NARESH MALLICK, Chanabagada village pradhan said, "At the initial stage some people of nearby villages ridiculed us saying, tame kondha mondha loka, na heba o na sunila katha kahucha (you Kondha people, are into useless and impracticable things). But the day we got piped water, using solar pumps, those who criticised our effort came and congratulated us."

Chanabagada is a beautiful tribal village of Digapahandi block in Ganjam district, having 20 households. The inhabitants are mainly of Kondha tribe and population of the village is 99 (as of April, 2007), of which 54 are males and 45 are females.

The village Chanabagada has all the signs that one can at a first glance notice such as the overhead water tank, the solar panels, a cyclone shelter, clean roads, kitchen gardens, toilets and bathing rooms. Since 2003, all 20 households in the village have 24-hour piped water supply and all the households have toilets and bathrooms.

The solar powered water supply and sanitation system was installed in the year 2003 by the villagers, with the support from the government and a local non-governmental organisation (NGO). The water is pumped to an overhead tank from a 80 feet borewell using solar powered pump.

After the implementation of the water supply and sanitation project, the socio-economic and environmental conditions of the village improved significantly. The socio-economic condition of the village before the start of the project was not satisfactory. The poor tribals had unhygienic and miserable standard of living condition. The village surroundings were not clean because people defecated on open fields. To fetch water for consumption, women had to walk miles. Skin diseases were rampant due to unhygienic living conditions and use of polluted water for domestic and outside use. The problem of malaria was also severe. For their livelihood, they had to depend on shifting cultivation locally known as bogodo.

Before the installation of solar powered system, the villagers of Chanabagada had to depend upon a well for water. The source was six kilometres away from the village and during summer season they had to face acute water scarcity. Realising the necessity of continuous water supply, it was decided to install a solar powered pumping system. In 2003, the installation of solar pumps was completed.

Impact

The village Chanabgada, though a small village, had no social cohesion before the implementation of the project. But the water crisis, which the village was facing, united all for a common cause. To ensure that a level playing field is created in terms of access to basic services and decision-making, representation of all the households and all sections of the society in decision-making processes across caste, economic status and other barriers is a must in any village.

Another unique and novel feature is the equal representation and participation of men and women in community level decision-making process in the same space. Such type of situation is quite unimaginable before the implementation of the project. Kalu Mallick, a villager said, "Now women come out, sit and speak with men and present their problems in a better way in the community meetings." It creates social space for women where they can share their views with each other and feel a sense of belonging to the community.

The small tribal community in Chanabagada manages the solar powered water supply system themselves. From the very beginning to the end, they have involved themselves in the project. It has created a sense of social responsibility and joint management about the project. They try to sort out problems, if any in the village, in a cooperative manner setting aside caste, creed, sex and other barriers. They have also raised a corpus fund for future extension of toilet and bathrooms, which ensures cent percent coverage for all times. Safe drinking water supply and complete sanitation through solar power have strengthened social inclusion, social responsibility, social capital and overall quality of life.

The options for livelihood opportunities were widened after the installation of the solar powered water supply system. Now all the families have kitchen gardens. They have planted coconut plants and have grown vegetables like brinjal, papaya, drumsticks, tomato, banana etc, to ensure their daily dietary and nutritional intakes. They consume the vegetables and sell the rest in the nearby market.

Safe drinking water and complete sanitation makes the community free from all water-borne diseases. Thus, a substantial amount is saved on health grounds. Due to the reduction of diseases, they gain some productive workdays, which contributes in expanding their socio-economic space. The health status of the people, particularly women and children, is comparatively better after the implementation of the project. Diseases like scabies, malaria and diarrhoea has also reduced dramatically.

The drudgery of carrying water for domestic purposes is eliminated and women now get more time to care about children and keep themselves engaged in income generation activities. Ranjita Mallick said, "Now I get more time to look after my children, can save time as I don’t have to go outside for bathing and toilet purposes. I enjoy privacy and social dignity now." It is not the case of Ranjita only. All other women in the village now have the same feelings. There is a self help group (SHG) in the village, known as Maa Thakurani group, consisting of 20 female members, covering each and every household. The group engages in some income generating activities like goatery, pisciculture, leaf plate making etc. The group has helped in improving the living condition of its members and has given them a financial security and dignity in the society.

The tribal communities mainly depend upon bogodo (shifting cultivation) for their livelihoods. The village of Chanabagada was not an exception. After the implementation of the water supply and sanitation project and as a result of their growing awareness, their dependence on bogodo has reduced. Using the wastewater from bathrooms and kitchens, they have developed kitchen gardens. There was a reservoir near the village, developed by the government for irrigation. The villagers using the water from the reservoir grow paddy, jana, kandula, kolatha etc. Their dependence on bogodo has now reduced to considerable extent. They are now conscious of protecting the forest and have formed Vana Sarankshana Samiti (VSS).

The overall development of the village and the people is conspicuous. In the village, one will notice now unsoiled roads, beautiful kitchen gardens, clean toilet and bathrooms, delighted villagers and confident women.

Chitrasen Mallick, a villager proudly said, "We are in a better position now than ever before. Here, everybody gets piped water in their homes and sanitation facilities, which even the people of Berhampur, (a nearby city) do not enjoy."