Water Management
Availability of safe drinking water is a major problem in Uttaranchal. Spreading of techniques and awareness on rainwater harvesting systems was a pioneering effort since the early days of CHIRAG. Learning from the severe entropy and breakdown of government provisioned drinking water supply systems created over the last few decades, it was felt in CHIRAG, that community managed and owned distribution facilities is the only answer.
Fortunately around the mid nineties, the government initiated a World Bank funded participatory programme for drinking water supply, known popularly as SWAJAL (translates as 'self water'). CHIRAG implemented this project in 31 villages spread across six developmental blocks in Nainital and Almora districts.
While the Swajal project had the funds for large scale interventions including water supply pipelines, earlier projects implemented by CHIRAG and funded through GTZ ,a German funding agency focussed on Deep infiltration wells (or handpumps), rainwater harvesting systems and water storage tanks. In total, CHIRAG has assisted in the construction of 34 pipelines, 48 handpumps, over 1,500 water tanks and the repair of 25 spring.
