Foot Prints of Himmotthan over a decade

Improving community health through drinking water supply and sanitation is one of the key focus areas of the Himmotthan Society, and has carried out several projects within this initiative since 2002. The drinking water supply and sanitation (WATSAN) projects, with an added focus on hygiene, are being implemented through village based water and sanitation committees, which plan, design, implement and manage their own schemes. Since (Oct 2002 to January 2015) three Phases have been successfully completed, covered 129 villages, benefiting 7,000 household comprising 46,794 beneficiaries. A total of 200 drinking water schemes, 573 Rain Water Harvesting Structures (RWHS) and 5,000 sanitation units were constructed.

The projects were implemented through five not for profit organizations, Himmotthan Society and an external agency had provided all technical inputs and monitored the quality while implementation. At each level village level capacity is being built for future Operation and Maintenance of the water schemes.  

 

A community based participatory approach towards the Operations & Maintenance (O&M) of the water supply schemes is the hallmark of WATSAN projects. The villagers contribute around 10% of the capital cost (Capex) giving them a sense of ownership in the projects. Subsequently, as part of established exit policies (once the Trusts’ support ceases), all assets created under the project are handed over to the Village Management Society (VMS) for future maintenance, so as to ensure long term sustainability of the investments. The VMS met 100% operation costs (Opex) and appoints a Village Maintenance Worker (VMW) to look after the scheme and each household pays a monthly charge (varying from Rs. 15 to Rs. 30) to the VMS for maintenance of the scheme, salary of the VMW, necessary repairs and insurance against natural calamities. On an average, more than 90% of the households are prompt and regular in paying such maintenance charges. The individual toilets built under the project are maintained by the households themselves.

Impact observed: With the aim of assessing the sustainability of the interventions in 90 villages covered under the first two PHASES, two to five years post cessation of support, the Trusts undertook a long term impact assessment exercise, through a sample size of 455 households spread over 30 villages of Garhwal and Kumaon regions[1]. In a nutshell, against the key baseline indicators, the following were observed:


  1. Time taken for fetching water reduced from 2 to 6 hours per day to less than 30 minutes per day, reducing drudgery for women and children and water availability increased from 35 liters per capita per day (lpcd) to 80 lpcd.
  2. Various hygiene and sanitation activities led to 96% of households utilizing latrines, as against 38% at the start of the project.
  3. Hand washing after defecation and before eating increased from 21% to 100%, an increase in daily bathing is also observes from 29 to 80%.
  4. On an average, annual incomes of each household increased by Rs. 5,735 through project interventions.
  5. 100% of the households within project villages began using safe drinking water for drinking and cooking.
  6. The impact assessment highlighted that a total of Rs. 810,000 is available with the 30 VMS (30 sample villages) for O&M and around 67% of the schemes are highly sustainable and 27% are moderately sustainable.
  7. Chlorination is undertaken every 7 to 10 days in case of 80% of villages and every 10 to 15 days in case of 12% of villages and more than 15 days only in about 8% of villages.
  8. All schemes are functional as on date and over 89% of the water sources are protected, with sufficient water discharge to meet the water requirements of the village.

[1]Knowledge Links Pvt. Ltd. (a Delhi based consultancy that specializes in urban and rural infrastructure development) was entrusted to carry out this assessment during September–October 2012

Himmotthan Head Office

193, Vasant Vihar, Phase-2

Behind Shri Guru Ram Rai Public School

District-Dehradun

Uttarakhand, India - 248006

Contact Number : (0135)- 2760728, 2761796


Himmotthan WATSAN Office

41, Vasant Vihar, Phase-2

District-Dehradun

Uttarakhand, India - 248006

Contact Number : (0135)- 2762966


Himmotthan Regional Offices
1. Kumaun Region-Almora

(Mohalla Talla Galli, Jakhan Devi, Almora, Uttarakhand India, 263609)

2. Garhwal Region Office- Chamoli

Near Petrol Pump, Gopeshwar,District Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India

3. Garhwal Region Office- Jadipani

Gram Saud, Jadipani, Chamba Block, District Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, India

 
4. Himmotthan Society/Tata Trusts PMU Leh

C/o Advocate Otsal Wangdus near Postal Colony
Housing Colony Leh - 194101 (Ladakh), India
Tel: 01982-253553

 
Designed and Developed by MIS UNIT HIMMOTTHAN