Water

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Barefoot College has been building climate resilience in drought-prone rural areas for more than 50 years.

Droughts are intensified by low rainfall, falling groundwater levels, and salts and fluorides in the groundwater causing illnesses.

Women often have to walk miles to collect safe drinking water.

Since the 1970s, our Barefoot Water Engineers have combined modern technology with traditional wisdom and skills, to bring water security to communities across India and the world.

Tested over the years, the Barefoot College model invites and encourages people’s participation and equips communities with the skills to plan, implement and monitor rainwater harvesting programmes for themselves.

Barefoot Water Professionals

In the early 1980s, Barefoot College trained the first ever female Barefoot Hand Pump Mechanic, shattering the perception that engineering roles were a male-only domain.

Since then Barefoot College has trained many more women as Barefoot Water Professionals, working in areas ranging from water testing and filtration units to water storage infrastructure.

Influencing national policy

In 2003, the “Year of Fresh Water”, Barefoot College led a national workshop with the Indian Ministry of Water Resources. Through the participation of many government and non-government organisations, we launched a Joint Action Plan for Rainwater Harvesting in Schools.

Barefoot College Impact

Rainwater harvesting

Barefoot College has constructed 1,270 rainwater harvesting units in schools and 273 in community centres, harvesting 100 million litres of water annually and benefitting more than 2.8 million people across 8 countries in the Global South.

Hand pumps

In Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh, Barefoot College has installed 1,735 hand pumps and trained 1,766 local repair and maintenance mechanics. 60,000 people in 530 villages now have access to water, with 671 handpumps in schools, 227 in community and training centres, 611 in Scheduled Caste and Schedules Tribe Communities, and 226 in shared community spaces.

Reviving drought-ridden Rajasthan

Since 1986, Barefoot College has constructed 225 village ponds, harvesting 525 million litres of rainwater a year and benefitting more than 120,000 people; 45 dug wells with a total capacity of 20 million litres for faster groundwater recharge and water storage, benefitting 1,025 people; 15 anicuts (masonry check damns) with a total rainwater harvesting capacity of 130 million litres, benefitting 150,000 people; and four small damns which harvest 65 million litres of rainwater annually, benefitting 48,000 people. More than 80,000 families have found employment through these water projects.

Solar energy for desalination

Barefoot College installed Rajasthan’s first fully solar-powered desalination plant in Tilonia, proving that community solar energy can power water plants to turn brackish water into drinking water. Today, where water quality is poor, Barefoot College helps villagers install community-operated Reverse Osmosis Plants.

Barefoot College Programmes for Impact

Water

Environment

Solar

Education

Livelihoods

Health

Communications