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Water at last
Wednesday November 5, 2003 - Volume
5 Issue no 5 - West Side Plus - Complimentary to the readers of
The Times of India in Navi Mumbai
Water at
last!
Social Organisation rids
four parched panvel villages of water shortage
By K V Krishna Rajendra - Panvel
Taluka
About 20 kms from
Panvel nestle the remote hilly hamlets of Tarpatti, Kombaltekdi,
Maldunge and Satyechiwadi. Though during the monsoons, months the
few wells yield water, they run dry for the rest of the year. The
women tread great distances, balancing pots atop their heads, to
procure drinking water for their family. The idea of running water
tapes and piped water remained a pipe dream to the neglected
villagers here.
This dry dismal scenario faded out of sight after a formal
inauguration marking the success of their "Water Project" on
November 2nd set up about eight months back by the Sri Sathya Sai
Seva Organisation (SSSSO), Mumbai, a spiritual social service
organisation. At each of the four villages, brand new red metal
taps gushed out thick steady stream of water even as villagers
looked on chanting ecstatic "Sai Rams" thank to the eight month
long attruistic efforts of the enterprising Youth Wing members of
the SSSSO, who have finally turned to reality the hitertho
seemingly easier-said-than-done idea of providing round-the-clock
piped water supply through taps at various water points. The water
project will benefit about a thousand villagers.
Litesh Majethia, an active volunteer of the youth wing explains
about the project. " Our Panvel unit of SSSSO has been engaged in
various social service activities like free monthly medical check
up of the villagers for the last few years and in course of our
visits to the villagers, clued us on the severe water problem
these areas faced. And so we decided to take a shot at providing
piped water for these parched areas. Drawing from the previous
success last year in a similiar schemes for other Navi Mumbai
based dry villages like Dodhani, Khardi, Chafewadi etc, we took up
the cudgels for providing potable water for the four hamlets," he
said. A first round geological survey of Tarpatti, Kombaltekdi and
Satyechiwadi showed a dearth of a water source at high altitudes
until at the suggestion of a Nerul based geologists, they dug up a
spot at Maldunge village below and hit upon a rich water table,
which yielded water on digging as little as 30 feet at the first
go. This well is now the main fountainhead that channels water
through pipes to different water points fitted with taps in the
four hamlets.
But that wasn't the end of all problems. Kombaltekdi, which is
located at the highest altitude, appeared to require about two
kilometre long pipeline, which seemed to get uneconomical. They
finally got around the problem by giving the pipe the shortest
possible route of just one kilometre. the organisation has built a
20,000 litre capacity storage tank at the Kombaltekdi village
which will cater to the needs of the next door Satyechiwadi
village town. Another one that could store 10000 litres is
commissioned at Tarpatti which will take carte of the water needs
of Maldunge. HDPE pipes used in the project have been provided by
the Reliance group at a subsidised rate.
The project was a part of Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba's programme
of Grama Seva of selfless service to villages. The inauguration
was followed by free medical check up and distribution of medicine
to the villagers by the general physicians and doctors specialised
in various fields.
Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organisation, devoted to social service with a
spiritual core, was found under the guidance and inspiration of
spiritual leader Sri Sathya Sai Baba. From the first Sai Centre
started in India in 1965, its numbers have today risen to around
19,600 centres and spread over 137 countries.
For more information about the activities if SSSSO, contact Sai
Prem next to Balaji Temple, Sectore 10A, Vashi or call Nimish
Pandya on Mobile No 98 200 83696.
Sourced from:
http://pavanaputra.tripod.com/news/kom-project.htm
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