Case study on community based water quality surveillance and monitoring under the CDD-WATSAN Project : district: Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh

UNICEF launched a CDD-WATSAN project in rural areas of Allahabad District, Uttar Pradesh, India, to bring down the infant mortality rate due to diarrhoeal diseases. The project, implemented in two blocks (Holagarh and Soraon) of Allahabad District, initiated a number of sanitation promotion activities such as village contact drives to create awareness among villagers about the importance of safe drinking water, personal hygiene and environmental sanitation; the distribution of IEC materials; handwashing campaigns; and ORS demonstration programmes. This report studies a water quality surveillance and monitoring programme also developed under this project. For the study, 22 samples of water sources including India Mark II and III handpumps, shallow boring handpumps and wells were collected from 11 villages and procedures for the tests as well as the results of questionnaires used to assess the samples are contained in this report. A detailed analysis is made of the safety of these water sources from both Holagarh Block and Soraon Block. Salient features of the project and problems encountered in implementing the water quality surveillance initiative are outlined. The study found that India Mark II handpumps are the safest and most reliable source of drinking water but that it is necessary to maintain cleanliness around the handpump to ensure water safety. The project was initially implemented for six months in1995. After a gap of six months, it was restarted in 1996 in a cluster of 30 villages in both blocks where WATSAN committees, caretakers and mechanics had been trained. The study found a greater level of awareness, participation and enthusiasm in villages where further activities have been undertaken. In villages where no further activities were continued, awareness levels have declined and people have reverted to using water from unimproved sources. This highlights the importance of continuing activities after the first phase of a project is completed in order to preserve momentum. The report also stresses the need to disseminate results of the water quality surveillance process among community members, to discuss the causes of contamination and to take remedial action, to train WATSAN committee members to undertake water quality testing, and to encourage the participation of women in this initiative.