|
|
Many of us are familiar with Karjat Taluka of Raigad district as the home of hill stations and trekking spots such as Matheran and Bhimashankar. Indeed, the taluka is exceedingly beautiful, especially in the monsoons. However, inspite of the heavy rainfall that Karjat receieves (more than 3000mm), come summer time, many villages and hamlets face a severe shortage of drinking water.
CTARA plans to undertake projects which aim to (i) understand the problem and possible solutions, (ii) solve the drinking water problem in such hamlets, and (iii) integrate such solutions in the teaching and research programs at IIT Bombay.
CTARA and the Academy of Development Science, Kashele (henceforth ADS) plan to construct small dams in some of these hamlets. The main objective of these dams is to hold enough water so that drinking water needs for the villagers and their livestock are met for the whole year. ADS has built such dams before: Bangarwadi in 1987 and Gawandwadi in 1989. These dams were built by ADS and the vilagers and was funded by an agency of the state government.
CTARA and ADS plan to restart this important activity. Two sites have been selected: Belachiwadi and Gudwanwadi. CTARA will monitor the logistics, funding and all technical aspects of the project. ADS will be responsible for the social mobilization, local support and execution. CTARA and Academy of Development Science, Kashele plan to construct a dam for drinking water.
We believe that this provide an exciting educational experience for our students. Planned technical activities are (i) Civil Engineering analysis and surveys (ii) Geological Analysis of the dam sites, (iii) Socialogical surveys of the villages, pre- and post-dam. Here are the contacts for such activities:
| Area | Contact Person | |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Analysis | Prof. T. I. Eldho | eldho[AT]civil[DOT]iitb[DOT]ac[DOT]in |
| Engineering Analysis | Prof. Jothi Prakash | vprakash[AT]civil[DOT]iitb[DOT]ac[DOT]in |
| Sociological Analysis | Prof. D. Parthasarathy | dp[AT]hss[DOT]iitb[DOT]ac[DOT]in |
| Geophysical Analysis | Prof. Manika Prasad | mprasad[AT]iitb[DOT]ac[DOT]in |
| Geophysical Analysis | Prof. G. Mohan | gmohan[AT]geos.iitb[DOT]ac[DOT]in |
| Geological Analysis | Prof. T. N. Singh | tnsingh[AT]iitb[DOT]ac[DOT]in |
If you wish to participate in any activity, feel free to contact any of the above, or Milind Sohoni (sohoni[AT]cse[DOT]iitb[DOT]ac[DOT]in).
The planning for this dam is already underway. A technical proposal for the two sites will be ready by Oct. 30, 2005. Gangotree, an agency which has considerable experience in social watershed development, will be our technical consultant. Work should begin by Jan. 15, 2005. Rough estimates for the dams are Rs. 12 lakhs for Belachiwadi and Rs. 18 lakhs for Gudwan. The money for these dams will be raised through donations from corporations and individuals. IIT is also supporting the project financially and logistically.
See the site below or contact Milind Sohoni (sohoni[AT]cse.iitb.ac.in). In summary, cheques (in any currency) should be made in favour of Registrar, IIT Bombay or Academy of Development Science and may be sent to Center for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA), IIT Powai, Mumbai 400076, INDIA . This should be accompanied with a letter stating the purpose of the donation. Here is a sample letter.
Donations to ADS and IIT are tax-exempt under Section 80G of IT Act, INDIA.