Self-supporting community- based mitigation program that provides arsenic safe water using modified dugwells along with public education on water related health effects.
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Laltu Mirza of Project WellImplementation Status: completed Fri 01 Nov 2013, About 11 Years ago
set washer and check valve today.
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Shilpi Poddar of Project WellImplementation Status: completed Sat 27 Jul 2013, Over 11 Years ago
Theoline 300ml, 7'4"water. 2 families 8 peoples used.
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Suparna Mondol of Project WellImplementation Status: completed Wed 24 Jul 2013, Over 11 Years ago
Health meeting has been finished .M-3,F-7, Ch-4.
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Shilpi Poddar of Project WellImplementation Status: completed Thu 02 May 2013, Over 11 Years ago
Maintenance need to do.
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Shilpi Poddar of Project WellImplementation Status: completed Mon 03 Dec 2012, About 12 Years ago
visit .
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AnonymousImplementation Status: completed_partial Wed 17 Oct 2012, About 12 Years ago
Water 12'. Family 2, good water. Side at pw 55, 18 family cooking,drinking,good water.
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Jane LiawImplementation Status: completed Wed 18 Aug 2010, Over 14 Years ago
February 2010 site visits with AWS staff
I work with Meera on Project Well, in our Berkeley office. My husband (who is unaffiliated with Project Well) and I were taken around by AWS staff to visit several dugwell sites in February 2010.
Was told this dugwell was repaired 2 months previous. During our visit, AWS staff checked the valve and washer. Was told by community that 4 to 5 families are currently using the well, meaning about 20 people. The filter on the closest tubewell is not working and the tubewell closed many years ago. An arsenic-exposed patient recently died in this area from liver cancer. There are some private tubewells around here that are used.
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Jane LiawImplementation Status: completed Mon 08 Feb 2010, Almost 15 Years ago
PW55 (located close to PW92) site visit
I work with Meera on Project Well, in our Berkeley office. My husband (who is unaffiliated with Project Well) and I were taken around by AWS staff to visit several dugwell sites in February 2010.
Near PW92 is PW55, which we also visited. It is not listed as a Project here on PWX as it was constructed before Project Well's partnership with PWX.
There is an arsenic-exposed patient here at PW55 too. The water at this dugwell was chlorinated on February 8 with 100 ml of chlorine, just a couple days prior to our visit. I tasted the water, and there was not a strong chlorine taste. Spoke to villagers, with Suprio interpreting, about awareness program—they have been told about the effects of arsenic and seen slides of arsenic effects. Field workers are local and come at least once a year to show movies, etc. They know that a better diet fights arsenic effects.
We talked with the arsenic patient, Karthik Biswas (age 52), who has arsenicosis—skin lesions—and bronchial problems. I’m told this is consistent with other arsenic patients here, who all have the same symptoms. He says he drank from tubewells for 20 years. He drinks from the dugwell now, but if the dugwell is not working, he drinks from the deep tubewell. From his experience, the tubewells can be used for 4-5 years, then they become contaminated.
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Paromita Hore, Ph.D., M.P.H. and Robert C. Harrington, M.S., C.I.H.Implementation Status: completed Wed 04 Mar 2009, Almost 16 Years ago
Project Well Site Visit - December 2008
Arsenic contamination of drinking water in areas such as Bangladesh and India has been a public health concern for many years. We learned about Project Well USA several years back through Dr. Timir Hore. On December 13th, 2008, we were able to accompany a team of scientists who are closely involved with the project and visit a number of Project Well USA dug well sites in India. The team was joined by several of the field staff as we visited the dug wells. The sites appeared well maintained. The water was potable. During these visits we were also able to meet with villagers that reside in the surrounding areas. The study team was well-received by the villagers. All in all, the visit was quite nice. We are proud of Project Well and its mission. We will continue to stay informed about the Project.
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Paromita Hore and Robert C. HarringtonImplementation Status: completed Fri 27 Feb 2009, Almost 16 Years ago
Project Well Site Visit
Arsenic contamination of drinking water in areas such as Bangladesh and India has been a public health concern for many years. Through Dr. Timir Hore, we learned about Project Well USA
several years back. On December 13th, 2008, we were able to accompany a team of scientists who are closely involved with the project and visit a number of Project Well USA dug well sites
in India. The team was joined by several of the field staff as we visited the dug wells. The sites appeared well maintained. The water was potable. During these visits we were also able to meet
with villagers that reside in the surrounding areas. The study team was well-received by the villagers. All in all, the visit was quite nice. We are proud of Project Well and its mission. We will continue to stay informed about the Project.-
ProjectW...
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Meera Hira-Smith of Project WellImplementation Status: completed Wed 07 Jan 2009, Almost 16 Years ago
Visit on 13th December 2008
Dr. Timir Hore, technical advisor of Project Well, Mr. Protap Chakraborty, Mr. Saumendranath Banerjee (geologists), advisors of of AWS, Mr. Suprio Das of AWS, Prof. Brenda Eskanazi, Epidemiologist of UC Berkeley, Dr. Paromita Hore and her husband, Rob from New York and myself visited this site on 13th Decmebr 2008. People have just started using the dugwell water that is clear, has normal taste and no odor at all. As per Prof. Eskanazi written in the comments sheet that "the water tastes better than NYC (New York City) water. It has a slight smell but not earthy". She could not understand why people were reluctant to use this arsenic safe water of dugwells.
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- Impact Assessment (M&E) Phase Project completed on 31 Dec, 2008 Implementation Phase
- Implementation Phase Project started on 1 Jan, 2008 Preparation Phase
Self-supporting community- based mitigation program that provides arsenic safe water using modified dugwells along with public education on water related health effects.
Other Issues
Unusual and unexpected issues faced during project execution
Research and Development is part of the project. Research and Development is part of the project. The arsenic level was 25 PPB tested on 30th June 2008. The Total coliform and Fecal coliform were both 'undetected'. Date of water collection for bacteria tests was on 6th December 2008.
Learnings
Knowledge of project and process for sharing
Even though the quality of water is normal and no fecal coliform bacteria was detected and arsenic concentration is low people are not using this traditional mode of water supply. There is a need of more publicity of the use of the dugwell water that are being used in the neighboring villages. Promoting this modified design of dugwell through media, newspaper, TV, Radio is lacking that would have enhanced the efficient use of self managed water systems.
The water tastes excellent as reported by the visitors to this site. It is indeed very difficult to change people habit and mindset. It took a while for the colgate toothpaste to replace the twigs of neem tree, salt and also ash of cow dung. Now every household in the village use toothpaste or powder.
Impact
People Impacted: 11
People Getting Safe Drinking Water: 11
As of June 2012 11 consumers belongs to 3 families use this well.
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According to register records from July 2011, there are two beneficiary families and 8 consumers now. Males=2, females=6, children <5=2.
People Getting Other Benefits: 50
Health meeting and villages meetings have been organized in this community-based-group. The discussions were on arsenic health effects and personal hygiene. A training program on the maintenance of the dugwells (including chlorination) is given to develop a sense of ownership and to make the program sustainable.
Maintenance/Operating Costs Annual, in US$: $40
Creating and measuring long-term impact
Implementer: Aqua Welfare Society, West Bengal, India
Aqua Welfare Society, AWS, is the partner NGO. Their office is based in the North 24 Parganas. The 8 honorary board members are located in Kolkata. There are only 5 field workers who are interacting with the villagers and beneficiaries, training the users on maintenance of the dugwells, organizing village meetings and health meetings. A technical advisor of AWS is based in Kolkata who visits the village occasionally and one awareness programmer who is in charge of awareness programs in the communities and educational institutions. There is an accountant and also a data entry person on part time basis.
Funding
- Final Cost:
- $909