The political changes are expected in Uttaranchal only after the proposed state comes into being, but a social revolution is already sweeping rural areas of the Uttar Pradesh hills. A Rs 300-crore water supply and environment sanitation project is slowly changing the lives of thousands of people in about 900 villages in Garhwal and Kumaon hills.
Christened 'Swajal', the world bank-funded project is being implemented in 19 districts of the state, including 12 in Garhwal and Kumaon. Launched three years ago, it has generated jobs, improved income, created savings and promoted sanitation and gender awareness. The project is aimed at a sustainable level of development in the health sector.
The villages were chosen on the basis of demand, need and technical factors. The local people were involved right from pre-planning stage to implementation. ''The maintenance and running of facilities are looked after by the local people,'' says project Diretor Mahesh Kumar gupta. The community involvement and creating awareness about personal and community hygeine among the rural people, especially women, had been highly successful, he says.
Bureau Report