Tap water in tribal homes in a Maharashtra village
Fr. Errol Fernandes SJ has undertaken a new project for the people of Savarde, a village in Palghar district, to spare women a dangerous trek to collect water. The next step will be to improve the local school.
Nashik (AsiaNews) – Fr Errol Fernandes, rector of the Shrine of the Infant Jesus in Nashik (Maharashtra) is undertaking a new challenge, the “Savarde water project”, aimed at installing at least one water tap in each house in Savarde, a village inhabited by 150 tribal families, Palghar district, some 75 km from Nashik.
Three tribal communities live in perfect harmony in the village, however, “often there is no electricity and so water cannot be pumped from the Vaitarna River into the village’s lower and upper wells,” Fr Fernandes explained. There is “water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink,” he added.
While the men of Savarde are away from the village looking for work, the women have to go down a dangerous ravine for some 800 metres to get water to drink, cook and wash, which they carry in pots on their heads with children in their arms.
Most women have to do this at least four times a day, every day, walking along the cliff, to get three or four pots of water.
“For this reason, the Jesuits at the Shrine of the Infant Jesus are working to ensure that there is at least one tap in each of the 150 houses in this village”, Fr Fernandes said.
“To meet this challenge, we plan to install a solar panel, which will generate electricity. Water will be pumped into the lower and upper wells and so be available through the village's five common taps. The estimated cost of the project is 2 million rupees” (about US$ 26,500).
After speaking with locals, Fr Errol is thinking about another project for this community.
Savarde has a Marathi language school with 37 village children. Some families, however, send their children to a government school, far away, where they stay in hostels.
The new project is to "invest in the talent and potential of the village children" by improving the village school.
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