Water Supply Scheme in Gangles

Gangles Single City

Water Supply at -30 Degrees Celsius

• Basic Needs of Citizens – Residents of Gangles were unable to access water for drinking and other household consumption for six months of the year because of lack of infrastructure and technology. The burden of carrying water from springs or uncertain public tankers fell disproportionally on the children and the elderly. Often, they had to travel up to a kilometre in steep terrain and extremely cold temperatures to get water
• Responsibility of ULBs to provide basic services – The 74th constitutional amendment mandates water supply as one of the 13 basic services to be provided by the ULBs to its residents. Also, the right of every citizen to a dignified life in enshrined boldly in the Indian Constitution. Regular water supply is key to a dignity of life.

1.Developed Sustainable Source – Ground Water
2.Pipeline Laid Below Frozen Depth
3.Insulation - Heat Tracing Cable to prevent freezing
4.Grey Water Management

1.Building an attitude of Problem Solving: To learn from experiences of others, Municipal and PHE staff visited Hubli, Malkhapur and Shimla which have successful 24x7 water supply. German and Canadian engineers provided inputs on cold climate engineering, and workshops were conducted in Leh and Kargil so local PHE engineers could understand intricacies of 24x7 systems and design one for local conditions.

Community myth was a major challenge faced during the execution of this project
The entire project was designed keeping the community at the centre. Focus was community driven change. The steps taken were as follows:

• A committee of senior community members was established which was a critical decision-making body during the entire process. This ensured that the design of the project reflected the voice of the community.
• Regular stakeholder meetings were conducted to ensure that all stakeholders were brought on the same platform at frequent intervals.
• Community ownership was brought in by passing on cost of certain elements of the project to the committee. For examples pipe insulation for property boundary wall to the household had to be borne by individual households, thereby ensuring buy-in of the individuals and the community for the project
• Regular updates of the project were disseminated through WhatsApp groups and small workshops.

The project was conceived and delivered as community driven change. The steps taken were:

1. Community lead decision- A committee of senior members was established which was a critical decision-making body during the entire process
2. Exposure visit- different community and decision makers were taken on exposure visit to pilot project in Gangles, India and abroad
3. Trainings- conducted trainings on management and technical operation
4. Video and telecast through different forums –TV, social media platform was used to communicate about the project.

Community contribution and transparency was key of success factor of this project.

After 2 years of implementation, the following process improvements are clearly visible.

Uninterrupted water supply :