Harvesting Water in Schools

Walk into any school located in the Thar during the summer, and it is likely that not a single student will be found there. In this dry desert region, attendance and enrolment rates in schools are strongly linked to the availability of drinking water. In the dry months, the Thar experiences a severe shortage of water, due to which most schools in the area are forced to be closed for prolonged “water breaks”. Lack of storage facilities prevents the schools from transporting water from elsewhere to avoid closing their doors during these difficult times.

Water shortages at home also affect school attendance because children (especially girls) help their mothers fetch water for the family. Schoolchildren in the Thar Desert spend more time fetching water than receiving an education. The current educational profile and the future development of the region depend on the availability of potable water in schools.

JMF has responded to these challenges through direct and indirect engagement. Direct engagement involves assisting the village communities in the construction and maintenance of rooftop rainwater-harvesting tanks in schools so that drinking water is available for children throughout the year. These structures collect rainwater falling on the roof of a school building and direct it through a series of pipes that lead to a storage facility (tanka). The tanka is built underground and the water inside is accessed through a hand pump, ensuring that the water remains clean. These tankas harvest rainwater and also act as storage tanks, which are refilled by tankers from nearby village ponds. These measures ensure that schools do not close due to water shortage.

Indirect engagement involves working with the community as a whole to alleviate water shortages in villages through the construction or revival of rainwater-harvesting systems. This liberates children from their domestic water-fetching responsibilities and hence increases their school enrolment and attendance rates.

Furthermore, JMF helps in establishing children’s groups to oversee the management and maintenance of school water-harvesting tankas. The tankas are cared for by a Jal Dal, a group of students chosen on the basis of their enthusiasm and inclination for community work. These students are made responsible for cleaning the school tank before the onset of the rainy season, thus ensuring the quality of the water that is harvested and stored. This responsibility is passed on to the younger children in the lower classes so that the maintenance of the structure is sustainable. The Jal Dal is an excellent example of volunteerism and community service, allowing children to learn about their environment in a practical manner while exposing them to local traditions of water management. In many schools, the Jal Dals have started addressing larger natural resource management issues by planting trees in the school premises and promoting best practices through school wall paintings.