- The බිංදු-Drops project
Water is one of humanity’s most essential resources. Though 71% of our planet is covered in water, only 1% of that water is, in fact, drinkable. Most water on our planet is saltwater. Only about 3% of Earth’s water is freshwater and, of that, only about 1.2% can be used as drinking water; the rest is locked up in glaciers, ice caps, and permafrost, or buried deep in the ground. Most of our drinking water comes from rivers and streams.
As a country, Sri Lanka is quite rich in its water resources. For example, our small island has 103 rivers. However, this doesn’t mean that all Sri Lankans have safe, easy access to water. Many rural Sri Lankans have to walk between three to five kilometres every day to get water. In a situation like the pandemic, where it is not possible to move freely, this becomes a real problem.
One small group of water and climate change focused Sri Lankans, Today for Tomorrow, has recently been recognised for their proposal to help a micro-farming community near Puttalam to have safe access.
Fernando shared that she, along with her බිංදු-Drops team members, Charith Rodrigo, Chathura Perera, Sanduni Harangala, Nilantha Randeniya, and Pubudu Harshani, came along the tiny village of Sinhanadawilluwa through a common friend. A community of 20 families, the men work outside the village, leaving the women to gather water, which can only be gathered in from the nearest village, approximately five kilometres away. Another reason, Fernando explained, was its proximity to an indigenous Kaffir community (descendants of African settlers) who sing their own unique version of baila based on Kaffir oral tradition.
“The village is very poor and doesn’t have much access to water, and the rural water supply,” Fernando explained, adding: “We had to think carefully about what we could do that would be feasible in the long-term and also that could be implemented immediately in this Covid-19 pandemic situation, and improve their lives by supplying them with water.”
After considering several options, the team devised the most sustainable plan to give the village of Sinhanadawilluwa a long-term water supply, connecting them to the rural water supply system and acting as co-ordinators to give the families in Sinhanadawilluwa working water system which they can maintain as a community going forward.
In addition to these structural initiatives to improve Sinhanadawilluwa’s access to water, බිංදු-Drops is also conducting awareness and knowledge sessions to empower the community by giving them information on good water practices, both in daily life and in agriculture.
Speaking on the importance of safe access to water, Fernando said: “I believe they will be able to improve their own agriculture, have safe sanitation, and be able to be a sustainable village,” adding that on a national level, there are many rural communities not connected to the national water pipe supply network, but given Sri Lanka’s rich water resources and the fact that for villages like Sinhanadawilluwa, where its residents are very poor and not always able to afford the investment needed to connect their village to the pipe supply network, being able to look at alternative water sources that are very local to such villages could be an important step to being able to give every Sri Lankan citizen safe access to water.