Recommendations To Administration

Regional Seminar – Recommendations ‘Water and the Island’s Development’

Seminar held at Megapode Resort, Port Blair on 12 March 08

EHA-Andaman Water Project

CONTENTS

1. The Andaman Water Project 2. Water and the Island’s Development 3. Regional Seminar 4. Recommendations 5. Conclusion

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EHA-Andaman Water Project

Andaman Water Project

The Andaman Water Project (AWP) of the Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA) has been working on the issue of water in the Andaman group of Island since June 2007. The Andaman group of islands covers an area of 6,408 sq km and is also the more populous, with a population of 314,084 spread over 24 inhabited islands. Soon after the devastating tsunami of 2004, EHA initiated a tsunami rehabilitation project called the AshaSagar Project in the Andaman islands. During the general needs assessment undertaken for this project, the shortage of water and the non availability of potable drinking water emerged as the major need of the community. Based on a survey undertaken by a team of engineers commissioned by the Disaster Management Unit of EHA, a decision was taken to address this critical issue of water through a project specifically focussing on it. Thus the Andaman Water Project came into existence to address drinking water issues in the Andaman group of islands. These islands are covered under two adminstrative districts – North and Middle Andaman and South Andaman. The AWP target is to cover a population of 10,000 people in 30 villages located within both of these districts under the following objectives: Objectives: 1. Improve
quantity
quality and
proximity of drinking water to target population 2. Improve health of local population 3. Empower local communities to maintain and promote the systems 4. Advocate for improved water supply to island communities (outside target area)

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EHA-Andaman Water Project

Emmanuel Hospital Association’s Initiative Emmanuel Hospital Association organised series of stakeholder meetings and a competition on ‘Alternative models of water Augmenting’ followed by a Regional Seminar in Port Blair. The theme for all these gatherings was ‘Water and the Island’s Development’. Learning and inputs from the Stakeholders’ Meeting were carried to the Regional Seminar. The schedule for the competition & meetings was as given below: Competition date: Port Blair

6th Mar 2008

Stakeholders’ meeting
North Andaman Diglipur

1st Mar 2008

Middle Andaman Rangat Baratang

3rd Mar 2008 6th Mar 2008

The Regional Seminar Port Blair

12th Mar 2008




Emmanuel Hospital Association has it Head Quarters at, 808/92, Deepali Building, Nehru Place, New Delhi – 110019 Project Office Andaman Water Project # 10, Block 4, Island Nivas, Delanipur, Port Blair – 744102 Phone: 03192 238026

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EHA-Andaman Water Project

Water and the Island’s Development Background Paper

Water is Life. Yet at least 1.1 billion people lack access to safe water. Target 10 of the Millennium Development Goals is to halve the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 20151. Worldwide 6000 children die every day from disease related to water. India falls into the category of those countries where, by 2002, 48% of the population lacked access to improved drinking water sources. It ranks 120 in water quality and 133 in per capita availability. According to the 10th Five Year Plan, 161 million people in India do not have access to safe drinking water and there are148,515 habitations which are not covered by drinking water facilities. An attempt has been made here to survey the water situation in Andaman, a group of 24 islands with an area of 6408 sq.km. – of which 780 km2 falls under revenue land. Most of the matter herein is gained through the experience of the ‘Andaman Water Project’ of EHA for the past year in the two district of South Andaman and Middle and North Andaman. Rainwater Percentage of Total R ainfall

There is abundant rainfall with average annual precipitation of 3,100 mm. The Southwest Monsoon (May to October) predominates, though the northeast monsoon also brings some rain. Thus it gets some eight months of rainfall.

40% 35% 30% 25% 20%

A

15% 10% 5% 0% Jan-05

Apr-05

Jul-05

Oct-05

Jan-06

Apr-06

Jul-06

Oct-06

Thus a theoretical estimate indicates 1

Health, Dignity and Development: What Will It Take? UN Millennium Project Task Force on Water and Sanitation, Final Report, Abridged Edition. 2005. pg. 13

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EHA-Andaman Water Project

that this is about the 221 times the annual demand and if each person collects all the rainwater that falls on 2 sq have sufficient water throughout the year Area Land Description Rainfall Litres (sq km) Total area (incl. 6408 3100 17,878,320,000,000 Forest land)



Revenue area

780

3100

2,176,200,000,000

m, the area will Amount Excess 1814 times 221 times

The issue associated with rainwater harvesting is storage, especially for the quantity needed for the lean season. A disturbing fact in a survey done by the project team in Port Blair shows that 99% of the water harvesting tanks in schools do not function because of minor faults. With only a little mantainence these tanks could add to the storage capacity of water in Port Blair. Groundwater The project team is not aware of any study done on groundwater by relevant authorities. The Cental Groundwater Authority in its website mentions that groundwater has not been assesed in the Andaman Islands. The openwells used have an average depth of 15 feet. Such wells are unlikely to deliver potable water.

Feet

During the pilot phase of the project 9 hand pumps (tubewells) were instalted of which only 5 are delivering suffcient freshwater. 25 These drillings show that 20 the subsurface soil, sitting on hard formations, is in 15 Depth most cases shallow and of Average 10 types varying from silty clay to hard black clay. 5 Clay soils have low 0 permeability but high 1 4 6 42 porosity. This means that No of Wells these shallow depth of clay contains water but not enough to supply sufficient water during the dry season and most of the rain that falls on this surface is lost in the sea as surface runoff. These data compel us to consider constructing ponds with an accompanying shallow handpump as a good alternative method of gathering clean drinking water.

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EHA-Andaman Water Project

There are also indications that undergroung water levels have been disturbed after the tsunami due to the Burma microplate – on which the islands sits - hitting against the India plate, causing the islands to rise in southern Islands and slump in northern parts. This change in groundwater dynamics needs to be studdied and taken into consideration while planning appropiate water source for any place. Surface Water Surface water is the most commonly used water resource in the islands. The Andaman’s PWD has done a commendable job, especially when compared to their counterparts in the mainland, considering the difficulties of reaching the difficult terrain. They have connected about 70% of villages with a piped water system. Checkdams are constructed at several elevated springs that collect the water and supply water through the piped network. The fact that several sources are attached to the piped supply increases the availability of water; should one source dry up, other sources meet the water need. However, these sources are insufficient to provide water throughout the year. In many cases one pipe connection is shared between five or six households. Furthermore, many pipelines are old and rusted which reduces water quality and also reduces water avalability. The average daily water demand for the Andaman Islands is 120 3 approximately 27 100 million litres per day. A study by Zila 80 2 Parisad on Port Blair 60 shows only 40-50% 40 1 demand is met. 20 During rainy season the population 0 0 overcomes the 2006 2016 2026 2036 shortage by harvesting rainwater while rest of Supply Demand Population the year it is left thirsty. The situation in Port Blair is an example with about 50% shortage. Water supply is rationed and provided for few minutes from alternate days to once in a week. Population 100 thousand

Demand/ Supply 100 thousand Gallons

Port Blair Situation

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EHA-Andaman Water Project

Quality of Piped Water Sand bed filters and bleaching powder are used to treat water in the Island. There is lack of adequate treatment plants and water is not always adequately treated. This is evident from the colour / turbidity of water supplied especially during the eight months of rainy season . Effectively there is no quality monitoring system in place in the Island. It is a matter of serious concern calling for prompt action. Forests and Water

The islands are hilly and heavily covered with tropical rain forest (87% of Andaman surface area). Most of the freshwater sources are found in the forest. There are villages which are not piped that rely on these springs deep in the jungle. Villagers are forced to hike further (up to 2 hours each way) as the nearby sources dry up. Women are the most affected, spending several hours each day collecting water, particularly in the dry season. Stakeholder meetings indicate that opposed to popular opinion the Forest Department is open to working with the the PWD on the issue of accessing freshwater sources in the forest. Through a joint venture water sources in the forest could posibly be tapped to supply those living in the area. Disaster and Water

This area is prone to earthquakes (falls in Zone V), tsunamis, cyclones, landslides and floods. The devastating tsunami of 2004, crippled the system upto a month in some parts of the islands. Since then there have been 315 earthquakes & aftershocks in the Island measuring 5 or above on the Richter Scale. Are the systems then, greared to face future disasters or do we need to think about alternatives such decentralization of the water supply system and community management of water. Water and the Community

In the Andaman Islands the major player for water supply is the Public Works Department (PWD). The Zilla Parishads and Panchayts also play a part in supply at the local level. From the funds allocated to the them, the Panchayats create local initiatives such as digging katcha wells. Effective water suppy and maintainence could be gained at the local level if the Panchayats are empowered through training and allocation of sufficient funds to manage water.

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Regional Seminar

The Stakeholders’ Meetings culminated in a Regional Seminar held at Port Blair on the 12th of March 2008 at Megapode Resort. The theme of the day long Seminar, as that of the Stakeholders’ Meetings, was ‘Water and the Island’s Development’. The Seminar started at 9.00 a.m. and ended at 4:00 p.m. The purpose of the Regional Seminar was to bring people with experience to present their point before those in position of authority and capable of bringing change. The Chief Guest for the occasion was Shri Arvind Ray, Commissioner cum Secretary for Higher Education in the Andaman and Nicobar Administration. He also holds additional charge as Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Shri Arvind Ray appreciated the efforts of EHA to be so selflessly involved in the issues affecting the people of the island, especially the issue of water. He stated that since his arrival in the islands last august, he was faced with problem of severe water shortage in Port Blair town. He also mentioned the various water projects which were on in the island and the projects which were in the pipeline, like the submarine water channel from Rutland Island to Port Blair, the Reverse Osmosis Desalination Plant, etc. In the end he said the administration would welcome the resolution coming out of this Seminar and would look how they could be used. Ms. Miriam Bibi, Chairperson of the Zilla Parishad in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was the Guest of Honour talked about the schemes that the Zilla Parishad had to augment the water. The Key Experts during the seminar were
Dr. R.C. Srivastava, Director of the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI),
Er. Jenson Daniel, Head of Department, Civil Engineering Dept., B.R. Ambedkar Government Polytechnic,
Mrs. Rita, Lecturer, B.R. Ambedkar Government Polytechnic,







Er. S.C. Nath, Executive Engineer – Public Health Engineering Department and Er. S. Ganeshan, Assistant Engineer – Planning were among those who presented the paper Er. Abraham Dennyson, Project Manager, Andaman Water Project Mr. Rajesh Kashyap, Project Director ADRA, Nancowarie Water Project

The seminar ended with a open forum and group discussions which came up with the recommendations as you find in the end of this document.

Recommendations

1. Administration should make rainwater harvesting mandatory both for existing and new buildings in urban areas and promote it by way of subsidy and easy loans. 2. Ground water assessment needs to be done urgently and a Monitoring Body need to set up to regulate ground water extraction. 3. Watershed management should be taken up all over Andaman, including forest land. 4. Strengthen the existing water treatment system and put monitoring system in place to follow BIS guidelines on water. 5. The administration provides health and education services to encroachers and similarly there need for clean drinking water has to be met. 6. Empower & decentralize water supply system under PRIs 7. Introduce water meters to make users accountable. 8. Enhance Inter-departmental coordination and cooperation to expedite (Forest Department, PWD, Zilla Parishad and PRIs) to access and protect sources in forests using environmentally sustainable technology. 9. Strengthen regular maintenance of existing supply and storage systems to prevent wastage. 10. Measures need to be taken to protect supply sources from contamination including those in the juggles. 11. Promote awareness of relevant laws e.g. forest conservation act and scheduled tribes and forest dwellers (recognition of forest rights)

Conclusion

Water is Life. This oft repeated statement will never lose its essence or importance, especially in present day world scenario. So also in the Andaman archipelago, with its population of some 3.56 lakh, besides the additional tourist in-flow of some 75,000 per year! As mentioned earlier in this report, statistics show that the present municipal supply meets only about 40-50 % of the demand. Therefore to be able to cater just to the present population the system has to increase the supply by double. If the increase attributable to tourism and population growth is to be kept in mind, the present system has to augment its supply by at least 60-70 %. To be able to meet this challenge, the strategy should look at involvement of stakeholders, through the process of decentralisation – partial, if not complete. This would thus entail diversification of water sources and access for the remotest villages and settlements. Panchayati Raj Institutions, which are remarkable active in this part of the country, should be a more active player in the area of localised supply, quality management and maintenance. Across the lines during the stakeholders meeting people had agreed that access to potable drinking water is a right of every citizen including those who live in forest land. Government should rethink its policy of denying any drinking water facility rather in lines with primary education and health, potable water should be made available to these forest dwellers. Speaking of quality management and maintenance, this aspect too needs looking into. Quality monitoring system put in place and BIS guidelines need to be followed in supply system. Poor quality of the water supplied was an issue the emerged time and again in the course of meetings held with various stakeholders. Since water is an issue which involves many stakeholders, more so in this region where many departments of the State have a stake, it would be worthwhile for the administration to think of a high level Inter-Departmental Body to solely cater to the sustainable extraction and utilization of water. This body could consists of members from the Public Works Department (PWD) – the major player of water supply in the Island, the Forest Department, the Agriculture Department, Zilla Parishad and Panchayati Raj representatives and other necessary stakeholder. Such an independent body could also suggest and implement such laws and policy relevant for the sustainable usage of water, such as building laws making

rainwater harvesting structures mandatory, or awareness on sustainable use and storage of water in schools, etc. This body could also look at issue of right of ‘encroachers’ to water. This is vital as there is this sizeable chunk of population, especially in the target area of this Andaman Water Project, which belongs to this category but do not figure in Government plans and schemes. The beautiful islands of the Andamans are a heaven for many, and many come from far of taste of its splendour. But without adequate and safe water this heaven will lose its life – for WATER is LIFE!