Children Take Rain and Matters Into Their Own Hands

By Anna Hrybyk

In these parts of southern India, clean water is a treasure, a luxury, a commodity pursued and hoarded. Where the tsunami devastated the already-limited supply of clean water, it took a group of children to inspire a new way of thinking and bring about change to the way communities managed one of the most critical resources of daily life.

Water shortage was prevalent in this area long before the tsunami. For as long as they can remember, Thomas and Elisa Koilparambil have never had enough potable drinking water. Their home is in Kerala, near the Arabian Sea, which brings little additional fresh water. As a result, Thomas and Elisa have been forced to conserve water as a way of life.

The tsunami made matters critical. Thomas and Elisa's wells of treasured water were suddenly unfit to use, filled with sea water and debris. For nearly a year, Elisa was forced to travel an hour each day for two pots of clean water.

Thankfully, things have changed for the better, and all because of rain and a group of determined children. In a new program called the Rain Water Harvesting Structure, supported by CRS, USAID and the Allepey Foundation, people like Elisa are able to save six months of potable water with the onset of heavy rains.

The structures are cost-effective and affordable. Communities contribute to the construction of water tanks, each of which holds 5,000 liters, costing less than 10 cents per liter. The tanks are made of reinforced cement, which is not likely to crack or leak over time. Each has a filter on the top, made with local materials, including river sand, coconut husks, charcoal and gravel.

Kid-Tested, Community-Approved

Despite immediate benefits and low cost to communities, it took children to convince their parents and leaders to invest in the structures. In fact, children's groups supported by CRS conducted a study on safe drinking water in the coastal villages of Chertala and South Panchayat.

The children tested 112 samples of public drinking water from ponds, wells, municipal taps and the new rain collection tanks. Only 1 percent of the samples came from the new tanks because communities didn't have access to them. Most water collected by the children was found to be contaminated. Notably, water collected from the rain water harvesting structures was contamination-free.

The children's groups presented their findings to women's self help groups, parent-teacher associations and community authorities. They convinced leaders to safeguard the local drinking water and promote building more rain water harvesting structures. Several local newspapers published the children's research findings.

"We never knew that water we drink is polluted until the children from our village proved that it is contaminated and unsafe for drinking," said one community member.

CRS and its partners have constructed nearly 500 new rain collection tanks on the Kerala coast. The structures are changing lives. And they are completely reliant on, and safe for, the natural environment.

Thomas and Elisa now have enough water for their family of six, plus enough to share with others who are in need. The best part is that their water is now fully contamination-free — a treasure made possible by a rainy day.

Anna Hrybyk joined CRS India in 2003 as a fellow and now works as CRS' deputy state representative in Chennai. Anna manages programs in tsunami response, HIV and AIDS, women and child protection and disaster preparedness, with expertise in water and sanitation technology.