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Women collect water from Mandli village talab (a big pond with a raised embankment). Earlier this year, at a cost of INR200,000 (US$4,500), local residents and the Jal Bhagirathi Foundation (JBF) excavated 8000 cubic meters of land to increase the size of the pond by over 30 percent. The water-body, fed by rainwater and a series of channels, now supplies 250 families their water needs for twelve months of the year. The JBF is a non-governmental organization promoted by the United Nations Development Fund and the Italian Development Cooperation.

In five years since its inception the Jal Bhagirathi Foundation (JBF) has utilised traditional methods to revive more than 250 water harvesting structures in about 150 villages in Rajasthan's drought prone regions. JBF provides technical assistance and two-thirds the cost of a project, only after a village council has thoroughly discussed the issue and reached a unanimous decision. Villagers raise the initial funds by contributing according to their ability. The poor who cant spare any money offer free labour. By addressing the problem of water and uniting caste-ridden village communities, the water campaign has set in motion a silent revolution of far-reaching consequences. Infant mortality is going down. For women who have been liberated from the daily task of collecting water, literacy levels are on the rise. Stomach and skin ailments are showing signs of decrease.

Photo: Tom Pietrasik
Mandli, Barmer District, Rajasthan. India
September 17th 2007

THIS PHOTOGRAPH IS THE COPYRIGHT OF TOM PIETRASIK. THE PHOTOGRAPH MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM OTHER THAN THAT FOR WHICH PERMISSION WAS GRANTED. THE PHOTOGRAPH MAY NOT BE MANIPULATED, STORED, OR DISTRIBUTED WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION FROM TOM PIETRASIK.

Tom Pietrasik
PHOTOGRAPHER
India tel: +91 9810614419
UK tel: +44 7710507916
Email: tom@tompietrasik.com
Website: http://www.tompietrasik.com/
Copyright
Tom Pietrasik
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Women collect water from Mandli village talab (a big pond with a raised embankment). Earlier this year, at a cost of INR200,000 (US$4,500), local residents and the Jal Bhagirathi Foundation (JBF) excavated 8000 cubic meters of land to increase the size of the pond by over 30 percent. The water-body, fed by rainwater and a series of channels, now supplies 250 families their water needs for twelve months of the year. The JBF is a non-governmental organization promoted by the United Nations Development Fund and the Italian Development Cooperation. <br /> <br /> In five years since its inception the Jal Bhagirathi Foundation (JBF) has utilised traditional methods to revive more than 250 water harvesting structures in about 150 villages in Rajasthan's drought prone regions. JBF provides technical assistance and two-thirds the cost of a project, only after a village council has thoroughly discussed the issue and reached a unanimous decision. Villagers raise the initial funds by contributing according to their ability. The poor who cant spare any money offer free labour. By addressing the problem of water and uniting caste-ridden village communities, the water campaign has set in motion a silent revolution of far-reaching consequences. Infant mortality is going down. For women who have been liberated from the daily task of collecting water, literacy levels are on the rise. Stomach and skin ailments are showing signs of decrease. <br /> <br /> Photo: Tom Pietrasik<br /> Mandli, Barmer District, Rajasthan. India<br /> September 17th 2007<br /> <br /> THIS PHOTOGRAPH IS THE COPYRIGHT OF TOM PIETRASIK. THE PHOTOGRAPH MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FORM OTHER THAN THAT FOR WHICH PERMISSION WAS GRANTED. THE PHOTOGRAPH MAY NOT BE MANIPULATED, STORED, OR DISTRIBUTED WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION FROM TOM PIETRASIK.<br /> <br /> Tom Pietrasik<br /> PHOTOGRAPHER<br /> India tel: +91 9810614419<br /> UK tel: +44 7710507916<br /> Email: tom@tompietrasik.com<br /> Website: http://www.tompietrasik.com/