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Rotary Club of Kunri

A creeping low rainfall. El Nino throwing the rains timing off-track. And suddenly this year animals' and peoples' resistance collapsed.

But the interesting thing about the circa2000 drought is that, though scarcity of water is nothing new for dwellers of arid zones, this year an incredible amount of interest in the non-availability of water has been shown by "outsiders".

Interest, openhanded giving, and thoughtful analysis can provide a good matrix for evoking creative solutions. The question before us was how aid could be used to alleviate, over the long-term, the perennial problem of water shortage while helping mitigate the immediate need.

Kunri is locate 7kms in the irrigated zone from the beginning of the sand dunes and steppes of the Thar, the Great Indian Desert. Rotary Club of Kunri is working with 2 groups in the desert:

--THARSATH, in Chachro, (old market town in the desert) is a cbo who with Kunri Christian Hospital put together the '1st and Only Woman-run Mother & Child Healthcare Center (MCHC) in the Thar', along with

--THARDEEP, (TRDP) an ngo based in Mithi wt Offices in Islamkot, Chelhar and Chachro doing pathbreaking work in micro-lending, animal husbandry, and socioeconomic motivation work in Thar.

With these 2 locally-based groups the Rotary Club of Kunri formulated plans for disbursing aid from local Rotarians and people in Islamabad. A quick survey of distribution points revealed that atta, rice, dried milk and other food items were coming to Thar in sufficient quantity. Yet 65% of family economic activity in the Thar comes from livestock and animals were dying. People needed fodder until the monsoons would arrive.

Rs.68,545 had come in from Islamabad. This money was to be used in 2 ways; 1)for immediate help to hungry animals and, 2)money put to help solve the long-term water problem. A tall order.

It was decided to put Rs.24,000 towards purchase of 2000packets of a special urea & molasses fodder supplement devised by Univ. of Faisalabad. Regularly these 2kg packs sell for Rs.35., TRDP was distributing subsidized packs for Rs.12. One 2kg packet provides nutritional supplement for 5 days for 1 cow. Animals need food for about one more month until the desert grasses sprout after the arrival of the monsoon. Or, right now, 6kgs per cow.

But, what should be done with Rs.44,545?

At 0530hrs, June 11, 6 Rotarians from Kunri traveled by jeep to Chachro to join Mr. Gautam Rathi, Gen. Secretary of Tharsath, and a 'Kakra' (GMC 6-wheel trucks that ply the desert sandtracks) filled wt 2000 packets of feed to be distributed in out-of-the-way villages in the Mithrio-Charan Union Council, 15-20kms from the border with Rajastan.

By late morning the distribution began. With the verandah of a 2-room Govt.School or the shade of a Neem tree at the base of a dune serving as a meeting point, villagers would trickle in, register the number of cows in the desert (many cows have migrated to the irrigated zone), and with all present fodder packets distributed out the back of the 'kakra'. Transparency helped insure people were not giving inflated numbers.

But, how does one use a mere Rs.44,545 to begin to address the dire scarcity of water in the vastness of the desert?

In several of the villages Mr. Gautam and Mr. Morlidar of Tharsath pointed out small cement cones that would lie in the depressed center of a 30ft diameter saucer shaped cleared area. The sand in the clearing would be mixed with loamy soil (a rare commodity) and packed down to allow water from torrential downpours to drain to the center. In the center villagers would dig 12-14ft deep wells. The bottom of the well would be 8-10ft. The siding of the well would be coated with a layer of impermeable cement and sand mixture and tapered to an opening of 3ft diameter at ground level. A cement cone would then rise 2ft from the ground with 2 holes on either side of the base of the cone to allow water to drain into the well.

TRDP and Tharsath brought out real-time desert tested statistics. A 2hr downpour onto a 1000sq.ft area draining into a 14ft deep x 10ft base well could hold the drinking water for 1 family for 6 months. Cost of materials and skilled labor for a well - Rs.3000.

Aha! Here was where Rs.44,545 could go. But that would only make 13 or so wells. Tharsath said, "No. This will be seed money into an ongoing Revolving Fund for wells in every settlement".

How?

People will repay the cost of the well at an inflation adjusted premium.

But how will they raise this money from a well? Sell water?

TRDP presented statistics that showed that 1-2 women/family spent anywhere from 1-3hrs/day collecting water for family and livestock. If a series of wells could be built that would collect water out on pasture areas of livestock and in the villages for families: that time could be put to income-earning activity, ie. handicrafts, taking better care of livestock, etc.

What good is only Rs.44,545?

SEED-MONEY for Water Tanks and Micro-lending and Integrated Support Services growing multiplying water storage resources to make the desert bloom. Its a crazy drought. But alot of good can happen.