe drinking water among locals and hand-holds the water committee for better success.
Apart from providing an innovative solution to a grave problem, these water kiosks have also proved to be a model of good self-governance. The water committees have created an identity for themselves and are looked upon as an effective social group in the villages. Along with efficiently running the RO plants, the committees are also undertaking many developmental projects.