India – Construction of tanks and latrines in the Thar Desert

Construction of tanks and latrines in the Thar Desert

Status: Completed | Number of beneficiaries: more than 2000 children, more than 500 families

Project duration: 2017/2022, 6 years

Location: Thar Desert, Rajasthan, India

Project financed under a framework agreement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Local partner

Founded in 1971, His Highness Maharaja Hanwant Singhji Charitable Trust (HHMHSCT) is a foundation leading development activities in the state of Rajasthan. Its actions focus mainly on access to drinking water, the fight against drought, strengthening the capacity of women and improving the health and hygiene conditions of the population. PADEM and the HHMHSCT started their partnership in 2005, and have since realized several projects together, including projects for access to water and sanitation.

The problem

Jodhpur district is the gateway to the Thar Desert. The regions of Bap and Phalodi, in the West of the district, are strongly affected by the lack of natural resources, and in particular by the lack of water, which has many consequences for the inhabitants: the prevalence of waterborne diseases is very high Food security is not assured, and women, traditionally in charge of household chores, spend a considerable amount of time each day fetching water.

Objectives / Activities

The strategy adopted in the project is to act on both access to water and sanitation and knowledge of hygiene practices, in order to ensure sustainable improvement of the living conditions of the inhabitants. Activities put in place:

• Construction of latrines / showers
• Construction of water tanks
• Beneficiary training: the beneficiaries are strongly involved in the project because they contribute to the costs of the materials and carry out the works themselves. They are trained and followed throughout the realization by an engineer and coordinators of the foundation. This participatory method ensures that the project meets a real need expressed by the beneficiaries and a sustainable maintenance of the infrastructures.
• Sensitization of the inhabitants to the hygiene in a continuous way during all the duration of the project

Beneficiaries

More than 2000 children, more than 500 families.

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