’First time’ in the Island

The EHA Project team has reported on their achievement as ‘First time in the Island’ the following items:

1. Most of village communities have come together for the first time to work together in addressing the water issues through the project. Till this time they were dependent on PWD of Panchayat to provide water.
2. 1.5 m diameter was not common in the Islands; Water Project has introduced this size for the first time in the inter Islands. Commonly available sizes are 1 m or 2 m diameter ring wells
3. Hand drilled shallow bore wells were first time introduced in the Islands. This way even remote jungle villages can have bore wells
4. For the first time in the Islands custom designed – assembled tanks (22,000 litre) were piloted for water storage. These tanks will be very useful during times of emergencies and relief
5. For the first time Self Help Group (SHG) has been acting as water user groups in the Islands and found to be quite successful.
6. EHA – MCC had taken first initiatives in water advocacy in the Islands. The administration had been positive so far in giving a hearing to us.

Learning

1. Boreholes in North and Middle Andaman has not been very successful and hence not recommended as good groundwater aquifers are not found in the Islands except in very few igneous pockets of Mayabunder Island
2. Shallow bore wells though they deliver water in these places the yield has been poor because of the clay sub surface formation and very often fail during summer season
3. Bigger the diameter better the yield of open dug wells of about 6m depth this is also associated with the clay subsurface formation
4. Dug wells still remain the best source of water for the rural mass of the island however open defecation (lack of sanitary facility) remains a threat of contamination to such shallow open dug wells. (Port Blair doesn't not have a sewer system this wells here also runs risk of contamination)
5. One of the important reasons rainwater harvesting efforts by government has failed is because the dry period and size of storage is not taken into consideration while designing
6. Though no harmful chemicals found into groundwater some water sources have known to deliver iron rich water or brackish water. In many shallow wells the brackishness is due to the sedimentary rock formations rather than a saline aquifer.