Access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation facilities is one of the main public health issues in this region. There is a growing water crisis in the region and water contamination is the biggest cause of illness in the villages, especially during the summer and monsoon season. The natural growth in population, the construction boom and the growing importance of the region as a tourist destination coupled with a decrease in rainfall have led to springs drying up while the demand on existing sources of water is increasing. Other factors such as the health of the forests, the location and density of villages, the livestock, and the water management all have an impact on the quantity and quality of water for domestic use.

Chirag works with local communities to improve access to water resources by repairing existing sources, digging percolation pits, laying pipelines, building rainwater harvesting tanks and community water tanks. More recently, Chirag launched the Spring Recharge Program. The goal of this initiative is to enhance the recharge of springs in the region by adopting a hydro-geological approach to understand the movement of water underground and by planning measures to increase infiltration in a more strategic manner. If you are interested in knowing more about this project, please refer to the Spring Recharge section of the Website, under Natural Resource Management.

We also encourage the construction of proper sanitation facilities in the villages such as latrines and soak pits to prevent contamination of water sources. Along with latrines, we encourage villagers to build a bathroom to provide some privacy for women. In addition, we test the water sources in the villages we work in and inform families about ways to purify water such as boiling and using chlorine.

Finally, we organize regular Health camps to promote health and sanitation at the village level.