plan 364Arsenic Safe Drinking Water: Nadia (5)

Summary

Sustainable, community-based mitigation program that provides safe water through modern bore-dugwells, and conducts public education on water-related health issues and personal hygiene practices.

Background

Project Well (based in California) together with partner NGO Aqua Welfare Society (based near Kolkata, West Bengal), developed a sustainable, community-based mitigation program in 2001 to provide arsenic-safe water to the villagers of the North 24 Parganas districts in West Bengal, India.

Crystal-clear drinking water extracted by shallow and deep borewells (locally known as tubewells) is plentiful in the villages of West Bengal, but it is contaminated with arsenic. Between 2001 and 2010, Project Well constructed 167 modern dugwells. The modern dugwells designed by Project Well are sheltered and the water is extracted via a hand-pump. The design of these modern dugwells was revised and tested in 2007, and from then on, different types of wells were constructed depending on the thickness of layers of sediments in different areas. Now there are 96 modern dugwells (mostly constructed in 2007 and earlier), 61 bore-dugwells and 10 shallow borewells. The primary objectives of Project Well-Aqua Welfare Society are to provide safe water through modern bore-dugwells and to establish and encourage community-based groups (CBGs) to manage these arsenic-free water sources, so that they are sustainable. Project Well also regularly educates the community on arsenic and other health issues ..................................Please view rest of the background in the profile of Project Well.
The Project Well-designed modern dugwells, borewells and bore-dugwells are spread out through 58 villages of 6 blocks of the 3 districts of North 24 Parganas (142), Nadia (22) and Mursdhidabad (3). These are the three main districts that are affected severely with arsenic in both the government community and private tubewells, the main sources of drinking water.

Location

, Nadia, West Bengal, India

Attachments

  • NL_2011_...
  • Educatin...
  • Booklet_...
  • Arsenic_...
  • Project_...
  • DSCF0821...
  • DSCF0856...
  • DSCF0974...
  • DSCF0983...
  • IMG_6623...
  • construc...

Focus

Primary Focus: Drinking Water - Community
Secondary Focus: Hygiene Education

People Getting Safe Drinking Water: 200

40 persons for each modern bore-dugwell.

The consumer demographic data will be entered after registers are created, when the communities start drinking. The data will be computerized by the end of 2012 or beginning of 2013. In 2010, construction of 40 bore-dugwells and 10 borewells were completed and in 2011, construction of fifty bore-dugwells are ongoing. The total number of consumers from the sources constructed in 2010 is 1,964. The bore-dugwells are in three schools and one public health clinic. Out of 50 sources, 11 sources were never used due to various reasons including a neighborly dispute. Efforts to educate people are continued through village meetings and health meetings.
The demographic data of 12 communities are entered in the computer database. They are as follows--
Total consumers: 710
Total number of families: 130
Male: 361
Female: 349
Students: 235 (includes males and females)
Children <5: 97

School Children Getting Water: 0

Do not know yet

People Getting Sanitation: 0

People Getting Other Benefits: 43

During site selection, village meetings are held in groups at the proposed site and also at panchayet offices. For construction of 50 bore-dugwells, 60 village meetings were held because 15 sites were cancelled due to non-availability of the water-bearing sand layer or due to disputes in the para/community.
Apart from the village meetings, from January 2011 to July 2011, 45 health meetings were held at an in schools or community-based groups to improve the number of users. From August to December 2010, there were 34 health meetings as per record. The field workers visit the communities every month to remind them of the importance of drinking arsenic safe water and practicing proper hygiene, especially handwashing before handling food. Parents are advised to give children under 5 years water that is boiled. We face a challenge persuading people to drink chlorinated water (which might have a chlorine odor and/or taste) when they are used to drinking crystal clear water (often referred to as ‘sweet’ water by villagers) containing deadly arsenic. Thus, visiting the villagers repeatedly, soliciting their feedback, and implementing improvements will help bring about change more effectively than simply implementing a water source and then leaving. At the end of May 2011, the field workers organized a 15-minute street drama enacted on four consecutive days to educate and inform the general public about the arsenic crisis and its solution (the video will be available soon on youtube).This show was done each day at four busy intersections or at a bazaar in Gaighata, Swarupnagar and Kolsur Blocks. There are plans to do the same in the Chakdah block of Nadia.
Persons receiving other benefits:
1. Villagers attending the meetings;
2. Local NGO staff - 13
3. dugwell diggers - 5
4. bore-well diggers - 5
5. hand pump fitter - 3
6. mason - 6
7. sponsor marble plaque maker -2
8. tin frame fitter - 3
9. rickshaw pullers for material transport - 2
10. website manager - 1 (new)
11. mawtka filter makers -2
12. theoline producer - 1

Start Date: 2011-11-01

Completion Date: 2012-10-31

Technology Used:

Most Project Well water sources are conventional dugwells, with a modified design that reduces potential bacterial contamination, constructed at carefully selected sites. The dugwells are fed by rainwater and are therefore not contaminated with arsenic. Wells are also protected from external contamination by a net cover and a tin roof. Water is withdrawn using traditional hand-pumps. (For photos, published reports and newsletters, please visit www.projectwellusa.org).
From 2003 to 2008, due to the El Nino effect, annual rainfall decreased from 380 cm to 70 cm. To increase the depth of dugwells in some areas where availability of water is especially scarce in summer, a new design has been experimented with that has turned out to be groundbreaking. It is a bore-dugwell (PW74GDP1, http://peerwater.org/projects/72 ). Careful selection of sites is very important and the geologists advise using Google Earth. In 2009, fifteen bore-dugwells were constructed at an average depth of 28 feet. In 2010, Project Well installed 40 more bore-dugwells and 10 borewells of 27 feet, with diameter of 10 inches and thickness of 8 millimeters, tapping water from unconfined aquifer. The advantage of borewells is that they look and work much like the tubewells that villagers are comfortable using, and thus may gain easier acceptance.
But in 2011, after measuring the arsenic concentrations of the borewells, a decision was made to only construct bore-dugwells since five out of ten borewells had arsenic levels higher than 50 ppb. One borewell (PW118) has already been converted to a bore-dugwell by digging a 3-foot diameter hole around the borewell up to 16 feet deep, leaving 10-foot PVC pipe inside the dugwell. These wells are all under observation for arsenic levels that are tested every two months for one year. The bore-dugwell will be 25 feet deep in total, with 18 feet of dugwell and 10 feet of PVC pipe of diameter 10 inches and thickness 10mm. The PVC pipe is perforated and adapters are used in both ends. 7 feet of the pipe will be inserted into the ground with 3 feet exposed and overlapping with the dugwell portion. A flexible pipe of 1.5 inch diameter delivers water via a hand-pump. At every new area a pilot test is done by boring a hole to locate the depth of the water bearing sand layer. In Chakdah this year 10 sites were cancelled due to non availability of sand layer within 25 feet. For 21 sites 18 pilot tests were done to avoid spending the full cost of boring the 18 inches hole because the cost of pilot test is only Rs. 400/- (9 USD).

Phases:

One phase, with the training of the community over a of period of one year. Subsequent visits to the communities are ongoing until the operation and maintenance of the dugwells become sustainable.

Community Organization:

The demand for more dugwells is still high in the Chakdah block of Nadia and the Swarupnagar blocks of North 24 Parganas, where the population is large and people are aware of the health effects of arsenic. In many blocks of these districts, the government is establishing pipeline water supplies. It is difficult to construct pipelines in the remote areas that are more than 3 kilometers away from the main road, where Project Well is keen on constructing bore-dugwells. In 2011, 60 village meetings were held before construction. Similar village meetings will be held at the proposed sites. The site selection will primarily be done by the local field workers, followed by organizing the village meeting where experienced staff like the technical manager and the project manager will discuss the bore-dugwell program in detail. During this meeting, the owner of the land donates a plot of land to construct the bore-dugwell for his neighbors or community (the dugwell is not constructed on government property). A sense of ownership develops from the very start through this donation of a plot of land by the community. After approval of the selected sites by experts, based on local geology and existence of arsenic-contaminated tubewells nearby, community-based groups (CBG) are formed. These groups comprise people who will be using the bore-dugwell water. The family that donates the land becomes the chief caretaker. To maintain the well, training is given to a person in the community who is capable of measuring the volume of water in the well, from which the disinfectant dose is determined. A user-friendly chart is given as a guide for the dose of disinfectant to be applied. In areas where it is hard to find a literate person, a field worker measures the water and gives a three-week dose for users to apply. The disinfectant is supposed to be purchased by the CBGs, but very few CBGs do this; however, they do take care of minor wear-and-tear repairs of the well and the hand-pump. Once a year, arsenic analysis is overseen by Project Well. A sense of ownership and investment develops amongst the users as they pay for the maintenance to obtain arsenic-safe water.

Government Interaction:

These projects are implemented by our local affiliate non governmental organization, Aqua Welfare Society (AWS). Government interaction with the Block Development Office (BDO) and panchayets comes only right before starting the program, in terms of informing them about our work in the area, to avoid any duplication of efforts. Sometimes government officials, such as members of the panchayet, help us select sites that later are given scientific approval by experts..For construction in new areas of Swarupnagar, Chakdah, Haringhata, Baduria and Bashirhat, meetings with the local panchayets were held. At the meetings, the possibility of pipelines installed by the state government is discussed but the block development officers did not know where the pipelines would be laid. Hence, later during site selection and after BPN had approved the proposal, Haringhata and Bashirhat were cancelled becausepipelines were already being laid. In the new areas of Chakdah block, some sites were suggested by a panchayet member. For bore-dugwell construction in 2012, similar meetings with the local panchayets in new areas will be held if needed. Plans to meet with the BDO’s of a few affected blocks of the district of South 24 Parganas will be included in the protocol. Generally, the project manager and the technical manager of AWS meet with the officials.

Ancillary activities:

Project Well keeps a database evaluating the use of the arsenic-safe wells, using Google Maps and an Excel file that connects two components: Dugwell identification number and number of users. The Excel file also contains an assessment of the water quality. In addition, the field workers record notes on all the technical wear-and-tear that are to be fixed by the consumers if there are enough collected funds; otherwise, the cost is subsidized by Project Well. Consumers are visited by grassroots field workers monthly during the first year to train them on how to use the theoline disinfectant, to record the number of dugwells used and to ask about diarrhea and dysentery outbreaks. More frequent visits are made to sources that are not used or underused, with special awareness programs and to get feedback from the community. This year 38 dugwells were dredged during the summer season based on the feedback of the people that they do want to re-start using dugwell water since the amount of rainfall has diminished (see the photo). Two to three times a year, a senior Project Well member visits some of the dugwells selected at random from the map to cross-check data produced by the field workers.
Research and development on the dugwells is ongoing. In 2010, eleven out of 50 sources are currently not being used. The handle with the top of one tubewell was stolen, one well needs some repairs, three new sources showed arsenic more than 50ppb and we are waiting for the arsenic report on the water collected in June. There is some neighborly dispute at one well site and another well is still dry. People are not using two wells though water quality is normal. These eleven sources are labeled ‘special care’ dugwells, and meetings with the potential users are held from time to time to deal with the problems. Bacteria tests of all the dugwells of 2010 were done. The report showed e.coli counts as ‘undetected’. There is plan to have about 25 % of the historical dugwells, selected randomly, analysed for cross check in another certified laboratory in Kolkata for total coliform and e.coli sometimes this year. Bacteriological tests of the newly constructed bore-dugwells will be done as soon as the construction is complete.

Other Issues:

For the first time in 35 years, a new political party has come into power in West Bengal. This party is in favor of supplying treated surface water in the arsenic- and fluoride-contaminated areas. Dugwells may finally get attention and we are making efforts to meet with the ministers in charge of public health, engineering and environment to get their support to promote community-based dugwell programs.

Maintenance Revenue:

The users will be required to purchase Theoline, the chlorine disinfectant, and also repair minor wear-and-tear. Field workers will visit the wells every month for one year to get technical and utility reports, after which they will inspect the wells once or twice a year.

Maintenance Cost: $40

Metrics:

Prior art before metrics

Cost: $6,231

construction (5 bore-dugwells):3520
water analysis: 295
transport+IT: 273
Service fees: 1582
maintenance and overheads: 220
8% for inflation (except item 4,6,8): 341

Co Funding Amount:

not known yet

Community Contribution Amount:

Properties on which to construct the dugwell, as well as fresh cooked meals for the team of diggers and field workers on the days of construction. The communities pay for the maintenance of the wells, including chlorination and repair of normal wear-and-tear.

Fund Requested: $6,231

Implementing Organization: Project Well & Aqua Welfare Society

Aqua Welfare Society (AWS) is the partner NGO of Project Well.

Attachments

  • NL_2011_...
  • Educatin...
  • Booklet_...
  • Arsenic_...
  • Project_...
  • DSCF0821...
  • DSCF0856...
  • DSCF0974...
  • DSCF0983...
  • IMG_6623...
  • construc...
  • 1 participant | show more

    Inflation, site-selection, borewell conversion

    Madan Kumar of Team Blue

    Hi Meera, Couple questions/clarifications: 1. My calculation of the inflation number ($358) was different from that in the budget. Not materially off, but still different. It appears to be backed out (from the 50 well number) rather than calculated from ground up for these 5 borewells. I think a consistent approach, either bottom up or...

    Hi Meera,
    Couple questions/clarifications:
    1. My calculation of the inflation number ($358) was different from that in the budget. Not materially off, but still different. It appears to be backed out (from the 50 well number) rather than calculated from ground up for these 5 borewells. I think a consistent approach, either bottom up or top down, would eliminate this issue. Unless, of course, my calculations are off -- in which case, ooops :)
    2. In addition to Google-Earth, do the Geologists bring other tools/insight to the site-selection? Is there a defined methodology that can be used by other implementors? Or is the methodology specific to this region of the world.
    3. Are there plans to convert the shallow borewells to dug borewells?
    4. Am I correct in assuming the same staff resources are used across the 50 wells, so 1/10th of their costs have been allocated to this specific project?

    thanks,
    Madan

  • 2 participants | show more

    bore-dugwells

    Hoang Thi Hang Tam of East Meets West Foundation

    1. If the dugwells are fed by rainwater, how much water can a well produce a day in the dry season, especially in the project dry area? 2. What is the fuction of the plug located at the foot of the 10 foot well pipe? 3. What happens to these wells if in the future the government extent the distribution pipeline to the project areas...

    1. If the dugwells are fed by rainwater, how much water can a well produce a day in the dry season, especially in the project dry area?
    2. What is the fuction of the plug located at the foot of the 10 foot well pipe?
    3. What happens to these wells if in the future the government extent the distribution pipeline to the project areas?

    Tx,
    Tam

    • Meera Hira-Smith of Project Well

      Hello Tam, 1. Dugwells get dry in some areas and not at every site. Hence the new design, bore-dugwell is being incorporated from this year that extends the depth to the level where there is water year round at the same time taking caution not to reach tap water from the arsenic bearing zone. During summer water can be catered to at ...

      Hello Tam,

      1. Dugwells get dry in some areas and not at every site. Hence the new design, bore-dugwell is being incorporated from this year that extends the depth to the level where there is water year round at the same time taking caution not to reach tap water from the arsenic bearing zone. During summer water can be catered to at least 20 families but with gap in collection time. The users of the historical dugwells that get dry in summer fetch water from the source that is far and used before.

      2. the plug is used so that it blocks the entry of fine sand from the bottom. The 10 foot pipe is perforated through which water enters into the bore. Entry of the fine sand is checked by the coarse sand that envelops the pipe.

      3. the users are told to use the water for other purposes like irrigation mainly but they are still learning. They do not want the wells to be closed down because they fear that the supply water pipes may break down or due to electricity failure the supply may be disrupted or water may get turbid or contaminated with arsenic if it is pumped from underground that happened at other places.

      Thank you for the questions. please let me know if you have any further questions.

  • 2 participants | show more

    Questions for Project Well

    Heidi Sheppard of The Samburu Project

    Hello Project Well Team, I like the idea of the street drama to inform about the project. Did it achieve its purpose? Your project sounds very innovative!! 1. During the dry season, how much water does the dugwell produce? Does it provide enough water per person? 2. The community pays for the well, correct? Is there a community fund pu...

    Hello Project Well Team,

    I like the idea of the street drama to inform about the project. Did it achieve its purpose? Your project sounds very innovative!!

    1. During the dry season, how much water does the dugwell produce? Does it provide enough water per person?

    2. The community pays for the well, correct? Is there a community fund put into place? Who is in charge of the costs of the upkeep of the wells? The community members or Project Well? Is the community aware of the cost of well maintenance before the well is put into place?

    3. Is the field worker a member from the community or an outside organization?

    4. Is there anyone in the community in charge of well maintenance? Who is trained other than the field worker who only visits every few months?

    Best,
    Heidi

    • Meera Hira-Smith of Project Well

      Hello Heidi, The street dramas were effective to some extent for many villagers were interested to know how could they get a bore-dugwell installed in their village and in some areas not only the number of users increased a bit but 3 -4 historical wells are being used again. 1. Water is provided only for drinking and cooking and not all ...

      Hello Heidi,
      The street dramas were effective to some extent for many villagers were interested to know how could they get a bore-dugwell installed in their village and in some areas not only the number of users increased a bit but 3 -4 historical wells are being used again.

      1. Water is provided only for drinking and cooking and not all dugwells get dried up. If the dugwell is dried up they need to get water from other source from far.

      2. During village meetings the communities are informed about payment for theoline and wear and tear. Yes some communities have started paying for the maintenance and not for water by bucket or volume. Small wear and tear is payed by the communites except a few who still do not want to pay. Bigger expenses like dredging is still maintained by Project Well. Effort is being made for the community to take responsibility but it is real challenging because they already have water close to their kitchen and they do not believe that arsenic can cause diseases unless they have seen somebody dying in their locality.

      3.All the fieldworkers are from the arsenic affected villages.

      4. The field workers visit every month and the persons who are responsible for maintenance visit every month to those source that need repair work after being informed by the field workers. The maintenance manager creates a ‘maintenance report’ before the dry season of all the dugwells reporting on the repair needed mainly about dredging. For applying theoline a person from the community is trained to apply the disinfectant.

      Please let me know if I have missed any of the questions.
      thank you.

  • 3 participants | show more

    Staff capacity directly involved in project

    James Dien Bui of East Meets West Foundation

    At first, this proposal was difficult to read perhaps due to the layout on PWX. Nevertheless, after digesting the content, I think this project is quite thorough and has a clear methodology and targeted approach to identify arsenic free wells and sustain them through community participation and building. Accordingly, I have one comment and...

    At first, this proposal was difficult to read perhaps due to the layout on PWX. Nevertheless, after digesting the content, I think this project is quite thorough and has a clear methodology and targeted approach to identify arsenic free wells and sustain them through community participation and building. Accordingly, I have one comment and one question:

    1 - I would pare down the narrative to foreground the goals, approach and outcomes. I like the attention to detail (i.e. inflation rate included in budget), but it was difficult to read through initially.

    2 - I would like to know more about the staff capacity and experience who will be carrying out this project on a day-day basis. What kind of track record, evidence from the implementation (monitoring and evaluation) is there in place for this project?

    Sincerely,
    James

    • Meera Hira-Smith of Project Well

      Hi James, Apologies for delay in response for I am travelling and on top my computer failed to start this morning (22nd Friday). Hence unable to give any data. Hoping will be able to fix it by Monday. Thank you very much for the comment. Will keep in mind. The number of staff as mentioned in the budget is 13. Three in the city, the pr...

      Hi James,

      Apologies for delay in response for I am travelling and on top my computer failed to start this morning (22nd Friday). Hence unable to give any data. Hoping will be able to fix it by Monday.

      Thank you very much for the comment. Will keep in mind.

      The number of staff as mentioned in the budget is 13. Three in the city, the project manager, data feeder and the accountant. Ten are from the villages in chakdah, gaighata, swarupnagar, and deganga including the technical manager.

      The technical manager has the most experience of 8 years. Every year new field workers are hired and trained. The team keeps growing but the number is still very small. The project manager is young and very dynamic who likes the challenge and visits the field 3-4 times a week. The journey by local train takes 3-4 hours each way from the city. The project manager and the technical manager carry out the day to day work prior and during the construction and awareness team is in the field pan and perform the village meetings that is planned in the beginning of the month. All the meetings are recorded by an awareness team member. Everyone has to submit the timesheet too at the end of the month. All the above activities are discussed with the director of Project Well over phone almost every day if needed otherwise 3-4 times a week with the project manager and the technical manager.

      By the first week of every month the excel sheet with the report of the status of dugwells is sent to Project Well. It includes the ID numbers of individual dugwell/bore-dugwell and the number of users, complaints from the users, if any, about technical issues or others, height of the water column and date when measured and the date and amount of theoline given to the community, physical (color, taste, odor)of the water, any maintenance done or needed and the cost. The record of the status of dugwells helps us to evaluate the functionality of the wells. And from time to time the fluctuation of users, dry or any other conditions of the wells are assessed. Based on the number of users the awareness meetings are planned. I could give some data from my computer but unfortunately that has to wait.
      Thanks for the queries.

      • Rajesh Shah of Blue Planet Network

        Second the paring down request. Like the Explanation for "Number of People Receiving Other Benefits" includes description of a field trip to Pondicherry and presentation at Berkeley, completely not-related information. This large chunk of text can be edited out. The newsletter should be in the project profile and not duplicated on every a...

        Second the paring down request. Like the Explanation for "Number of People Receiving Other Benefits" includes description of a field trip to Pondicherry and presentation at Berkeley, completely not-related information. This large chunk of text can be edited out.

        The newsletter should be in the project profile and not duplicated on every application.
        No wonder that PW has problems with the PWX database! :)

    • Rajesh Shah of Blue Planet Network

      Second the paring down request. Like the Explanation for "Number of People Receiving Other Benefits" includes description of a field trip to Pondicherry and presentation at Berkeley, completely not-related information. This large chunk of text can be edited out. The newsletter should be in the project profile and not duplicated on every a...

      Second the paring down request. Like the Explanation for "Number of People Receiving Other Benefits" includes description of a field trip to Pondicherry and presentation at Berkeley, completely not-related information. This large chunk of text can be edited out.

      The newsletter should be in the project profile and not duplicated on every application.
      No wonder that PW has problems with the PWX database! :)

  • 2 participants | show more

    Sanitation and more

    Rajesh Shah of Blue Planet Network

    How are the sanitation facilities and practices? Is there any contamination of the water source? I realize you test your water, and am i right in assuming that fecal matter contamination would be detected? But with high density, it could always be a problem, despite chlorination. What steps are taken to change behavior? After the field t...

    How are the sanitation facilities and practices?
    Is there any contamination of the water source? I realize you test your water, and am i right in assuming that fecal matter contamination would be detected?

    But with high density, it could always be a problem, despite chlorination. What steps are taken to change behavior?

    After the field trip to Tamil Nadu, your field staff showed much excitement at eco-san. What can be done to introduce eco-san or other sanitation projects (assuming the need that i saw a couple of years ago still exists)?

    • Meera Hira-Smith of Project Well

      Hi Rajesh, Meera is having computer troubles and cannot get onto her computer. I had a phone chat with her and will answer these questions as best I can, with her input (she will log on as soon as she is able, to answer your budget questions above). Project Well selects sites at least 100 feet away from toilets, to prevent sewage contami...

      Hi Rajesh,

      Meera is having computer troubles and cannot get onto her computer. I had a phone chat with her and will answer these questions as best I can, with her input (she will log on as soon as she is able, to answer your budget questions above).

      Project Well selects sites at least 100 feet away from toilets, to prevent sewage contamination. In Nadia, we haven't come across any cases of open defecation, which is more common in districts such as South-24 Parganas, Murshidabad and Purulia.

      With the improved well design, bacteria contamination risk is also lower, because the sand surrounding the main pipe underground acts as a filter. We had 50 wells (from Nadia and North-24 Parganas) tested last year by a certified laboratory in Kolkata, for E. Coli among other things. All came back "undetected" for E. Coli.

      Regarding Eco-San, when we go into areas where it would be needed, we may partner with other local NGOs who are interested in implementing Eco-San in those areas.

      Thank you,
      Jane

      • Rajesh Shah of Blue Planet Network

        I hope the EMW team is reading this. If dug wells show up bacteria free, i want to see what the contamination from the deep wells (requiring electric motors) planned in Cambodia is.

        I hope the EMW team is reading this. If dug wells show up bacteria free, i want to see what the contamination from the deep wells (requiring electric motors) planned in Cambodia is.

    • Rajesh Shah of Blue Planet Network

      I hope the EMW team is reading this. If dug wells show up bacteria free, i want to see what the contamination from the deep wells (requiring electric motors) planned in Cambodia is.

      I hope the EMW team is reading this. If dug wells show up bacteria free, i want to see what the contamination from the deep wells (requiring electric motors) planned in Cambodia is.

  • 2 participants | show more

    Numbers

    Rajesh Shah of Blue Planet Network

    Can you explain the inflation numbers and why you have them? Your costs should be for the coming year and you should have updated all the costs (salaries, etc.) to reflect as close to actuals. For some things inflation is really higher than 8% so it would be better to have the project costs as close to reality. Curious about what goes int...

    Can you explain the inflation numbers and why you have them?
    Your costs should be for the coming year and you should have updated all the costs (salaries, etc.) to reflect as close to actuals. For some things inflation is really higher than 8% so it would be better to have the project costs as close to reality.

    Curious about what goes into maintenance and overheads, since you have done a good job of putting in almost all the main expenses (rent, salaries, ...).

    What does your audit include? Does each well (or set) get audited financially? What were the results of last years audit?

    Thanks,
    Rajesh

    • Meera Hira-Smith of Project Well

      Hello Rajesh, Thank you so much for the points you have raised here. I have inserted the inflation rate referring to the article in the economic times dated 19.6.2011 as 8.0%. Perhaps we should have done the way suggested by you to include the rate to individual item and should remember to incorporate it next year. The salary has alre...

      Hello Rajesh,

      Thank you so much for the points you have raised here.

      I have inserted the inflation rate referring to the article in the economic times dated 19.6.2011 as 8.0%.

      Perhaps we should have done the way suggested by you to include the rate to individual item and should remember to incorporate it next year. The salary has already been increased based on the increase on the workload and performance of the staff.

      Item numbers 5-8 are included in the ‘maintenance and overheads’. They are: rent, office supply, audit fee, maintenance of dws, awareness mtgs.

      The numbers look small since the actual number for 50 bore-dugwells has been distributed per well. And in this budget it is for 5 bore-dugwells.
      For e.g. the audit fee for 2011 is USD 340 (INR15,000) and for 5 sources it is USD 34.

      No, individual well is not audited. Every year a certified auditor audits the expenses and revenues and provides ‘auditors report’. For the renewal of their registration the partner NGO in West Bengal submits the ‘auditors report’ and the ‘financial statement of account’.

      Do you think I should upload the total budget for 50 bore-dugwells somewhere for better understanding? If so, where to upload?

      • Rajesh Shah of Blue Planet Network

        It just seems very odd to include inflation rate when the projects are due to be completed in the next 10-12 months. You should know the prices today and not base it on increasing last years. Yes, the spreadsheet could have cost of 1 well, and then multiply by the number it refers to. And overall costs could be divided by 50 to show thei...

        It just seems very odd to include inflation rate when the projects are due to be completed in the next 10-12 months.

        You should know the prices today and not base it on increasing last years.

        Yes, the spreadsheet could have cost of 1 well, and then multiply by the number it refers to. And overall costs could be divided by 50 to show their allocation to the one well costing.

        What does the audit include? Earlier, some projects show their audited financials and if they came under budget, the org asked us what to do with the excess. We could help others who went over budget for one reason or the other. It would be nice to see this practice take deep root.

        • Meera Hira-Smith of Project Well

          The company from where the 10-foot x 10 inches dia perforated PVC pipes (the costliest raw material) are purchased cannot give the inflation rate this year and also in India prices go up in April. In fact the marble plaque cost for this year (2011 construction) has been raised by Rs.150/- each on 15th July right after I had submitted the p...

          The company from where the 10-foot x 10 inches dia perforated PVC pipes (the costliest raw material) are purchased cannot give the inflation rate this year and also in India prices go up in April. In fact the marble plaque cost for this year (2011 construction) has been raised by Rs.150/- each on 15th July right after I had submitted the proposal for next year with old rate. This proposal is for next year 2012. (Some NGO's in West Bengal include 15% inflation on their budget). Thanks for the suggestion and will include expected inflation rate next year. And also will include cost of one well too in the spreadsheet.
          In the past the audit amount was considered as 2% of the total and indeed was not paid for auditing. This 2% has been changed this year as advised by the accountant who discussed the matter with the auditor (finance) who charges a fee per organization. Less for NGOs. So the excess amount gets spent on over budgeted construction mainly. Still learning to prepare TRANSPARENT BUDGET. Project Well does receive funds from private donors to cover the research part including additional tests for bacteria mainly. I will upload all the IRS statements on Project Well website as soon as redesigning of the website is completed.

      • Meera Hira-Smith of Project Well

        The company from where the 10-foot x 10 inches dia perforated PVC pipes (the costliest raw material) are purchased cannot give the inflation rate this year and also in India prices go up in April. In fact the marble plaque cost for this year (2011 construction) has been raised by Rs.150/- each on 15th July right after I had submitted the p...

        The company from where the 10-foot x 10 inches dia perforated PVC pipes (the costliest raw material) are purchased cannot give the inflation rate this year and also in India prices go up in April. In fact the marble plaque cost for this year (2011 construction) has been raised by Rs.150/- each on 15th July right after I had submitted the proposal for next year with old rate. This proposal is for next year 2012. (Some NGO's in West Bengal include 15% inflation on their budget). Thanks for the suggestion and will include expected inflation rate next year. And also will include cost of one well too in the spreadsheet.
        In the past the audit amount was considered as 2% of the total and indeed was not paid for auditing. This 2% has been changed this year as advised by the accountant who discussed the matter with the auditor (finance) who charges a fee per organization. Less for NGOs. So the excess amount gets spent on over budgeted construction mainly. Still learning to prepare TRANSPARENT BUDGET. Project Well does receive funds from private donors to cover the research part including additional tests for bacteria mainly. I will upload all the IRS statements on Project Well website as soon as redesigning of the website is completed.

    • Rajesh Shah of Blue Planet Network

      It just seems very odd to include inflation rate when the projects are due to be completed in the next 10-12 months. You should know the prices today and not base it on increasing last years. Yes, the spreadsheet could have cost of 1 well, and then multiply by the number it refers to. And overall costs could be divided by 50 to show thei...

      It just seems very odd to include inflation rate when the projects are due to be completed in the next 10-12 months.

      You should know the prices today and not base it on increasing last years.

      Yes, the spreadsheet could have cost of 1 well, and then multiply by the number it refers to. And overall costs could be divided by 50 to show their allocation to the one well costing.

      What does the audit include? Earlier, some projects show their audited financials and if they came under budget, the org asked us what to do with the excess. We could help others who went over budget for one reason or the other. It would be nice to see this practice take deep root.

      • Meera Hira-Smith of Project Well

        The company from where the 10-foot x 10 inches dia perforated PVC pipes (the costliest raw material) are purchased cannot give the inflation rate this year and also in India prices go up in April. In fact the marble plaque cost for this year (2011 construction) has been raised by Rs.150/- each on 15th July right after I had submitted the p...

        The company from where the 10-foot x 10 inches dia perforated PVC pipes (the costliest raw material) are purchased cannot give the inflation rate this year and also in India prices go up in April. In fact the marble plaque cost for this year (2011 construction) has been raised by Rs.150/- each on 15th July right after I had submitted the proposal for next year with old rate. This proposal is for next year 2012. (Some NGO's in West Bengal include 15% inflation on their budget). Thanks for the suggestion and will include expected inflation rate next year. And also will include cost of one well too in the spreadsheet.
        In the past the audit amount was considered as 2% of the total and indeed was not paid for auditing. This 2% has been changed this year as advised by the accountant who discussed the matter with the auditor (finance) who charges a fee per organization. Less for NGOs. So the excess amount gets spent on over budgeted construction mainly. Still learning to prepare TRANSPARENT BUDGET. Project Well does receive funds from private donors to cover the research part including additional tests for bacteria mainly. I will upload all the IRS statements on Project Well website as soon as redesigning of the website is completed.

    • Meera Hira-Smith of Project Well

      The company from where the 10-foot x 10 inches dia perforated PVC pipes (the costliest raw material) are purchased cannot give the inflation rate this year and also in India prices go up in April. In fact the marble plaque cost for this year (2011 construction) has been raised by Rs.150/- each on 15th July right after I had submitted the p...

      The company from where the 10-foot x 10 inches dia perforated PVC pipes (the costliest raw material) are purchased cannot give the inflation rate this year and also in India prices go up in April. In fact the marble plaque cost for this year (2011 construction) has been raised by Rs.150/- each on 15th July right after I had submitted the proposal for next year with old rate. This proposal is for next year 2012. (Some NGO's in West Bengal include 15% inflation on their budget). Thanks for the suggestion and will include expected inflation rate next year. And also will include cost of one well too in the spreadsheet.
      In the past the audit amount was considered as 2% of the total and indeed was not paid for auditing. This 2% has been changed this year as advised by the accountant who discussed the matter with the auditor (finance) who charges a fee per organization. Less for NGOs. So the excess amount gets spent on over budgeted construction mainly. Still learning to prepare TRANSPARENT BUDGET. Project Well does receive funds from private donors to cover the research part including additional tests for bacteria mainly. I will upload all the IRS statements on Project Well website as soon as redesigning of the website is completed.

  • Rating: 8

    review by Humana People to People India

    This project is very technical and needed by the community very much.
    we cannot think the life with out water, there is no other alternative to take up in the area so far so the project has its own potential, it should supported by the net work.

    Kusum

  • Rating: 8

    review by East Meets West Foundation

    I think this project addresses a very specific and necessary need in the WASH sector. The outcomes of this project not only benefit the community participants, but provide a best practice/use of technology that can be applied to all WASH projects. Accordingly (perhaps beyond the scope of this project per se), I'd like to see this project involve and influence more local/gov regulations and/or raise standards of practice for other WASH projects (i.e. all well projects are required to furnish arsenic test results).

  • Rating: 8

    review by Blue Planet Network

    This is great work. But to me it seems more humantarian (very much needed with arsenic). How can we increase buy-in. How do we get community ownership? To get them to contribute? And start growing to include sanitation, etc.

    Challenges that must be considered as we stay the course.

  • Rating: 7

    review by Water For The Americas

    I had a very hard time following the description of the project and my rating is somewhat based on that. There are several things that I like about the project. I like the effort to educate and the expressed need to continue to educate and reeducate. I like the idea of street plays. We have used the same for Dengue Fever education. Probably the biggest reason that I like the project is the history and continued effort to find ways to combat the arsenic problem.

  • Rating: 10

    review by The Samburu Project

    Program application is extremely clear and thorough. Project Well has a great track record. Looks like it
    will be a very successful program!!

    Only concern is that bore-dug wells dry out and community returns to previous water source when the well is dry, but water drying up during drought is an issue with rain harvesting systems as well.

  • Rating: 8

    review by Ekoventure

    During May 2010, I had visited some of the projects implemented by Project Well - funding through PWX. An excellent job. Failure cases were also documented.

  • Rating: 9

    review by Team Blue

    Appropriate technology, learning from previous efforts, innovative awareness campaigns and constant interaction with the community make this a very good proposal.