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