Phatakasing is a small village consisting of 24 households of Saora tribe (one of the 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups inhabiting in the Indian State of Odisha) on the bank of Mahendra Tanaya river stream in Ganjam district of Odisha. This remote village is connected by an earthen road through forest area and is inaccessible for six months in a year due to heavy rains and poor road condition.
The remoteness of the village exacerbated the vulnerability faced by the Saora and absence of basic infrastructure and services marked their daily existence. The Saora did not have access to safe drinking water for a long period. The women from the community spent a significant portion of their day, fetching water for the family consumption from long distances.
There were measures taken by the Government of Odisha to deliver water supply to the village. Tumba Micro Project Agency and Odisha Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Department had installed solar operated water structure in the village (about four years back). These soon became defunct and the regular access to water remained elusive for the community. The Saora could not benefit from other schemes/programmes of Government of India that were dependent on regular supply of water. Under Swacch Bharat Mission (flagship programme of Government of India focusing on sanitation and provision of toilets), the toilets were constructed but remained unutilized due to scarcity of water and community continued the practice of open defecation. The absence of adequate water supply also affected the sanitation and hygiene level of the community with restricting avenues for bathing, washing and drinking water.
While rolling out the Entry Point Activities (EPAs) of Odisha Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups Empowerment and Livelihoods Improvement Programme (OPELIP), the community collectively voiced the need for having perennial access to drinking and household water supply. Tumba Micro Project Agency through a consultative process with the community arrived at a decision of establishing a drinking water project through Entry Point Activities (EPA), which was integrated and approved in the AWP&B 2017-18. The deliberations with the community, paved way for repairing the defunct water structures in the village and connecting each household with pipes and taps. The women in the community not only led the process of repair but also took the responsibility of maintenance of water structures in the village. The project interventions provided new water pumps, pipes, taps and other material to the community. The community in turn contributed labour and constructed stand posts. The positioning of the tap in each household enabled excess water to be drawn into the kitchen garden (mostly located at the backyard of each family). As a result, the women need not walk miles to fetch water anymore. This also helped the women to develop kitchen gardens and grow nutritious vegetables and fruits for the consumption of the family in their backyards.
In the last two years, there has been regular supply of water in Phatakasing and women of the community are ensuring the maintenance of the water structures. The community has taken to toilet usage and the hygienic conditions at the village level has improved. The Saora women are proactively engaging in nutrition-dense livelihood activities of OPELIP as SHGs members and have relatively more time at their disposal to pursue remunerative livelihoods. The availability and access to a perennial source of water has been a critical turning point in the lives of Soara women.
Like Phatakasing, there are other such 224 villages (project areas of OPELIP), which have access to water now and the Saora women with the community is ensuring that their villages have water throughout the year.
(OPELIP) is a comprehensive program designed to enhance the livelihood of particularly vulnerable tribal communities as well as surrounding other tribal and non-tribal communities in the state of Odisha. The OPELIP project has been implemented in 12 districts of Odisha, starting in mid-2017 and it will continue to provide support through 2025. The project specifically targets 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in Odisha and aims to enhance the livelihood of the tribal people through agricultural transformation (improved agricultural practices and enhanced production), natural resource management, community infrastructure, drudgery reduction, food security and nutrition, education and community empowerment.