Regional Seminar – Recommendations

‘Water and the Island’s Development’

Seminar held at Megapode Resort, Port Blair

on 12 March 08
 EHA-Andaman Water Project

CONTENTS

1. The Andaman Water Project

2. Water and the Island’s Development

3. Regional Seminar

4. Recommendations

5. Conclusion

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 EHA-Andaman Water Project

Andaman Water Project

The Andaman Water Project (AWP) of the Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA)
has been working on the issue of water in the Andaman group of Island since
June 2007. The Andaman group of islands covers an area of 6,408 sq km and is
also the more populous, with a population of 314,084 spread over 24 inhabited
islands.

Soon after the devastating tsunami of 2004, EHA initiated a tsunami rehabilitation
project called the AshaSagar Project in the Andaman islands. During the general
needs assessment undertaken for this project, the shortage of water and the non
availability of potable drinking water emerged as the major need of the
community. Based on a survey undertaken by a team of engineers
commissioned by the Disaster Management Unit of EHA, a decision was taken to
address this critical issue of water through a project specifically focussing on it.
Thus the Andaman Water Project came into existence to address drinking water
issues in the Andaman group of islands.

These islands are covered under two adminstrative districts – North and Middle
Andaman and South Andaman. The AWP target is to cover a population of
10,000 people in 30 villages located within both of these districts under the
following objectives:

Objectives:
1. Improve

quantity

quality and

proximity of drinking water to target population
2. Improve health of local population
3. Empower local communities to maintain and promote the systems
4. Advocate for improved water supply to island communities (outside target
area)

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 EHA-Andaman Water Project

Emmanuel Hospital Association’s Initiative

Emmanuel Hospital Association organised series of stakeholder meetings and a

competition on ‘Alternative models of water Augmenting’ followed by a Regional
Seminar in Port Blair. The theme for all these gatherings was ‘Water and the
Island’s Development’. Learning and inputs from the Stakeholders’ Meeting were
carried to the Regional Seminar.

The schedule for the competition & meetings was as given below:

Competition date:
Port Blair 6th Mar 2008

Stakeholders’ meeting

North Andaman
Diglipur 1st Mar 2008

Middle Andaman
Rangat 3rd Mar 2008
Baratang 6th Mar 2008

The Regional Seminar

Port Blair 12th Mar 2008

Emmanuel Hospital Association has it Head Quarters at,

808/92, Deepali Building, Nehru Place,
New Delhi – 110019

Project Office
Andaman Water Project
# 10, Block 4, Island Nivas,
Delanipur, Port Blair – 744102
Phone: 03192 238026

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 EHA-Andaman Water Project

Water and the Island’s Development

Background Paper

Water is Life. Yet at least 1.1 billion people lack access to safe water. Target 10
of the Millennium Development Goals is to halve the proportion of people without
sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 20151. Worldwide
6000 children die every day from disease related to water.

India falls into the category of those countries where, by 2002, 48% of the
population lacked access to improved drinking water sources. It ranks 120 in
water quality and 133 in per capita availability. According to the 10th Five Year
Plan, 161 million people in India do not have access to safe drinking water and
there are148,515 habitations which are not covered by drinking water facilities.

An attempt has been made here to survey the water situation in Andaman, a
group of 24 islands with an area of 6408 sq.km. – of which 780 km2 falls under
revenue land. Most of the matter herein is gained through the experience of the
‘Andaman Water Project’ of EHA for the past year in the two district of South
Andaman and Middle and North Andaman.

Rainwater 40%
Percentage of Total R ainfall

35%

There is abundant 30%

rainfall with average 25%
annual precipitation of 20% A
3,100 mm. The 15%
Southwest Monsoon
10%
(May to October)
5%
predominates, though
0%
the northeast monsoon Jan-05 Apr-05 Jul-05 Oct-05 Jan-06 Apr-06 Jul-06 Oct-06
also brings some rain.
Thus it gets some eight
months of rainfall.

Thus a theoretical estimate indicates

1
Health, Dignity and Development: What Will It Take? UN Millennium Project Task Force on
Water and Sanitation, Final Report, Abridged Edition. 2005. pg. 13

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 EHA-Andaman Water Project

that this is about the 221 times the annual demand and

if each person collects all the rainwater that falls on 2 sq m, the area will
have sufficient water throughout the year
Area Amount
Land Description Rainfall Litres
(sq km) Excess
Total area (incl.
6408 3100 17,878,320,000,000 1814 times
Forest land)
Revenue area 780 3100 2,176,200,000,000 221 times

The issue associated with rainwater harvesting is storage, especially for the
quantity needed for the lean season. A disturbing fact in a survey done by the
project team in Port Blair shows that 99% of the water harvesting tanks in
schools do not function because of minor faults. With only a little mantainence
these tanks could add to the storage capacity of water in Port Blair.

Groundwater

The project team is not aware of any study done on groundwater by relevant
authorities. The Cental Groundwater Authority in its website mentions that
groundwater has not been assesed in the Andaman Islands. The openwells used
have an average depth of 15 feet. Such wells are unlikely to deliver potable
water.

During the pilot phase of the project 9 hand pumps (tubewells) were instalted of
which only 5 are delivering
25 suffcient freshwater.
These drillings show that
20
the subsurface soil, sitting
15 on hard formations, is in
Depth
Feet

Average
most cases shallow and of
10
types varying from silty
5 clay to hard black clay.
Clay soils have low
0
1 4 6 42 permeability but high
No of Wells porosity. This means that
these shallow depth of
clay contains water but not enough to supply sufficient water during the dry
season and most of the rain that falls on this surface is lost in the sea as surface
runoff. These data compel us to consider constructing ponds with an
accompanying shallow handpump as a good alternative method of gathering
clean drinking water.

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 EHA-Andaman Water Project

There are also indications that undergroung water levels have been disturbed
after the tsunami due to the Burma microplate – on which the islands sits - hitting
against the India plate, causing the islands to rise in southern Islands and slump
in northern parts. This change in groundwater dynamics needs to be studdied
and taken into consideration while planning appropiate water source for any
place.

Surface Water

Surface water is the most commonly used water resource in the islands. The
Andaman’s PWD has done a commendable job, especially when compared to
their counterparts in the mainland, considering the difficulties of reaching the
difficult terrain. They have connected about 70% of villages with a piped water
system. Checkdams are constructed at several elevated springs that collect the
water and supply water through the piped network. The fact that several sources
are attached to the piped supply increases the availability of water; should one
source dry up, other sources meet the water need. However, these sources are
insufficient to provide water throughout the year. In many cases one pipe
connection is shared between five or six households. Furthermore, many
pipelines are old and rusted which reduces water quality and also reduces water
avalability.

The average daily

Port Blair Situation
water demand for the
Andaman Islands is
120 3 approximately 27
100 thousand Gallons

100 million litres per day.

Demand/ Supply

100 thousand

A study by Zila
Population

80 2
60
Parisad on Port Blair
shows only 40-50%
40 1
demand is met.
20 During rainy season
0 0 the population
2006 2016 2026 2036 overcomes the
shortage by harvesting
Supply Demand Population rainwater while rest of
the year it is left
thirsty. The situation in Port Blair is an example with about 50% shortage. Water
supply is rationed and provided for few minutes from alternate days to once in a
week.

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 EHA-Andaman Water Project

Quality of Piped Water

Sand bed filters and bleaching powder are used to treat water in the Island.
There is lack of adequate treatment plants and water is not always adequately
treated. This is evident from the colour / turbidity of water supplied especially
during the eight months of rainy season . Effectively there is no quality monitoring
system in place in the Island. It is a matter of serious concern calling for prompt
action.

Forests and Water

The islands are hilly and heavily covered with tropical rain forest (87% of
Andaman surface area). Most of the freshwater sources are found in the forest.
There are villages which are not piped that rely on these springs deep in the
jungle. Villagers are forced to hike further (up to 2 hours each way) as the nearby
sources dry up. Women are the most affected, spending several hours each day
collecting water, particularly in the dry season. Stakeholder meetings indicate
that opposed to popular opinion the Forest Department is open to working with
the the PWD on the issue of accessing freshwater sources in the forest. Through
a joint venture water sources in the forest could posibly be tapped to supply
those living in the area.

Disaster and Water

This area is prone to earthquakes (falls in Zone V), tsunamis, cyclones,

landslides and floods. The devastating tsunami of 2004, crippled the system upto
a month in some parts of the islands. Since then there have been 315
earthquakes & aftershocks in the Island measuring 5 or above on the Richter
Scale. Are the systems then, greared to face future disasters or do we need to
think about alternatives such decentralization of the water supply system and
community management of water.

Water and the Community

In the Andaman Islands the major player for water supply is the Public Works
Department (PWD). The Zilla Parishads and Panchayts also play a part in supply
at the local level. From the funds allocated to the them, the Panchayats create
local initiatives such as digging katcha wells. Effective water suppy and
maintainence could be gained at the local level if the Panchayats are empowered
through training and allocation of sufficient funds to manage water.

7
 Regional Seminar

The Stakeholders’ Meetings culminated in a Regional Seminar held at Port Blair

on the 12th of March 2008 at Megapode Resort. The theme of the day long
Seminar, as that of the Stakeholders’ Meetings, was ‘Water and the Island’s
Development’. The Seminar started at 9.00 a.m. and ended at 4:00 p.m.

The purpose of the Regional Seminar was to bring people with experience to
present their point before those in position of authority and capable of bringing
change.

The Chief Guest for the occasion was Shri Arvind Ray, Commissioner cum
Secretary for Higher Education in the Andaman and Nicobar Administration. He
also holds additional charge as Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor, Andaman
and Nicobar Islands.

Shri Arvind Ray appreciated the efforts of EHA to be so selflessly involved in the
issues affecting the people of the island, especially the issue of water. He stated
that since his arrival in the islands last august, he was faced with problem of
severe water shortage in Port Blair town. He also mentioned the various water
projects which were on in the island and the projects which were in the pipeline,
like the submarine water channel from Rutland Island to Port Blair, the Reverse
Osmosis Desalination Plant, etc. In the end he said the administration would
welcome the resolution coming out of this Seminar and would look how they
could be used.

Ms. Miriam Bibi, Chairperson of the Zilla Parishad in the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands was the Guest of Honour talked about the schemes that the Zilla
Parishad had to augment the water.

The Key Experts during the seminar were

Dr. R.C. Srivastava, Director of the Central Agricultural Research Institute
(CARI),

Er. Jenson Daniel, Head of Department, Civil Engineering Dept., B.R.
Ambedkar Government Polytechnic,

Mrs. Rita, Lecturer, B.R. Ambedkar Government Polytechnic,

Er. S.C. Nath, Executive Engineer – Public Health Engineering Department
and

Er. S. Ganeshan, Assistant Engineer – Planning were among those who
presented the paper

Er. Abraham Dennyson, Project Manager, Andaman Water Project

Mr. Rajesh Kashyap, Project Director ADRA, Nancowarie Water Project

The seminar ended with a open forum and group discussions which came up
with the recommendations as you find in the end of this document.
 Recommendations

1. Administration should make rainwater harvesting mandatory both for

existing and new buildings in urban areas and promote it by way of
subsidy and easy loans.

2. Ground water assessment needs to be done urgently and a Monitoring

Body need to set up to regulate ground water extraction.

3. Watershed management should be taken up all over Andaman, including

forest land.

4. Strengthen the existing water treatment system and put monitoring system
in place to follow BIS guidelines on water.

5. The administration provides health and education services to encroachers

and similarly there need for clean drinking water has to be met.

6. Empower & decentralize water supply system under PRIs

7. Introduce water meters to make users accountable.

8. Enhance Inter-departmental coordination and cooperation to expedite

(Forest Department, PWD, Zilla Parishad and PRIs) to access and protect
sources in forests using environmentally sustainable technology.

9. Strengthen regular maintenance of existing supply and storage systems to

prevent wastage.

10. Measures need to be taken to protect supply sources from contamination

including those in the juggles.

11. Promote awareness of relevant laws e.g. forest conservation act and
scheduled tribes and forest dwellers (recognition of forest rights)
 Conclusion

Water is Life. This oft repeated statement will never lose its essence or
importance, especially in present day world scenario. So also in the Andaman
archipelago, with its population of some 3.56 lakh, besides the additional tourist
in-flow of some 75,000 per year!

As mentioned earlier in this report, statistics show that the present municipal
supply meets only about 40-50 % of the demand. Therefore to be able to cater
just to the present population the system has to increase the supply by double. If
the increase attributable to tourism and population growth is to be kept in mind,
the present system has to augment its supply by at least 60-70 %.

To be able to meet this challenge, the strategy should look at involvement of

stakeholders, through the process of decentralisation – partial, if not complete.
This would thus entail diversification of water sources and access for the
remotest villages and settlements. Panchayati Raj Institutions, which are
remarkable active in this part of the country, should be a more active player in
the area of localised supply, quality management and maintenance.

Across the lines during the stakeholders meeting people had agreed that access
to potable drinking water is a right of every citizen including those who live in
forest land. Government should rethink its policy of denying any drinking water
facility rather in lines with primary education and health, potable water should be
made available to these forest dwellers.

Speaking of quality management and maintenance, this aspect too needs looking
into. Quality monitoring system put in place and BIS guidelines need to be
followed in supply system. Poor quality of the water supplied was an issue the
emerged time and again in the course of meetings held with various
stakeholders.

Since water is an issue which involves many stakeholders, more so in this region
where many departments of the State have a stake, it would be worthwhile for
the administration to think of a high level Inter-Departmental Body to solely cater
to the sustainable extraction and utilization of water. This body could consists of
members from the Public Works Department (PWD) – the major player of water
supply in the Island, the Forest Department, the Agriculture Department, Zilla
Parishad and Panchayati Raj representatives and other necessary stakeholder.
Such an independent body could also suggest and implement such laws and
policy relevant for the sustainable usage of water, such as building laws making
rainwater harvesting structures mandatory, or awareness on sustainable use and
storage of water in schools, etc.

This body could also look at issue of right of ‘encroachers’ to water. This is vital
as there is this sizeable chunk of population, especially in the target area of this
Andaman Water Project, which belongs to this category but do not figure in
Government plans and schemes.

The beautiful islands of the Andamans are a heaven for many, and many come
from far of taste of its splendour. But without adequate and safe water this
heaven will lose its life – for WATER is LIFE!