*Y.C.* Health awareness & micro-utility services through retail distribution of mineral drinking water by women joint liability
Location
Women in developing countries spend an average of six hours per day collecting water — time that could be spent in child care and parenting, learning, or working. This project primarily addresses the basic health care, sanitation and malnutrition of mother and child in socio-economically challenged and ecologically fragile areas.. Having known that India needs 2.5 billion USD only for micronutrient deficiency in rural women, we focus on mineral nutrition to women in general and expecting mothers in particular through a revenue generating retail chain of mineral fortified safe drinking water. Improved water and sanitation have been demonstrated to lead to significant reductions in morbidity and mortality with almost immediate impact. The estimated return on every dollar invested in improved water and sanitation is US$7 - US$34. Thus improving drinking water quality would doubly ensure micronutrient deficiency eradication and healthcare in women and infants.
Theme of the project is to install obligatory hygienic practices for protecting the infants and children against diseases and women malnutrition by involving especially women into a revenue linked health awareness program that would be supported by micro-utility services for supplying mineral fortified safe drinking water to the remote areas by Self Help Units (SHU) at a price affordable by poorest of the poor. Revenue thus generated would act as an incentive to guarantee supply of mineral fortified safe drinking water and promote hygienic practices for children. Health awareness programme will be the marketing tool for water retailing. Group Micro Health Insurance coverage for the self help unit cooperative members would be a coherent feature of the program towards risk spreading and health awareness.
About You
Section 1: About You
First Name
Amrita
Last Name
Chatterjee
Website
Organization
South Asian Forum for Environment
Country
India, WB
Are you an individual between the ages of 18 and 35 who would like to apply for a nine month Young Champions Program mentored by an Ashoka Fellow?
Yes
Section 2: About Your Organization
Organization Name
South Asian Forum for Environment
Organization Website
Organization Phone
00913324168104
Organization Address
B43, 2nd Floor, Survey park, Kolkata 700075 WB India
Organization Country
India, WB
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Your idea
Name Your Project
*Y.C.* Health awareness & micro-utility services through retail distribution of mineral drinking water by women joint liability
Country your work focuses on
India, WB
Describe Your Idea
Women in developing countries spend an average of six hours per day collecting water — time that could be spent in child care and parenting, learning, or working. This project primarily addresses the basic health care, sanitation and malnutrition of mother and child in socio-economically challenged and ecologically fragile areas.. Having known that India needs 2.5 billion USD only for micronutrient deficiency in rural women, we focus on mineral nutrition to women in general and expecting mothers in particular through a revenue generating retail chain of mineral fortified safe drinking water. Improved water and sanitation have been demonstrated to lead to significant reductions in morbidity and mortality with almost immediate impact. The estimated return on every dollar invested in improved water and sanitation is US$7 - US$34. Thus improving drinking water quality would doubly ensure micronutrient deficiency eradication and healthcare in women and infants.
Theme of the project is to install obligatory hygienic practices for protecting the infants and children against diseases and women malnutrition by involving especially women into a revenue linked health awareness program that would be supported by micro-utility services for supplying mineral fortified safe drinking water to the remote areas by Self Help Units (SHU) at a price affordable by poorest of the poor. Revenue thus generated would act as an incentive to guarantee supply of mineral fortified safe drinking water and promote hygienic practices for children. Health awareness programme will be the marketing tool for water retailing. Group Micro Health Insurance coverage for the self help unit cooperative members would be a coherent feature of the program towards risk spreading and health awareness.
Website URL
Innovation
What makes your idea unique?
Demand of safe drinking water never shows regression.Proposed model is a win-win condition in the given situation as it is sustained by local women entrepreneurship and increased demand of safe water on one hand while ensures empowerment, health consciousness and social integrity on the other.Principal sustainability factor goes beyond the fiscal benefits & encompasses aspects that enrich women health and human resource potentials. Women under the program would preach health awareness for retailing water and thus would practice the same for her child's health. This would otherwise have immense impact and sustained growth of the program. Perusal of survey reports from other states of India reveals a growth rate of 100-120 percent in the first two years followed by 70-80 percent in the consecutive years. The women in the rural area show an adoption of 30 percent initially which randomly increases to 65 percent within 3 months. The given situation and proposed project area would show still better response owing to the vulnerable socio-economic condition.
The idea is distinctive because this water sells at 20 Indian paisa (0.004USD) per litre. Open can water sells at INR 1 (0.02USD) /L & bottled mineral water/L sells at INR 15 (0.30 USD). This is an innovation model, not only providing good water at the price poorest of the poor can afford and also generating revenue through retail chain supply and distribution.
Do you have a patent for this idea?
Impact
This Entry is about (Issues)
What impact have you had?
The significant impacts and socio-economic changes are as below:
a) Social Change
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(i) Attitude change in community to be measured in a six point scale before and after the installation of the project.
(ii) Formation of expected number of SHU and agreement for developing a water-cooperative out of these groups.
(iii) Community preparedness for environmental or health disasters in terms of disaster management groups formed, volunteers listed and dry-run made.
(iv) Capacity building measured in terms of number of beneficiaries trained and assessment and review reports from workshops held.
(v) Change in community behavior assessed through development of keenness towards education and health of infants (especially girl child), reduction in child labour and social abuse.
b) Improvement of health & sanitation conditions
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(i) Health awareness and improved sanitation conditions will be trekked through medical camps, vaccination programs, number of community sanitation units, attitude change towards use of safe drinking water etc.
(ii) Behavioral change and participatory approach of beneficiaries in community driven health programs like micro health insurance scheme, vaccination program etc.
c) Financial sustainability
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(i) Bank linkage and maintenance of personal savings account.
(ii) Percentage increase in per capita income through alternate economic opportunity.
(iii) Micro finance and soft loan issuance to beneficiaries for further growth and financial sustainability.
Problem
1. Getting a low cost green technology water treatment facility for assuring better fiscal support to the women. the existing technology is little priced in context to the installation of the plant.
2. Surface water harvesting system needs to be aligned with the programme for better success. This would need convergence of resources.
Actions
Significant steps taken by my organization to facilitate the project are
1. Negotiating for a low cost solar powered technology for water treatment and mineral fortification.
2. Monitoring the TDS of the product water for health as WHO standard withought compromising with the taste as that would be a point of community rejection.
3. The actual micronutrients and levels range per litre is described below:
a. Iron:0.3 m.g/L
b. Calcium:55-65 m.g/L
c. Soduim: 200 mg/L
d. Magnesium:1.0 mg/L
e. Zinc:3.0 mg/L
f. Fluoride:1.5 mg/L
Prime concerns for rural women here are anemia, weak bone & micro-nutrient deficiency especially in lactating mothers being addressed in water following WHO guidelines, helps in raising the TDS, required value. Fluoride 1.5 mg/L, is for sugar intake is very low in community, further, this prevents dental fragility and infections.
4.Increasing SHG training activities on soft skill so that the retail chain could be sustained.
5. Developing a monitoring body to assure equity and product quality by involving local civic bodies.
6. Resource mobilization and convergence for rain water harvesting programmes along with this project.
Results
Project would provide WHO recommended safe drinking water to cover at the minimum 15000 households and would sustain 25-60 Self Help Units through collected user fees and micro-utility service charges by a retail chain supply of potable drinking water. It would help develop awareness about health, hygiene and sanitation, mineral nutrition for mother and child and necessity of safe drinking water for the family health. The model would comprise of an SHU cooperative having around 240 members who will be covered for group micro-health insurance facility. The project would expectedly assure an alternative economic opportunity towards poverty alleviation, spread health risk of beneficiaries, and bring attitude change in the locality for better living and lifestyle. The beneficiaries will have the social assurance to settle into a normal life from a traumatic fragile condition that they suffered as environmental refugees.
What will it take for your project to be successful over the next three years? Please address each year separately, if possible.
First year success will depend on
1. Social attitude change about health and nutrition so that everyone understand that strong mother means a strong family.
2. Prioritizing water as a purchaseable commodity of significant importance in the society is also a success factor which will be acquired through health awareness only.
Second Year Success will depend on
1. Unique coordination of retail supply chain.
2. assured quality and taste of supplied water.
3. Pronounced health impact.
3rd year success will depend upon
1. Assured returns on sale.
2. Increasing demand of SHU water.
3. Avoidance of technical problems, environmental hazards and health crisis.
What would prevent your project from being a success?
Project barriers will be
1. Non-availability of surface water sources and severe draught or flood.
2. Technical failure of the treatment plant.
3. Unforseen health hazards in the area.
4. Breakage of women led retail supply chain.
How many people will your project serve annually?
More than 10,000
What is the average monthly household income in your target community, in US Dollars?
Less than $50
Does your project seek to have an impact on public policy?
Yes
Sustainability
What stage is your project in?
Operating for less than a year
Is your organization a
Non‐profit/NGO/citizen sector organization
Is your initiative connected to an established organization?
If yes, provide organization name.
How long has this organization been operating?
More than 5 years
Does your organization have a Board of Directors or an Advisory Board?
Yes
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with NGOs?
Yes
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with businesses?
Yes
Does your organization have a non-monetary partnerships with government?
Yes
Please tell us more about how these partnerships are critical to the success of your innovation.
These partnerships would be critical in the following ways
1, Technology transfer
2. Seed grant allocation
3. Grant for soft skill development.
4. Supply of subsidized solar panels under national solar mission.
What are the three most important actions needed to grow your initiative or organization?
1. Obtain social assurance and acceptance at the grassroots.
2. Execellent team synergy and dedication
3. Resource mobilization and convergence.
The Story
What was the defining moment that you led to this innovation?
I was working in deltaic sunderbans after it was hit by Cyclone 'Aila'. I have seen the scarcity of water and while conducting the medical relief camp I experienced the malnutrition in the mother and child. The first thing that came to my mind was that the nutrient deficiency, especially micronutrients must be tagged to some object which is a bare necessity. whereas, the patients referred mostly about troubles or health problems related to anti-nutritional factors or noxious materials in drinking water. That was the time I thought that water should be the media for caring micronutrition and it should also fetch revenue so that community develops sponteneous interest in the supply and use of it. The same thing prevailed when I visited high hills of Bhutan where mostly women are anaemic and drink contaminated water. even in areas of east Kolkata Wetlands where the first plant was started the near about slums were getting water with arsenic contaminations. I thought even removal of antinutrients is also a value addition to the nutritional factor of water. Though it us said that water has no nutritional factor, but we all know bad water is much more worse than bad food.
Tell us about the social innovator behind this idea.
The social innovator behind this idea is our CHAIR Dr Dipayan Dey. He is a a renouned social worker and environmental activist. he is the recepient of UNEP Kasumiguara Award and was the Times of India LEAD INDIA Finalist.
How did you first hear about Changemakers?
Web Search (e.g., Google or Yahoo)
If through another, please provide the name of the organization or company
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 | amikino said: Thank you Rebeka! You are right, water network in India is strong and women including teenage girls spend hours in collecting water for ... about this Competition Entry. - 692 days ago read more > |
| rebeka said: Congrats Amirta I read the story and comments you posted. In india water network is strong. if women can get a share (which I belive ... about this Competition Entry. - 694 days ago read more > |
| amikino updated this Competition Entry. - 702 days ago |
| amikino said: Well, feels so nice to answer such wonderful questions everytime, the planning goes like- wherever power is available, installation cost ... about this Competition Entry. - 702 days ago read more > |
| sinhaaks said: Wonderful thought Amrita! Execellent!! I am really surprised to see the innovation in your revenue generating awareness model. that too ... about this Competition Entry. - 703 days ago read more > |
| storrsb2 said: Sweet that sounds great. You are really thinking this out. Just keep putting all of your information up on the main page so they see ... about this Competition Entry. - 703 days ago read more > |
| amikino updated this Competition Entry. - 703 days ago |
| amikino updated this Competition Entry. - 703 days ago |
| amikino updated this Competition Entry. - 703 days ago |
| amikino updated this Competition Entry. - 703 days ago |
Comments
Good job on getting water to those in need, I understand that it is often hard to come by clean reliable water. I have a couple questions that I'd like to see more information on in our entry.
1. What exactly is in your water that makes it better for mothers?
2. Where are the majority of people currently getting their drinking water? Are there other brands selling water?
3. What is the water currently selling for?
Thanks Jake for your questions, as these are very important issues.I will answer one by one.
1. The water that we provide is having a balanced TDS (say 200 to 250) which is as per WHO norms. The bottled mineral water has a TDS varrying from 20 to 50, which may backfire on the osmoregulatory system and that would be harmful for mothers especially those who are feeding. We also give adequet dosing of minerals without compromising with the taste after RO process to build up the TDS. this helps the micronutrient supply. And as you know Good water itself is the first priority for the mom and the child.
2. majority of the poor people in the area where I am working are getting water from Public Health Division Supply which is often contaminated and the mothers spend half of the day to collect it over a long que and longer distance. Few people sell that water in 20 liters open cans and they charge exorbitantly from the people. Yes other brands of bottle mineral waters are also available but my community people cant afford to purchase it.
3. This water that I am talking about sells at the rate of 20 Indian paisa (0.004 USD) per liter. Open can water sells at INR1(0.02 USD)and bottled mineral water sells at INR15 (0.30 USD).
Please let me know if you have other queries.
Regards
First I would suggest to put all of the answers to the last questions on your main page because the competition will never read the comments section. You want all of the information possible on your idea to be considered.
My question is still what actual nutrients are in the water and how much of each nutrient is there?
My other question is who will produce this water,where will this water be made, and how much does it cost to make?
Thanks for your pertinent questions and suggestion.
Ans 1:
The micronutrients and levels range per litre is described below:
1. Iron: 0.3 m.g/L
2. Calcium: 55-65 m.g/L
3. Soduim: 200 mg/L
4. Magnesium: 1.0 mg/L
5. Zinc: 3.0 mg/L
6. Fluoride: 1.5 mg/L
The prime concern for rural women in global south is general anemia, weak bones and micro-nutrient deficiency like Selenium and Magnesium in lactating mothers. Initially, this is addressed in the supplied water following WHO guidelines; the level range is acceptable as per WHO recommendations and helps in raising the TDS, required value. For Fluoride 1.5 mg/L, is because sugar intake is very low in community in this area, further, this will help prevent dental fragility and infections.
Ans 2) Water is produced by SAFE, a civil society organization working in the Indian eco-region for sustainable development. This water is currently being made at East Kolkata Wetlands, only Ramsar site of West Bengal, and Sunderbans villages from rain water harvesting and surface water resources. Only the production cost is 0.004USD per litre.
Congrats Amirta
I read the story and comments you posted. In india water network is strong. if women can get a share (which I belive will happen with your project) it would really mean empowerment. when politicians in your country are busy with women bill in parliamentary institutions, your effort in grassroot would really mean economic liberation for women.
Great effort. Keep us informed.
Rebeka
Thank you Rebeka! You are right, water network in India is strong and women including teenage girls spend hours in collecting water for the family. For poor, access to clean drinking water is extremely limited and vast population in rural sector as well as in highly populated urban fringes suffers from water borne diseases. In country like India,the very existence of women is embedded in water and as a prime stakeholder she deserves all socio-economic benefits in any water deal. Thanks for understanding it so deeply.
Sweet that sounds great. You are really thinking this out. Just keep putting all of your information up on the main page so they see how thought out this is! Good luck!
Wonderful thought Amrita! Execellent!!
I am really surprised to see the innovation in your revenue generating awareness model. that too in rural curtains. I have one question and that is about the technology. If you are trying it in a very remote area like the Sunderbans or high hills of north eastern states where power is a big deal...how shall you run the plant in a cost effective way? Can it run on solar or wind energy?
Keep up...
Wish you the crown of a changemaker Amrita.
Well, feels so nice to answer such wonderful questions everytime, the planning goes like- wherever power is available, installation cost is low and the cost benefit analysis certifies the price. Where power is not available we install solar system for which installation cost goes little bit on the higher side, but it comes as one time investment, apart from nominal maintenance charges.