HIGH SCHOOL FINALIST - Jibran Rahman

Jibraan Rahman, Grade 10
Plymouth, Michigan

Living Thirsty: The Great Indian Drinking Water Crisis

“The children of today will make the India of tomorrow.” – Jawaharlal Nehru The Framework...

Grandmothers are a blessing. They not only love their grandchildren but also guide and counsel them. I also have a grandmother. I share my grandmother a.ka. “Nani” with 800 children in Southern India. Nani, a retired pediatrician runs an orphanage in Chennai working on initiatives to improve lives.

A key initiative for Nani is finding good quality drinking water at the orphanage. Drinking water is a dream for 70% of India’s population. The problem is acerbated in poverty-stricken communities where they rely on well water, which is often contaminated with fecal matter leading to fatal diseases like typhoid and Hepatitis A. Nani became involved when the orphanage was hit with a typhoid epidemic in 1989. Nani went in as emergency medical help and has since stayed on to serve.

Growing up in the U.S. I often flew as an unaccompanied minor to spend time with my family in Chennai. Nani would take me to the orphanage to meet the children. One summer when I was 14, my flask was empty, so I drank water at the orphanage and complained that the water tasted metallic. The staff said that this was a legit complaint. They explained that many indigent Indian households do not have piped water and that the well water they drink could be contaminated. They had no resources to regularly test and treat the water. I was shocked that these children could not drink from a faucet. This was an epiphany for me as I realized how much I took for granted growing up in America. My childhood resentment for having to share Nani with her, “Tamil grandchildren” has morphed into a deep interest in the work she does. I have gotten deeply involved with Nani’s pet project: improving the drinking water quality at orphanages in India. The children of today will become the future of India tomorrow, as Nehru pontificated. The lack of good quality drinking water is by far the biggest problem facing India today.

“Failure comes only when we forget our ideals, objectives and principles.” –

Jawaharlal Nehru

The Harsh Reality...

India is currently facing the biggest crisis in its history and it is not COVID. India suffers from one of the world’s worst drinking water problems. The problem is even worse in orphanages, poor communities, and rural areas where there is a lack of awareness of the importance of drinking good quality water. In the U.S. there are many EPA and CDC regulations that govern the water we consume. In India, many live in hot climates with no access to water so drink what they can find. Today 50% of India’s population has no access to safe water and approximately 200,000 people die every year from drinking infected water. 30% of these deaths are children. 82% of rural households are without piped water supply. The pandemic requires frequent handwashing, but this is a luxury many cannot afford. To stay alive, they must drink the water they have. Factors in India, like pollution, heat, transportation, and storage, make sending water containers to communities hard as these become susceptible to dirt, and chemical contamination. A sustainable indigenous drinking water solution is needed. A solution has been started on a small scale in some orphanages, yet much remains to be done. How can Indians in the U.S. get involved?

Obviously, the highest type of efficiency is that which can utilize existing material to the best advantage.” – Jawaharlal Nehru

NRIs Springing into Action...

First, we must educate NRIs about India’s drinking water crisis. NRIs lead in STEM and business fields so can fully engage with this crisis if they understand the science and the details. Last summer wanting to get educated, I did a project to find the most efficacious water treatment for developing nations like India. I arrived at a solution to harness rainwater and to treat it inexpensively. My solution is being considered for an application by nonprofits like Global Water Brigades and Engineers without Borders. Understanding water science made the issue extremely real. I used this education and contacted two U.S.-based Indian-run nonprofits who got engaged. Therefore, educating more Indians leading in STEM and business fields through IPA, about India’s water crisis will get more engaged faster.

Second, we must connect NRI-run U.S. nonprofits with groups on the ground in India, like Safe Water Cube (SWC). SWC is a nonprofit started in Southern India to install safe drinking water stations. Their first drinking water installation was at an orphanage in Salem, Tamil Nadu. Indian groups like SWC need more resources primarily funds and volunteers. Connecting NRI U.S. groups with the agencies in India will speed up the process. Groups on the ground in India can provide a realistic idea of what resources are needed.

Third, we must get global nonprofits like Global Water Brigades, who are very engaged with the drinking water issues in other places like South America connected with Indian local and state governments. This will allow global water non-profit organizations who have access to volunteers and funds to do what they do best: quickly find avenues to help orphanages and rural communities in India with our water crisis. This is an alliance NRIs in the U.S. can set up as they know which government Indian agencies to connect global nonprofits to. As connected resourceful Indians living abroad, we can bring teams together to help India.

Fourth, we must engage Indian students in the U.S. to do social work to protect their heritage. Many U.S. students seek international community service hours; this could be gained by helping India with the water crisis. My grandmother’s orphanage has a program to allow NRIs to volunteer. A list of Indian nonprofits seeking volunteers could be distributed to children living abroad. IPA could make these initiatives happen faster. The concept of NRI children helping Indian children would build a global spirit of brotherhood bringing NRIs closer to their roots. Indian youth in the U.S. can support this cause by advertising on social media, through literary works, by fundraising, thereby spreading awareness about India’s drinking water crisis.

India’s 1.3 billion people are very capable but cannot rise up as they do not have a basic necessity: good quality drinking water. As a child, I felt moderately connected to India knowing I had family there who enjoyed showing me around. Lately having the opportunity to help India’s drinking water crisis I feel much more connected to India. I feel fortunate to have a grandparent that showed me the ropes of social work in India.

Children in India must drink better water. Having a global program that starts by helping children in orphanages and then expanding this program to all, can ignite a zest for giving back to India for those of us living in America. This would make more Indians living abroad awakened to their heritage. Passion for this initiative would catch on fire once the idea is sparked. In the words of Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian children’s rights activist, “If not now, then when? If not you, then who?”

Bibliography

https://www.safewatercube.com/en/portfolio_page/india-salem- orphanage/#problematique
https://www.smsfoundation.org/contact-us/ https://water.globalbrigades.org/
https://www.ewb-usa.org/ https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinking/public/water_diseases.html https://www.eldoradosprings.com/blog/water-and-health https://lifewater.org/
https://www.bloodwater.org/
https://waterandhealth.org/safe-drinking-water/drinking-water/is-rainwater-safe-to- drink/
https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/national-primary-drinking- water
https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chemicals/nitratenitrite2ndadd.pdf

Book: “Drinking Water Treatment for Developing Countries”, Authors: Aniruddha Bhalchandra Pandit, Jyoti Kishen Kumar
Book, “A Field Guide to Clean Drinking Water: How to Find, Assess, Treat, and Store It”, Author: Joe Vogel