A continuation of the summer 2008 USC Global Impact project, the Hubli Water and Health Team aims to expand on their water management and educational program. The team will go to local communities and teach the benefits of using ceramic filters and how to collect potable water. They will also implement a new program that will increase access to water filters and water collection systems through microfinance.

Two members of this three-member team are new to the Hubli Water and Health Project. This is the first of the USC Global Impact Program projects to go into a second round where the students hope to improve upon the lessons learned from last year.

Interested in know how the project started and which direction they are planning to go? Read the Hubli Water and Health Project blog here.
 

WHAT THEY ACCOMPLISHED
The mission of the team was “to empower people to create their own change by educating them about health and sanitation and providing them with sustainable solutions to water quality problems.” (Continuation of 2008 project)
The team focused on three main initiatives:

1) Health Education Program
2) Household Water Filter Distribution
3) Community-Level Reverse Osmosis System

1) Health Education Program:
Development and implementation of a health and sanitation educational program and lesson plan for primary schools. The curriculum that was developed includes 12 lesson plans to be taught during a 13-week program.
The team also trained 17 volunteers from local women colleges and engaged them with six different primary schools.
Champions were secured in the staff or each of the colleges that work as volunteer coordinators, and the ongoing program has already directly impacted about 170 children.

Some of the Institutions involved include:
The Women’s Arts and Commerce College
Karnataka University (MBA program – KIMS)
The Rajiv Gandhi Educational Trust Primary School
The Shreenagar Co-operative Housing’s Primary School
Vijaynagar Primary School
The Girish English Medium Primary School

2) Household Water Filter Distribution
Design and implementation of a program that gives inhabitants of rural communities access to effective household water filters under a pay plan. The program linked a local manufacturer of filters with a micro credit NGO with access to over 3,000 self-help groups serving thousands of women in hundreds of rural villages. A single filter costs $5 to $7 and can produce enough clean drinking and cooking water for a family of five for a year. After a year the ceramic filter can be replaced at a cost of $1

Trained NGO field staff demonstrate and sell the filters. The staff is also available for operation and maintenance of filters during their field trips. Payment plans are individually tailored. Revenue is intended to be reinvested and used to cross-subsidize other NGO Programs. An interest-free loan from the team (Deshpande) was used for the purchase of half of the initial filter inventory.

Currently the NGO has around 250 filters in stock and about 300 water filters have been pre-ordered by individuals in rural communities. As of October 2, the team is waiting for a response from the NGO regarding sales and order volumes.

The institutions involved are:
Basic Water Needs (water filter manufacturer)
Chinyard (microfinance and livelihood NGO)

3) Community- Level Reverse Osmosis System
Design of a self sustainable and scalable business that will provide clean water to 500 needy families.

The project involves the installation of a reverse osmosis water purification plant that will generate up to 1,000 liters/hour, once it is operational. The water will be sold to two different groups of people at different prices: 25 paise/liter for below-poverty line cardholders and 1 rupee/liter for non-cardholders. At this price a family of five can obtain clean water for $0.05/day. The business could break even within 12-18 months and thereafter generate enough profits to finance a new plant every 4-5 months.The business was made possible through the forging of a tripartite agreement between a foundation, a water purification plant manufacturer, and a private supporter. Mechanical installation of the plant has been completed, but complete installation is being delayed by its electrical requirements. The plant should hopefully be operational by mid-October, 2009.

Institutions Involved:
Environmental Planning Group Limited (Plant supply and installation)
KNS Foundation (Operations)
Private supporter (Financing)
The team also received advice from Bhalanchandr Jabshetti from the Water Literacy Foundation.