We recently commissioned a project in a very rural backward tribal belt of Orissa in Balangir district. The nearest small town from Turla village where the NGO Vishwaneedam is based is 45 Km called Patnagarh the village lacks the very basic facilities and infrastructure like most of the rural villages in India.
We got involved in this project in August 2010 and then slowly and patiently went over the exact requirements of the school and designed a system, it took almost one year to raise funds and then complete the school building, make the pump room and over head tank.
It goes without saying that doing anything in such a remote place takes much more time than anticipated.
Manikandan, Tom Debo and myself four of us were there for 2 days, and i must say that this place though so backward is really beautiful and un touched by tourist population. It was a wonderful experience for all and i must recommend that all of you should do try to make it to Balangir.
Plenty of work needs to be done there with regards to training the teachers and raising resources for getting light and water to many of the villages in that area.
Regards
Rishi
Project: Solar water pumping and solar lighting for the school lighting needs and drinking water for the school and the villagers around the school as there is no access to conventional electricity since the village is still un electrified.
Project Holder: Vishwaneedam http://www.gaiatreeschool.org/
Project Directors: Ananta and Mike from Vishwaneedam
Project Site: Giatree School Village Turla District Balangir :
Project Funded by: German organization & Human wave Italy
Project Executed by: Sunlit Future
Project Execution date: 14 / 15th October 2011-10-21
Project Picture links: Picasa web album Vishwaneedam
Project Beneficiary: Tribal people from the Village of Turla population of 50 people from the drinking water ( Made possible due to Solar pump ) and the children of two nearby villages with the availability of the solar lights.
Technical specs: 1. SQ FLEX Grundfos 3A - 10 Solar pump
2. 480 watts solar panels ( 40 watts X 12 numbers)
3. CX - 40. 40 Amps Charge controller
4. 500 VA / 24 Volts Solar inverter
5. 100 Ah X 2 numbers SMF batteries
6. 16 sq mm 2 core cable from panel to controller
7. 6 sq mm 3 core cable from pump to the controller
Need for the solar pump: Please see the Video in the link provided how Ananta goes every morning and pumps water standing on a narrow fragile base holding two sticks to pump water from the bore this is only source of the drinking water and water for general use.
The complete school building was made by pumping water this manner and it takes full day to get only a little amount of water.
This crude method of pumping which involved physical effort has been done away for good by installation of the solar pump.
The solar pump was sponsored by a German organization through the contact of Mike
Need for the solar lighting :
The school has no access to electricity the idea is to get some basic lights 6 number of 14 watts CFL to be used during the night for holding discussion with the villagers and slowly convincing them to come over to the school in the evenings for education, since the complete village is illiterate.
The idea is that the villagers can be shown graphics using Laptop and TV which will enhance their grasping power to learn and show them informative programmes. Plus the electricity helps teachers and volunteers to be in touch with the outside world using the net.
There are plenty of villages in Balangir district and this is just a start to get the school proper facilities so that it helps them to achieve their aim.
