While acknowledging the need to have a special focus on the drinking water issues in the coastal salinity affected villages of Gujarat, especially in Saurashtra region, WASMO has launched a special initiative – Coastal Areas Drinking Water programme in different coastal districts. The plan proposed to actively engage the services and involvement of the local partner agencies, existing Implementing Support Agencies and communities in developing detailed village action plans for addressing the drinking water security in the quality affected coastal villages. Accordingly, WASMO has short listed 21 blocks in 9 coastal districts and 12 facilitating agencies to help in the planning processes, based on which funds would be leveraged from the on-going water supply programme to finance the implementation of these village action plans.

It is envisaged that based on a detailed community level discussion and geo-hydrological & technical survey of the villages an action oriented comprehensive village action plans will be developed for addressing the drinking water security.

All the NGOs / ISA’s involved will not only emphasize on the technical aspect while working on the salinity issue but also take facilitate linkages for implementation of sanitation measures both at the individual household level as well as at the village level, so that an overall development of the village takes place. The situation is dynamic in these coastal areas so there should be multiple local sources available for drinking water. Along with the existing programmes the plan will also needed to consider other alternative ideas for providing regular water which is safe and in adequate quantity. The severity of the problems is understood by the villagers hence they are prepared to contribute.

CSPC has entered into a partnership with WASMO in enhancing the programme activities in the selected 300 coastal villages, by bringing in additional resource support for:

The formal launch of the Coastal Areas Development Programme was done on 17th October, 2008 in the auditorium of Junagadh Agricultural University with Mr.V. S. Gadhvi (Secretary, Water Supply) as Chief Guest, Mr. Ashwini Kumar (Collector, Junagadh) and Mr. Jaipal Singh (CEO, WASMO) as the Guest of Honour.

More than 800 people’s representatives including village Sarpanch, women leaders, representatives from Implementing Support Agencies (ISA), & other officials participated in the project launch workshop.

The programme will be implemented through partner agencies to help in the planning processes and based on which funds would be leveraged from the on-going water supply programme to finance the implementation of these village action plans. The major activities involved would be enhancing community based decentralized water storage and supply systems, identification of local intervention for enhancing the alternate ground water sources in the villages, exploring possibilities of piloting non-conventional sources of energy for powering the water supply systems and improved sanitation measures at individual as well as village level. The project is to be implemented in the identified 300 villages over a 24 months time frame with an estimated budget of Rs. 73 crores with Contributions from WASMO and CSPC (leveraging support from Sir Ratan Tata Trust, Mumbai as part of the Kharash Vistarotthan Yojana), Community contribution amounting to a mandatory minimum of 10% and also dovetailing with other government supported projects.