An insight into Swajaldhara Project

             Despite having an access to springs, streams and river in rural villages, there is a scarcity of safe drinking water. The villagers always have this at a top priority level.

            In the NERCORMP-IFAD Project intervention villages, the communities under social and infrastructure sector have included this in their action plan budget for creating drinking water system or improvement of existing system.

            Many villages had gone for gravity flow system, and a few for water harvesting ponds and spring chambers. The end result villagers are getting access to safe and potable water. The Swajaldhara scheme was a boon in the project villages for further enhancement.

            The need for this arises, as the villagers have to walk at least 2-3 kilometres to the nearby spring, stream and river to fetch the water. And during rainy days the water is contaminated.

            So to make life easy, they feel this need. However, there are many areas, where most of the water sources have dried up or in the process of drying up and the people have felt the necessity of conservation and other technique, so that water can be easily made available at their doorstep.

            Rangira Bolsalgre village, a small hamlet in the Rangira hills of West Garo Hills, where IFAD intervention was made only in 2004, people have all praises for the project.

            The WGHCRMS (West Garo Hills Community Resource Management Society) of the NERCORMP district has facilitated ‘Swajaldhara’ – a central sponsored scheme meant to provide safe drinking water in the rural village. PHE department brings the nodal agency for implementing the scheme provide technical support and maintain quality of work.

            For the scheme to be formulated, a committee has to be formed at the village level. The Project has been instrumental in the formation of the Village Water Supply and Sanitation Committee. The committee is to look after the management of the water.

            The committee has to submit a proposal to the Public Health and Engineering Department, on approval of the proposal, money is sanctioned and release to the village water supply committee bank account and the work is executed by the community.

            Saren M Sangma of Bolsalgre NaRM-G said “Earlier, we use to drink water from streams, springs dug out by crabs…now with Swajaldhara we have safe drinking water at our doorstep…all the villagers are happy. I am happy!”

            He added “Now, we don’t have to drink dirty water, this is the best part…and our women don’t have to climb up or down the hills to fetch water…water accessibility has become easy for us”.

            “You know, we had to drink dirty water and we were inflicted with diseases. Fever and stomach pain was very common…now this is rare” Sangma said remembering those days.

            Another member of this NaRM-G, Nengsing M Sangma shared the story of Project intervention in this village. He said “When Project came to our village; they said they will do development for us. We were happy to learn this. Than, the first question we asked. “Can you give us a facility for safe drinking water. They said yes with your active participation in the process! And you see we now have water pipes at our doorstep”.

            In this village two dams are already constructed to store the water. The water treatment plant is constructed under the scheme and pipeline connected to different household in the village.

            There are a total of 20 household in this village on hill top of Rangira. This village is located at about 20 km from Tura. From Dingasi village, there is no road connection to this village and the villagers have to climb up, which takes about half and hour to reach quite and lovely beautiful village just below loft Rangira hill.