Green fuel provides clean water in Orissa, India
Many Indians in the state of Orissa don’t have access to clean water. They are also at risk from cyclones and droughts – both of which are likely to strike more frequently as global warming bites. Thanks to a bike life is improving.
Kunu Pradhan hitches up her sari before climbing onto a bicycle to begin her weekly, 45-minute ride.
It’s a life-saving effort. Even so, Kunu , 33, enjoys her work - not that she gets to go anywhere or take in any scenery along the way.
Her bike is attached to a machine which mixes ingredients for a locally-produced bio-diesel fuel which doesn’t omit greenhouse gases when burned.
It’s then used to pump clean water to her friends and neighbours in Kanu’s village of Kinchiling in the north east Indian state of Orissa.
The fuel, made from crushed seeds which grow naturally in the area, is provided by Christian Aid partner Gram Vikas (Village Development) and the water the it provides protects health and saves lives.
Kinchiling has no electricity supply and until 2004 villagers had to get their drinking water from a dirty river nearby.
Urmila Senapati from Gram Vikas said the machinery was simple and easy for the villagers to maintain. And, she added: 'It uses produce from the forest that surrounds them’.
Kunu is proud to be able to help provide the village with water.
It’s a life-saving effort. Even so, Kunu , 33, enjoys her work - not that she gets to go anywhere or take in any scenery along the way.
Her bike is attached to a machine which mixes ingredients for a locally-produced bio-diesel fuel which doesn’t omit greenhouse gases when burned.
It’s then used to pump clean water to her friends and neighbours in Kanu’s village of Kinchiling in the north east Indian state of Orissa.
The fuel, made from crushed seeds which grow naturally in the area, is provided by Christian Aid partner Gram Vikas (Village Development) and the water the it provides protects health and saves lives.
Kinchiling has no electricity supply and until 2004 villagers had to get their drinking water from a dirty river nearby.
Urmila Senapati from Gram Vikas said the machinery was simple and easy for the villagers to maintain. And, she added: 'It uses produce from the forest that surrounds them’.
Kunu is proud to be able to help provide the village with water.
'Before we had our water supply we had to go to the river which was very dirty. Our lives have changed so much for the better’
There are many benefits to the project. The bio-diesel fuel has a minimal impact on the environment while the clean water has drastically reduced the incidence of water-borne diseases, which can be life threatening.
The winner is...
Gram Vikas has also introduced piped water – supplied using renewable energy – to many communities throughout Orissa and was rewarded for its work by winning the inaugural Kyoto World Water Grand Prize earlier this year.
As well as using environmentally-friendly bio-diesel, Gram Vikas is also helping poor communities in Orissa to protect themselves from the ravages of the fossil fuels we are using to fuel our own climate-changing lifestyles which pollute the atmosphere and increase the likelihood of cyclones and droughts across the developing world, including India.
The houses have strong brick walls, reinforced cement concrete roofs and small windows to withstand cyclones that are common in coastal areas. During the last big cyclone in Orissa in 1999 more than 10,000 people were killed, but those who had already built their disaster-resistant homes were able to shelter in them safely.
It’s vital work because the effects of climate change are already hitting the poor and the vulnerable.
Balaram Mallik, 45, a farmer from Chanabogodo village, said unpredictable rains in recent years wrecked his life.
'In 2003-4 there was rain, but it came too late and the crop was spoilt,’ he said. 'It should have come in July but didn’t come until September. The droughts used to come every 10 years for just one year, but now it seems to be getting worse.
'For the past two or three years things have been unpredictable. The temperature has been higher both in summer and winter.’
As well as using environmentally-friendly bio-diesel, Gram Vikas is also helping poor communities in Orissa to protect themselves from the ravages of the fossil fuels we are using to fuel our own climate-changing lifestyles which pollute the atmosphere and increase the likelihood of cyclones and droughts across the developing world, including India.
The houses have strong brick walls, reinforced cement concrete roofs and small windows to withstand cyclones that are common in coastal areas. During the last big cyclone in Orissa in 1999 more than 10,000 people were killed, but those who had already built their disaster-resistant homes were able to shelter in them safely.
It’s vital work because the effects of climate change are already hitting the poor and the vulnerable.
Balaram Mallik, 45, a farmer from Chanabogodo village, said unpredictable rains in recent years wrecked his life.
'In 2003-4 there was rain, but it came too late and the crop was spoilt,’ he said. 'It should have come in July but didn’t come until September. The droughts used to come every 10 years for just one year, but now it seems to be getting worse.
'For the past two or three years things have been unpredictable. The temperature has been higher both in summer and winter.’
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