Taanka Super Structure constructed Beneficiary Amna Khatun w/o Nasaruddin

The super structure of Taanka has been completed. The silt catcher of Taanka has been also constructed. The silt catcher will help the entry of clean water from catchment area into the Taanka by simple process of sedimentation & decantation.

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Taanka superstructure in progress Beneficiary Amna Khatun w/o Nasaruddin

The taanka superstructure construction is in progress. The structure is made of stone & cement. The beneficiary is contributing as a labour for the construction of Taanka.

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Pit Digging Complete of Beneficiary Amna Khatun w/o Nasaruddin

Pit digging has been completed by the beneficiary Amna Khatun w/o Nasaruddin

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Pit Digging for Taanka started for beneficiary Umati w/o Jamalddin

Ongoing Pit Digging for Taanka Construction of size 10' x 10' for the beneficiary Umati w/o Jamalddin

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Field visit at Reen Village, Baap - Day 3 (21.11.12)

At 2:30 P.M we (Dean, Praveen, Shrikant) departed for Reen village (one of our project villages). On the way we quickly visited Salt Mines and understood the process of salt making. Reen village is the salt mining belt and the whole area has salt deposits, the underground water is salty and unfit for drinking. No agricultural land and only source of living is livestock and labour work in salt mines. We visited the site where new Taanka has to be constructed, the pit digging of Taanka was going on which was dug up to 4-5 feet. We interacted with the beneficiary named Amna Khatun w/o Nasraruddin. The Taanka would be shared by 3 families benefitting 25 individuals. We discussed with them that the Taanka will be constructed of lime to make it durable for years. But they insisted to construct it with cement instead of lime, reason behind was failure of a lime Taanka constructed near to their house. The villagers insisted us to visit the lime Taanka and explained that due to percolation of salty water from the walls of the Taanka, the plastering collapsed and taanka became non functional. We tried to understand the reason behind the failure of lime taanka and came to know that the Taanka was 100 years old and only dysfunctional from last 5-6 years because people nearby have dug bore wells and water has percolated from the bore wells to the taanka and made the water salty (as said by the villagers). Photographs were taken by Dean of the field work. We returned back to our Kalron centre at 7:30 P.M.

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Visit and photos by PhotoPhilanthropy volunteer Dean Forbes

We made a late-afternoon visit to the village and family of the farmer Nasarradin, who had just begun digging the taanka that will be supported by this Gravis project. He and his brother used pick ax and shovel to break the hard ground. Nasarradin's wife, Amnakhatum, carried off the dirt in a large metal bowl on her head.

We saw evidence that using lime as mortar will not work as first envisioned, and Gravis has decided proceed using cement instead. The salinity of the groundwater erodes lime, as we saw in another rainwater storage structure in the village. Plus, the lime mill, also under construction, is too far away to make transport of lime plaster practical.

I applaud Gravis's flexibility and commitment to helping the people of this village.

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