India
Assam NGO Provides Water Filters to 3,000 Flood‑Affected Villagers
An Assam organisation has taken responsibility for seven villages in Charaideo district that were hit by floods, providing water‑related solutions to about 3,000 residents under its Paani Campaign. Charaideo and Sivasagar were among the districts most severely impacted by July floods in eastern Assam, together accounting for the majority of the 82 deaths reported by August 1. Jeevan Initiative, a volunteer‑run group, supplied a specially designed water‑treatment device to each family in the villages of Chala‑Garmur Basti, Halmaspara and Banhbari, with funding from individual donors. Four additional villages—Khana Grant, Na‑Gaon, Gajibil and Gultup‑Barahi Grant—were covered in partnership with IDBI Bank through its corporate social responsibility programme. Managing trustee Suresh Ranjan Goduka said volunteers will monitor the impact of the devices over their five‑year warranty period and beyond, tracking key indicators and carrying out further community activities. He noted that Jeevan Initiative had previously implemented similar programmes in flood‑hit villages in Goalpara and Morigaon districts. “As floodwaters receded, rural areas of Charaideo faced a second humanitarian crisis: the lack of clean drinking water. While bottled water is an immediate relief, it increases plastic pollution and is unaffordable in the long run,” Mr Goduka said. “Submerged tube wells, groundwater and other traditional water sources spread waterborne diseases such as typhoid, cholera, dysentery and hepatitis. As a result, the villagers are economically exhausted, along with the loss of life and health. Therefore, it is very important to be self‑reliant in drinking water,” he added. The units were developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research‑Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology for high‑turbidity flood water. They are gravity‑based, require no electricity, and can purify water from rivers, ponds and wells to meet drinking and cooking standards. Built on Terafil technology, the units remove bacteria, turbidity and iron, maintain a neutral pH and preserve essential minerals. Made of food‑grade polypropylene, they need only simple cleaning and no annual maintenance contract. The Department of Science and Technology and the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology tested and certified the units. “Because daily filtration is not a traditional practice in many rural pockets, the campaign pairs permanent household‑level hardware with a behavioural change component. A team of our volunteer coordinators went to the villages and handed over these devices to a member of each household, explained their operation and maintenance procedures and spoke about water, hygiene and healthy lives,” Mr Goduka said.