WATER PROVISION

Provision of water is one of the major challenges that global community is facing nowadays.

Lack of safe drinking water and irrigation water are a central problem for millions of poor people living in rural India. Population in these areas keeps growing at great speed and drought is ever increasing as a consequence of climate change. Despite the many efforts of Government institutions and NGO’s, the lives of these people are still at stake, because over-exploitation of water sources and lack of awareness about conservation are hindering sustainable solutions. Immediate measures like bringing trucks of water or drilling bore wells without teaching people how to use them properly are only short-term solutions that do not break the vicious cycles of bad health, chronic diseases and poverty.

ASSIST focuses on the provision of drinking water, water for domestic use and water for agriculture and industry. We help poor rural communities to construct and renovate bore wells, water treatment plants, drinking water sources, and watersheds for the irrigation and cultivation of dry and unused wastelands. However, our approach is not limited to that. Creating awareness on the importance of safe drinking water, and the conservation, usage and maintenance of all water sources is essential to guarantee long-lasting improvements.

To achieve that, we motivate the whole community to participate in the provision of water right from the beginning. We help them to analyse their needs and promote their active involvement in the planning and construction of water sources. Village Development Societies and special committees take responsibility for the implementation and proper maintenance of the various water sources. Last, but not least, we teach two or three adolescents per community to work as mechanics and caretakers of the water sources.