Chandbali, Odisha

This project studies the impacts and issues surrounding water availability in small towns with a dedicated focus to Chandbali, Odisha. More specifically, we have identified 5 key areas of study including: the increasing frequency of natural disasters, water quality and saltwater intrusion, the distribution and coverage of piped water supply, the operation and maintenance of water sources/mechanisms, and finally, administrative arrangements in regard to the management of water. Chandbali is a coastal town and, as a result, is especially vulnerable to extreme weather events (cyclones, storm surges and flooding). Currently, its people are primarily relying on groundwater which is increasingly becoming scarce due to rising levels of salinity. That being said, only about half of the households in Chandbali are connected to piped water supply lines, the rest use other means such as public stand posts or hand pumps. The issue here is that in about all of the samples tested, water from public stand posts or hand pumps exceeded acceptable chemical and bacterial levels whereas water supplied from pipe lines is tested yearly. One threat to water quality is improper sanitation practices which increase the possibility of leaching. There is also a need to study the operation and maintenance of water supply mechanisms for 20% of them are currently not functional. Lastly, drawing upon a previous study by WaterAid, we look  at the possibility of community-based systems and institutions to get piped water supply to those without it and the administrative arrangements necessary to do so.