Village is entirely dependent on groundwater for its potable and non-potable uses and this has helped make their water source sustainable
Clean streets as a result of solid and liquid waste management practices in Ibrahimpur village (All photos: Ravi Kumar, CSE) India marks 75 years of her independence August 15, 2022. In these 75 years, it has become a fully-functional democracy.
A democracy is all about the power of the people. Down To Earth celebrates the power of the people of India by presenting a collection of 10 villages and districts across India where people have worked to radically improve their lot through better solutions for drinking water and sanitation.
Ibrahimpur village (also considered a Gram Panchayat) lies in Narayanraopet block, Siddipet district, Telangana.
It was the first model village in the state to practise grey water management by construction of soak pits in individual household premises.
Ibrahimpur village has 273 households and a population of 1,200. Grey water from kitchens and bathrooms led to open drains, causing stagnation of wastewater in the village.
During heavy showers, overflowing drains, wastewater stagnation and inaccessible pathways were a common sight.
Dumping of solid waste on village roads made the situation worse. Mosquito breeding was common and cases of dengue and malaria were noted during the monsoons.
The state and the district worked together to develop a strategy for management of grey water in the village. In 2014, in view of the health effects of grey-water management, Finance Minister of Telangana Tanneru Harish Rao adopted the village.
In 2015, a pilot soak pit was constructed at water-collection points (hand pumps and overhead tanks) where there was water stagnation.
The soak pit ensured that there was no water stagnation around water-usage points. In the same year, post-construction of pilot soak pit, district officials geared up to create awareness campaigns in the village with the support of political leadership, self-help and youth groups.
Yellareddy, ex-member of Gram Panchayat, motivated individual households to construct magic soak pits and communities to plant saplings near the soak pits. Every household constructed a soak pit within four to five months after construction of the pilot soak pit.
Overall, 273 individual soak pits and three community soak pits were constructed in 2015–16. The magic soak pits are constructed along with inspection chambers, which trap solid waste entering the soak pit.
The soak pits are covered to prevent debris from entering. Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) officials helped local masons design and construct the soak pits.
The roads of Ibrahimpur are clean and without any visible solid waste. The streets have plants and trees on either side.
In 2013-14, before the soak pits were constructed, around 50-60 per cent of the population suffered from diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and viral fever. This year — 2022 — the figure has come down to just 1 per cent.
All the open drains have been covered in the village. Households also allow rainwater from the roof into the soak pits in order to improve the groundwater recharge in the area.
The village is entirely dependent on groundwater for its potable and non-potable uses and this has helped make their water source sustainable.
Funds from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) were used for the construction of soak pits. In 2015, the fund allocated under this scheme for the construction was Rs 4,450, this was increased in November 2021 to Rs 6,500 per soak pit.
Likewise, the cost allocation for the community soak pits was also increased from Rs 14,420 per soak pit to Rs 16,500 per soak pit.
The fund allocation was revised in November 2021 keeping in view the increased cost of construction materials and labourers. This increase in allocation also motivated the communities to construct soak pits.
The implementation programme for soak pits was scaled up to the district level. The district authorities, with the support of the panchayats and communities in the villages, constructed 49,151 magic soak pits by the February 2022 out of 56,393 sanctioned so far.
Household owners take care of individual soak pits. They monitor the inspection chamber constructed before the soak pits. An overflow from this chamber indicates that the soak pit is clogged.
The owner then cleans the soak pit to make it functional. Mandal Panchayat officials convey awareness messages to the communities about periodic cleaning. The Gram Panchayat cleans the community soak pits whenever the soak pits are clogged and non-functional.
This is a part of Water Compendium published by the Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi
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