Life Begins with Light and Water
A major challenge in the desert region of Kutch is the availability of potable water. To clean and preserve their catch, fishermen would carry between 50 and 100 litres of drinking water from their homes to their boats at the harbour, on foot or using horse-carts.
We constructed a 10,000-litre underground tank at the Salaya harbour so that clean water is readily available to the fishermen, easing their jobs and in turn, helping them to improve their incomes. In addition we installed five solar-powered street lights at the harbour, which used to be in complete darkness after sunset. These interventions have had a major impact on the lives and livelihoods of more than 350 fishermen and 15 fish traders in the village.
We have also created a rainwater harvesting system, an underground tank to provide drinking water for the government school, and a decentralised domestic water supply system at Nana Layja and Sanatan Nagar hamlet in Mota Layja.
