Sukumar Mandal with Namita Sabar and Kalyani Sabar
In the small village of Haludkanali, under Ranibandh block, there live eight Sabar families and the population of the village is 43. The only source of water is a dug well in the village and they all use the water for their daily needs. One day, several villagers fell sick, suffering from diarrhea. Worried, they took the sick to the hospital. The doctor told them the illness was due to drinking contaminated water from the well.
Unsure of what to do, the villagers contacted Kalyani, a Community Resource Person (CRP) of Keystone Foundation, and told her about the contaminated water of the well. Kalyani quickly called Namita, a senior fellow of Easter India Project who had been trained in water testing. Namita arrived in the village with her water testing kit. She tested the water from the well and found it was highly contaminated.
Namita told the villagers not to drink the water until it was cleaned. The villagers, following her advice, worked together to clean the well. They added bleaching powder to purify the water, as Namita suggested.
After a few days, Namita tested the water again and found it safe to drink. The villagers were relieved and grateful. They learned the importance of keeping their water clean and promised to take better care of their Well in the future. Thanks to Kalyani and Namita, the village was safe again, and everyone returned to their normal lives.
