"…we have been born again.." exclaimed Raku, a member of the Community Water Committee at the end of well testing in Kolu Rathoda in Rajasthan. Good quality, potable water in such large volumes is indeed equivalent to being born again – this time without the drudgery of carrying water in pots over an average distance of five to seven kilometers".

The Water and Energy Centres in desert
areas of India – pilot project" supported by DIE WUSTE LEBT – WASSER FUR ALLE (DWL), a Swiss NGO targets a total of about 360 families in two remote villages in Rajasthan. The project is being implemented by Urmul Marusthali Bunkar Vikas Samiti (UMBVS) and managed by Development Alternatives (DA). The project is based on the use of the potential of water veins as long term, reliable and environment friendly source of potable water.

DWL has long standing international experience in tapping water veins as a reliable source of potable water and has thus committed itself to promoting the use of "water veins" for improving the access to potable water for vulnerable communities "to build up a long term foundation for life."

A preliminary internet search indicates that water veins under the earth have a strong potential to meet the need of the growing populations across the world. Particularly in the case of water stressed areas, water veins hold the key to revival of life and livelihood. According to an unpublished document by DWL, ‘Serving people with water: A short introduction’, "…talking about a system of underground water veins that always are under a certain pressure and deliver all year long the same quantity of water means leaving today’s scientific order. But finally we have to consider the results! How is it otherwise possible that on a tiny Philippine island (300 x 400 m) at a depth of app. 60 m a source with a constant flow of 500 l/min. was opened up? How is it possible that the water on hilltops is closest to the surface? The whole system can’t be explained in a few sentences and we must concentrate on the results and with such a high success rate we are out of coincidence."

The pilot project has been initiated in Jodhpur District of the State of Rajasthan in India for demonstration and initiating further interventions in India. For demonstration, two remote villages within Phalodi Block of Jodhpur district have been targeted and one drilling at each location was successfully carried out under the supervision of Hans Anton Rieder: the Water seeker at DWL during June 2004.

Focus group discussions have resulted in clear decisions on the form and nature of community management structures for maintenance of the proposed water system and management of water distribution in both the villages. Community Water Committees comprising of 11 members: five men, five women and a representative from UMBVS, have been instituted. The committees will be headed by a President, a Secretary and a treasurer through a consensus based process. The Water Committees have formal rules for managing the water fund and operation and maintenance of the systems in the future.

Both the wells are at the moment yielding an average of 400-500 litres per minute of water. This has not only provided much relief to the communities in the recent dry spells, they are also nurturing a small nursery to undertake large scale community plantation in September.