Drinking Water for Humans,Animals of Thar

Quenching Thirst, Restoring Dignity:Safe Water for Tharparkar

Dear Esteemed Donors,

Tharparkar remains one of Pakistan’s driest regions, where communities rely on unpredictable rains and distant, often unsafe dug ponds. Women and children still walk long distances sometimes 2 – 5 kilometers a day to collect water that is frequently contaminated, leading to illness, lost school time, and lost income. Reliable access to safe water is the single greatest lever to improve health, nutrition, education, and livelihoods across the desert belt.

What Your Support Achieved in 2024

Thanks to your generosity, CHCS installed approximately 42 deep wells in 2024, bringing clean water closer to home for thousands of people and their livestock. Each site was selected through community consultation with a focus on schools, health posts, and settlements with the greatest water vulnerability.

Key outcomes (2024):

• Safe water access for an estimated 18,000–21,000 people and seasonal water provision for 10,000+ livestock.

• Average daily walking distance for water reduced from ~3 km to under 500 meters for most households served.

• Reported declines in waterborne ailments and meaningful time savings especially for girls now reallocated to schooling and income activities.

2025 Expansion Plan

Building on this momentum, CHCS is scaling the program in 2025 with a focus on sustainability and coverage of public facilities. Our target is to install an additional 36–48 wells (mix of hand-pump and solarpowered systems) and to formalize long-term operation and maintenance (O&M) with local partners.

Our priorities for 2025:

1. Extend water points to schools and basic health units so learning and care are not interrupted by water shortages.

2. Train village water committees (≥40% women’s participation) for routine maintenance, fee collection, and accountability.

3. Establish spare-parts kiosks and certified pump mechanics in each target Union Council (UC).

4. Conduct quarterly water-quality testing and hygiene promotion sessions aligned with WHO standards.

How the CHCS Model Works

• Participatory siting: Community mapping + hydrogeological inputs guide selection to maximize yield and equity.

• Appropriate technology: Bore depths typically 180–260 ft with PVC/steel casing; where feasible, solar submersible pumps and 2,000–5,000 L elevated storage support taps at schools/clinics.

• Local ownership: Water committees set modest household contributions for minor repairs; hardship waivers are built-in for the poorest families.

• Safeguarding & inclusion: Women-led timing of water collection, wellhead lighting where needed, and child-safe aprons around boreheads.

• Monitoring & learning: Digital logbooks track uptime, repairs, and user feedback for adaptive management.

Impact & Accountability Metrics

• Service reach: 500–700 people served per new well;  2 schools/health posts connected per UC where solar systems are installed.

• Reliability: 98% functional uptime target with 72-hour repair turnaround.

• Health: 25% reduction in reported diarrhea/skin infections in catchment households within 12 months (camp-based surveys).

• Time savings:  90 minutes/day saved per household on average.

• Sustainability:  85% wells with active committees and transparent O&M ledgers by year-end.

A Brief Case Vignette

In a village cluster near Mithi, a new solar-powered bore with 3,000-liter storage reduced water-fetching time from over two hours to less than 15 minutes. Teachers report improved attendance—especially among girls—and the basic health unit now has uninterrupted water for deliveries and sanitation.

Indicative Budget Snapshot (per installation)

• Hand-pump deep well: drilling, casing, apron, hand-pump head, platform & fencing — PKR 450,000–620,000.

• Solar-powered system: borehole + solar array, submersible pump, controller, elevated tank & taps — PKR 1.9–2.6 million (site-dependent).

• Community training, WASH sessions, monitoring: PKR 60,000–95,000.
  Note: Costs vary by geology, depth, logistics, and distance from service hubs. Co-funding with local partners reduces unit costs.

Risks & Mitigation

• Low yield/salinity: Pre-drilling assessments and alternate siting; water-quality testing with remediation or repurposing for livestock if needed.

• O&M gaps: Tiered user-fee model, trained mechanics on retainer, and rapid-response repair funds.

• Vandalism/safety: Fencing, wellhead lighting, and community watch rotations where appropriate.

• Drought extremes: Storage and rationing protocols; prioritization for public facilities and the most vulnerable households.

Every well is more than infrastructure—it is a promise of life, dignity, and opportunity. Your continued support will help ensure that no family in Tharparkar sleeps thirsty and that children can learn and thrive with water close at hand.

With gratitude,
Dr. Asif Mahmood Ja

Dear Esteemed Donors,

Warm Season’s Greetings,

We are deeply grateful for your generous contributions to the "Drinking Water for Humans and Animals of Thar" initiative. In collaboration with GlobalGiving, USA, this life-saving project by the Customs Health Care Society (CHCS) has seen significant progress throughout 2024, bringing hope and relief to some of the most marginalized communities in Tharparkar, Sindh.

A Crisis of Water in the Desert

Tharparkar is one of the most arid and underdeveloped regions in Pakistan. The harsh desert climate, frequent droughts, and lack of infrastructure have left its residents—both humans and animals—struggling daily for access to clean drinking water. Many women and children walk for miles to fetch water from unsafe sources, often contaminated and unfit for consumption. This daily struggle not only endangers their health but also robs them of time that could be spent on education or earning a livelihood.

Transformative Impact of Your Support

Thanks to your kindness and commitment, CHCS has successfully installed dozens of deep water wells across remote areas of Tharparkar. These wells are more than just access points to clean water—they are lifelines that have begun to transform the social and economic fabric of local communities.

Your contributions have directly supported:

1. Access to Clean, Safe Drinking Water
   – Families now enjoy improved health and hygiene with reduced cases of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid.
2. Improved Livestock Care
   – Animals, which are essential to livelihoods in this agrarian region, now have regular access to water, leading to healthier herds and improved economic output.
3. Community Empowerment and Local Employment
   – By involving local workers in the digging, construction, and maintenance of wells, CHCS has created job opportunities and encouraged community ownership of these resources.
4. Support for Schools and Clinics
   – Access to water has improved the functionality of rural schools and healthcare centers, which previously operated under extreme constraints.

Looking Ahead: A Call for Continued Compassion

While we celebrate the lives already changed, the need remains immense. Many villages still rely on contaminated ponds or seasonal rainwater to survive. In 2025 and beyond, CHCS is committed to scaling up efforts and bringing safe water to every corner of Tharparkar.

With your continued support, we aim to:

• Install dozens of additional deep water wells to reach families still living without clean water.
• Train local teams to ensure long-term maintenance and sustainability of the wells.
• Extend water access to public facilities such as schools, health centers, and community gathering areas.

You Can Make a Lasting Difference

Every donation you make is a step closer to ending the water crisis in Tharparkar. Each new well serves hundreds of people and animals, restoring dignity and providing a foundation for better health, education, and economic opportunity. Your support is not just funding infrastructure—it is changing lives.

Let’s continue this mission together. Join CHCS in ensuring that no child in Tharparkar sleeps thirsty, and no mother has to choose between giving her family unsafe water or none at all.

With heartfelt gratitude,
Dr. Asif Mahmood Jah