Himmothan Pariyojana -(Empowering change)

Start with pretty pictures –greenery abundance- organized clean existence- happy faces.

V.O. 1– Life in this pristine Himalayan state of Uttaranchal is far from a bed of roses. In this newly formed state, grappling to establish its identity, problems range from lack of employment opportunities to severe water scarcity, inaccessible terrain and poor infrastructure.

Livelihoods are dependant on subsistence farming and a money-order economy. Due to the large-scale stress migration by men, the women left behind, battle enormous physical and psychological hardships.

Bite of a woman ( rankot ): we used to get up at 4 am to fill water and relieve ourselves- now daughters in law get up at 7 am!

V.O. 2– Recognizing the specific needs of disadvantaged and often remote communities, the Himotthan Pariyojana – launched by the Sir Ratan Tata Trust Mumbai in December 2001, is aimed at sustainable natural resource management with a focus on arresting and reversing the process of environmental degradation in Uttaranchal. The Project has 3 components:

• Enhancement of Livelihoods through Participatory Watershed Development;
• Improving the quality of life through income generation activities, and
• Improvement in Community Health through Drinking Water & Sanitation Interventions.

VO3: Interventions in providing drinking water supply schemes and improved sanitation are aimed to carry forward the success of the Swajal schemes that have been implemented in — villages in the State since 1996. (no of villages need to be clarified as there was some discrepancy)

V.O4: Four local organizations that had earlier collaborated in Swajal were chosen as Project facilitators (i) Himalayan Gram Vikas Samiti (HGVS) in Gangolihat; (ii) Society for Motivational Training and Action (SMTA) in Vikasnagar; (iii) Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (HIHT), in Jolly Grant. (see gfx below) –

Gfx_

V.O. 4 In May 2002 pre-feasibility exercises were conducted in 48 villages based on local demand for improved drinking water and sanitation infrastructure. The Pre- Planning criteria of village selection was technical feasibility and community willingness to bear 10% capital costs and 100% operation and maintenance costs. (graphics to appear in the italics portion).

Gfx showing
A: tech parameters:
existing water supply less than 15 lbs per capita per day
the proposed source should give 40 lbs per capita per day after 20 years
cost should be 2200 per person or less
time-saving of 24 hours per family per day for water collection )
B: Community willingness to bear 10%capital costs and 100%mainatainance costs.

Bite, R.S.Bisht: why the participatory approach enhances longterm sustainability; equity and as a shared resource, acts as community assets for generations.

V.O. 5 A year-long planning phase from November 2002 created awareness about project aims and built a rapport with the community while collecting baseline data. Beneficiaries formed groups called “management societies” to plan, implement operate and maintain project interventions. Capacity building programs for these societies included mason and fitter training, and demonstration of sanitation infrastructure. Exposure visits to Swajal villages enabled communities to witness firsthand the impact of collective community effort. Demonstrating how toilets, compost and soak pits and rainwater harvesting systems work fuelled demand for such facilities. Video shows, wall paintings and hoardings, street plays and puppet shows further motivated communities.

Bite: (Khet Barar): We got inspired from the neighbouring village of Tala Bhaiskot as they have constructed and are managing their own water supply under the Swajal Pariyojna. Villagers were very eager to do the same in our village.

V.O. 6 Technical options of various facilities were prepared after extensive field surveys and submission of a detailed technical report where a consensus was reached on a suitable water outlet option.

(Gfx overlaying still picture of – Rainwater harvesting system/gravity/hand pump)  

Bite: Project Spokesperson( perhaps Mr Saxena from HIHT): The community had an option of making their contribution either in the form of 10% upfront or 5% labour contribution and balance through cash.

V.O. 7 The Planning Phase saw the preparation of detailed technical reports and community action plans for each of the villages selected under the Project.  The DTRs included aspects like drawing and design of water supply schemes, benchmarks and cost analysis.

Bite: R.S.Bisht: The DTRs were then appraised by an independent technical agency for technical competence and cost efficiency (after which a tripartite agreement was

Signed b/w SRTT, HGVS and village Empowerment Committee) – to check if correct but I do not see the relevance of mentioning the Agreement unless you specify what it’s for- is this bite really necessary?).

V.O. 8  The implementation phase starting early 2004 has so far seen the completion of the infrastructure of water supply, sanitation interventions and catchment area protection work across 23 villages. The transparency of procedures and wholehearted community participation is sharply evident in every aspect of material procurement, purchase and testing and information regarding expenses is shared by all. Individual items like toilets, vermin-compost, garbage pits etc were subsidized by the Project by 60%.

Catchment area protection plans ensured the sustainability of water supply schemes, especially in summer. This included nursery raising, planting saplings in degraded land, constructing dams to prevent soil erosion, and promotion of horticulture and organic farming.

Other features included skill-up gradation of women’s self-help groups towards income generation activities, personal hygiene and environmental sanitation awareness programme, maternal and childcare training for women between 15-45 years and exposure visits for construction-related issues.

Bite, Vishnu Sharan (HIHT)- The role of facilitating agencies in the Project.

Bite (Khetbarar): Two women representatives from the village go to each house every two months to monitor domestic cleanliness as per set norms and recordings are taken. Clean homes are given special mention during village meetings! (Healthy Home Survey)

Bite (Bara) – Every year, used to carry at least 2-3 patients suffering from diarrhoea or vomiting, on my shoulders to the nearest medical centre that is 2.5 km away. It took me 2.5 hours. This summer there was not a single case from our village!

V.O. 9 The Operations and Maintainance Phase starting (date?) ensures the long term sustainability of interventions.

This includes capacity building of CEC (full form required) members and village maintenance workers, training in accounts and book-keeping, training of traditional birth attendants in pre and postpartum care, SHG meetings of all villages every 3 months.  

Bite of villager (Bara): Things that would have taken 4-5 years under government projects have now been completed in a year!

Visual of Mr Bisht showing a huge number of applications from where VO should take off — 

V.O10 The success of Himmothan Pariyojana is apparent from the overwhelming response it has received from local communities, especially women who now enjoy a marked improvement in their quality of life. Improved personal hygiene, better environmental sanitation and equitable distribution of interventions have led to a sense of empowerment, well being and collective ownership.

Bite (Chrudar) – Enrolment of girls in schools has increased by ___% over the last one year as now they don’t have to go to get water in the morning.

Bite of a woman (taken in a group) – Bite of woman 2 – Though are definite health and convenience benefits, especially for old, unwell and pregnant women, but if you ask me, the biggest benefit is safety and dignity – we need to get this byte.

The shot freezes on her smiling face followed by a fade-out.