| Vilakkumadam East Rural Development Society, Pampuranparayil, near Pala, Kottayam |
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When the yearning becomes sincere and intense, even the apparent disadvantages could actually turn out to be advantages. So when 80 families living on the hill at Pampuranparayil, about 12 km from Pala decide to put an end to their perennial water shortage problem, the barren and rocky hilltop itself turned out to be the base of their storage tank.
In the 1-cent land gifted by Devakiamma, a beneficiary, no other resource was available except few rock outcrops. When that was not sufficient to build the sides of the tank, the bottom was blasted to generate rubble for construction as well as to increase the storage space for the tank. Women like Devakiamma, who used to carry water from the public tap almost 100 feet below, can now heave a sigh of relief.
The tank was constructed by the young members of the Vilakkumadam East Rural Development Society that was registered in the beginning of this year. When the construction venture began in July, the assets of the Society were a mere Rs 3500 plus the tremendous willpower of its 16-member team. By purchasing just cement and quarry dust for the construction, they have completed the 6 feet high enclosure wall that can store 1.5 lakh litres of water. It is proposed to take this water directly to the overhead tank of the Vilakkumadam Water Supply Project through a pipe without any pumping.
Already the Society has spent about Rs.25000. It is expected that the final cost of the project would come to Rs.50000. The advantages of such grano-tanks are many: productive use of barren rocky land, savings on electricity, micro-climate in the vicinity and appropriate construction method. It is even possible to grow fish in the tanks to counter the threat from mosquitoes.
Courtesy: Ajeesh Muraleedharan, Malayala Manorama, November 16, 2004
Contributed by: Administrator
