Water, charity and what we have learned

During their time as WaterHarvest interns over the last few months, Robert Tucker and Molly Joyce have learned a great deal about the work of the charity and the transformative impact of clean water. Here, they discuss their experience and the knowledge they have gained at WaterHarvest.

Robert:

Water is an essential part of life, but the average British person probably doesn’t consider the possibility of being unable to have access to it easily. Through creating and managing blog posts for WaterHarvest,

The severe drought in Dholavira and the significance of Water Harvesting

How are the Water Harvesting works in Dholavira village helping reduce the troubles of people and animals during a serious drought?

The Rann, of Kutch, is situated in the western part of the India. This region has been considered one of the hottest places in the country, with the maximum temperature having been recorded at 49.5° C. Dholavira is an ancient village in the Rann region and is part of the ‘Khadir Bet’, which consists of twelve villages and various ‘Vandhs’

Why is the monsoon so important?

With the monsoon set to arrive in Rajasthan in the next fortnight, we look at what makes it so important.

With the rain seen in the UK over the last week, it’s hard to imagine the heatwave currently going on in India as they wait for the arrival of the south-west monsoon. These rains typically account for 90% of Rajasthan’s annual rainfall but are not guaranteed. In this week’s blog, we look at how important the monsoon is and what we, at WaterHarvest, can do about the increasing unpredictability of weather to ensure enough water for all.

Going behind-the-scenes

Financial management might not be glamorous, but is the key to WaterHarvest’s impact

This week’s blog highlights the importance of financial management and the role of Dinesh Sharma, the finance manager in our India office. Whilst Dinesh’s work is often in the background, it is fundamental to ensuring the impact of our donors’ money is maximised. At WaterHarvest, we continually evaluate our systems and processes to ensure strong financial management, whilst also trying to make reporting simple for our partners.

On the ground in India

Dinesh Sharma has been finance manager of WaterHarvest India for 12 years.

Our first ever UNESCO Water Conference

Water can be a source of conflict. It should be a source of peace.

This week our CEO, Nicola Floyd, attended the UNESCO International Water Conference in Paris. With over 37 government ministers, 1,000 scientists and water experts, 126 countries and many young people represented, this was an opportunity to take stock of how much progress has been made in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6: Water and Sanitation for all. Currently, over 1.8 billion lack access to clean water and there are five million deaths from waterborne diseases every year. As the astronaut Ron Garan said when he looked down on earth,

Handpumps – small but significant

Somendra Sharma, WaterHarvest’s India Office Programme Manager, explains why handpumps are so important

In regions facing a water deficit, Roof Rain Water Harvesting Structures (RRWHS) are a vital way of providing cleaner drinking water to families in our project villages. However, the safety of this water must be ensured – improving the quality of the water is as important as increasing the quantity. Handpumps, therefore, play a vital role in making the water from a RRWHS safer, and this blog explains how the two solutions can work in tandem.

The next year

WaterHarvest’s Chair, Neil Mehta, looks to the year ahead

With the end of the fiscal year in March, Spring is always a time when, at WaterHarvest, we look to the year ahead. This is always an exciting time – where we take our heads out of the spreadsheets and look at the bigger picture. Where do we want to be in one year’s time?  In five year’s time? In ten year’s time? We continually think about the people we are trying to help, how things are changing for them and how we can best help as many of them as possible.

The life-changing impact of clean water

The story of Shravan Lal’s family shows how clean water can transform lives

In 2014 we wrote a piece about Shravan Lal, a farmer whose involvement in one of our projects allowed him to install a rainwater harvesting system in his home. Five years later, it is clear that this solution has had a huge impact on not only his life, but those of his daughters. Here, we highlight the potential of clean water and long-term, sustainable solutions for changing the lives of families in rural India and breaking the cycle of poverty.

Thoughts from the field

Om Prakash Sharma, WaterHarvest’s India director, shares his views on the charity’s achievements eighteen years after joining

It was exactly 18 years ago, on 1st April 2001, that I joined WaterHarvest. The journey has been an inspirational and motivating one. When I look back at all these years I always think how lucky I am that I got the job which I love: supporting the poorest of poor with compassion and love, but above all working with an organisation which has a very strong ethos and values. This is a very rare combination.

Wise Water Solutions in Rajasthan

WaterHarvest’s collaborative book is available now

Across the Indian state of Rajasthan, the local people have developed a profound understanding about water and a wealth of wisdom concerning its management. The water management solutions represent the distilled wisdom of centuries of innovation, closely adapted to local needs, changing climatic, geographical and cultural conditions and the ways that people collaborate for survival and wellbeing. Now, WaterHarvest and its partners in the UK and India have drawn attention to thirty different water harvesting structures in their collaborative book, Wise Water Solutions in Rajasthan,