Eklavya Prasad

This season in the region is commonly referred to as – Barh (flood). For centuries local people have treated it as ‘a way of life’, and found ways to deal with it. Post independence, this ‘way of life’ gradually transformed into an assured annual devastation. The once self-sufficient communities in the flood plains have been relegated to being highly dependent on sources external to the village for their survival during floods.

. I had shared how Megh Pyne Abhiyan through its local partner - Samta in Khagaria (supported by Gramyasheel, Kosi Seva Sadan, Ghoghardiha Prakhand Swarajya Vikas Sangh and Water Action) has been able to collaborate with the district administration to mainstream issues concerning water and sanitation for the flood prone areas.

In Supaul, the district administration requested our local partner, Gramyasheel to write about alternative drinking water practices (appropriate for the district) for a publication - Supaul Zila Ki Smarika, brought out by the district administration. A definite indication of the WATSAN practices being recognized at the local level. Though the collaboration is an ongoing process which would lead to positive results if time, ideas and perseverance are invested appropriately.

A workshop on groundwater was organised by ACWADAM and Arghyam Trust in Pune in May 2009, that brought together several experts in the field, and explored diverse topics such as the importance of scale in groundwater resource planning and management, importance of aquifer typologies, participatory processes of groundwater management, groundwater regulation and groundwater linkages with watershed development, markets and policy matters.

The attempt of the workshop and research papers presented, was to highlight contemporary issues in groundwater management, and to look at it through the multiple lenses of hydrogeology, sociology, economics, livelihoods, environment, disasters and so on.

This case study published in Yojana documents Megh Pyne Abhiyan's work in organising access to safe drinking water for rural communities during the 2006 and 2007 floods in North Bihar. As a result of the Abhiyan's work, approximately 13000 and 36000 people accepted and accessed rainwater as a safe drinking water during the North Bihar floods of 2006 and 2007 respectively. Using rain water for drinking led to significant improvement in health indicators and flood-related deaths and sickness, as well as reduction in health expenditure.

Queries, request for information & additional clarifications can be sought via the comments section.

Download here: Rapid assessment report - Tilak Tajpur Panchayat

These three sets of presentation by Eklavya Prasad, Practitioner, Natural and Social Resource Management have been summarized below -

Bihar’s flood survival mechanisms