1. Better Water Access
for
Better Rural Government Schools
Shubha Ramachandran
BIOME ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST
BANGALORE

3. Toilets : Not always used, water problems !
Big implication for girl child

4. Water required for Mid-day meals

5. Dead Assets : Suvarnajala RWH

6. What we saw ...
- Water availability is low, and the cause of many problems
- (Fluoride contaminated) Ground water as a primary drinking
water source is limited, inaccessible
- Govt. RWH attempts failed : Suvarnajala project in 26,000
schools with a Rs 30-40,000 budget per school.
- Low solution impact despite 80% of RWH infrastructure
being provided. Water problems are complex

7. Water Problems are complex
- Technical know-how
- Understanding usage patterns
- Ecological sustainability
- Policy
- Community participation
- Affordability

8. Water Problems are complex

9. Impact
Education
Sanitation
Food
Health
Government
RWH: Suvarnajala : 26,000 schools
with 30,000 to 50,000 in each school
Shortcomings
Connectedness and engagement
Education: water and sanitation
Technical support for RWH
Ensuring potability

10. Solution Strategy
GOAL : Make RWH work sustainably, Improve Water Access
Costs: Attempt to leverage infrastructure provided by
government. Recalculate when undersized
Community: Identify primary stakeholders, continued
engagement and empowerment
Funding: Tap established relationships with Corporates,
Volunteers, NGOs.
Sustainability: Long term engagement beyond
implementation – education, training, feedback

11. Local Labour

12. Implementing RWH : Storage

14. Tanks filled
Up after the
rains

15. Hand pump for Safe access

16. Bacteriological filter to ensure
potability

17. Making Toilets functional

18. Handholding with
maintenance

19. Students are engaged

20. Book reading
Hands on

21. Children as “Agents of Change”. Books as “Catalysts”

22. Training – Testing water for
Fluoride

23. Taking Pride in their school

24. Practice to Policy Bridge
2008 2010
Rainwater Club
Biome Environmental
Solutions Pvt. Ltd
Biome Environmental
Trust
Biome Environmental
Solutions Pvt. Ltd
Rainwater Club Rainwater Club Rainwater Club
- RWH for Bangalore
METRO, Corporates, etc
- Responsible Water Use
framework
RWH bye laws
In Rural Government Schools
- Equity Issues
- Access Issues
- Water Quality Issues

25. - Fluoride affected areas, North of Bangalore
- Economically weaker sections
- Modest start – with each child bringing a couple of bricks and sand
- 25 projects so far
Program Overview

26. VILLAGE
Project Intervention - Team
School
School Development Management Council
Contractor / Labour
SHG,
ASHA Workers,
Aanganwadi
BIOME
Funders / Volunteers / Interns
* SHG – Self Help Group
* ASHA – Accredited Social Health Activist
Block Education
Officer

27. Project Intervention - Process
School approaches
BIOME for help –
word spreads from
schools
BIOME engages with
SDMC to understand and
Validate the requirement
BIOME engages with
local contractor to identify
solution
and cost estimates
BIOME adds the project
to its list for funding
and implementation
Funders/Volunteers
approach
BIOME for help
BIOME links with appropriate
school and ensures
implementation

28. Project Intervention - Process
School approaches
BIOME for help –
ord spreads from schools
BIOME engages with
SDMC to understand and
Validate the requirement
BIOME engages with
local contractor to identify solution
and cost estimates
BIOME adds the project
to its list for funding
and implementation
Funders/Volunteers approach
BIOME for help
BIOME links with appropriate
School and ensures implementation
- BIOME stays connected with school to ensure maintenance
and usage of system
- learnings are carried forward

29. Project Intervention - Summary
- RWH implementation
- Provision of hand pump for withdrawal of water
- Provision of Bacteriological water filter for making
water potable
- Education around water and sanitation : Book
readings
- Tree plantation enabled due to availability of water
- Handholding for maintenance
- Training and handholding for water testing

30. Project Impact : Socio-Economic
●
Access to water for vulnerable/poor/rural children – 2500
children
●
Increased awareness of need to conserve water
●
Improved Hygiene – toilets and kitchen
●
Water literacy – Testing for water quality, monitoring
rainfall
●
Local employment of about Rs.7.5 lakhs
●
Empowerment of SDMC, School staff
●
Volunteers – local and international

31. Project Impact - Environmental
●
Reduced dependence on ground water to the
tune of 3.7 to 7.4 Million litres annually.
●
Lower water related energy consumption due
to Rainwater Harvesting
●
Tree plantation

32. Sustainability
Project Sustainability
. Empowered and concerned SDMC and staff
•
Local contractor
Program Sustainability
•
Documentation and creation of open knowledge
base for enabling coverage of all 52,000+
schools in Karanataka
•
Proposal for improved processes and systems to
be adopted into Government sponsored schemes

33. Biome Environmental Trust
(Rainwater Club)
1022, 1st
floor, 6th
Block,
HMT Layout, Vidyaranyapura,
Bangalore – 560 097,
Phone : 080 41672790
Thank You !!

34. Biome Environmental Trust - Genesis
2007 - 2008 2009 - 2010
Rainwater Club
Chitra Vishwanath Architects
Biome Environmental
Solutions Pvt. Ltd
Biome Environmental
Trust
Biome Environmental
Solutions Pvt. Ltd
Rainwater Club Rainwater Club Rainwater Club
Rainwater Club
- Website
- Virtual organisation
- Social media (ability to connect with younger population)
- YouTube Water Channel – 1.3 million views and counting

35. Corporates
Water Entitlement
Awareness workshops
Responsible Water Use
Framework
Rural Schools
RWH* implementation
Hand pump for safe access
Engagement with SDMC*
Water filters
Books
Tree plantation
Others
Design of Playspaces
Water Awareness and education
programmes
Volunteers / Students of public health
Internships
Children/Schools Programme
Policy / Research / Training
RWH and Ground water
policy
Nutrient Reuse from Waste
Water
Plumbers / contractors
* SDMC – School Development and Management Committee
* RWH – Rainwater Harvesting

36. Biome Environmental Trust - Genesis
2007 - 2008 2009 - 2010
Rainwater Club
Chitra Vishwanath Architects
Biome Environmental
Solutions Pvt. Ltd
Biome Environmental
Trust
Biome Environmental
Solutions Pvt. Ltd
Rainwater Club Rainwater Club Rainwater Club