Evading her mother’s clutches, 4-year-old Avantika runs around the water pump. Stopping now and then Avantika pulls on the pump handle, judiciously releasing water for children waiting in line to quench their thirst. With gusto she says, "Drink, wash your face, the water is nice." 

At a distance Avantika’s mother, Uttara waves; a signal that it’s time to come back home. Dropping her self-imposed water pumping duties, Avantika dashes back home, soft-landing in her mother’s lap. Caressing little Avantika, 29-year-old Uttara recollects the time her community was plagued by the curse of the brackish water. Secreted microbes precariously preyed on all those who innocently immersed their delicate bodies into the depths of the pond, inflecting pain and grief. Each dip posed an imminent threat of contracting an aggressive skin rash. 

For the villagers, the pond was the closest source of water. Like a thief, the harmful microbes of the water tiptoed into the lives of the villagers causing serious health nuisances. 

"Avantika used to wail at night, it hurt my heart to see her cry. The rash appeared mostly in the joints of the body. Between fingers and knees, the areas became pink and sore. I used to beg her not to scratch, but kids are kids. When it itched, she scratched and bled, which used to leave a scar on the body," says Uttara. 

"The other sources of water were far away so we used the pond water for everything, bathing, cooking and cleaning utensils. It made the villagers sick. People spend money taking their children to the doctor for skin infections or diarrhea. I too suffered from an eye infection because of using pond water. My eyes used to burn very badly. 

The water was so filthy and salty that when we poured it for our kitchen garden, the plants died.  

We were unable to grow anything," says Sunil Singh, father of Avantika. 

For the villagers of Chottogeonkhali village healing came in the form of a deep bore well with a hand pump, installed within the village by World Vision; bringing much needed respite from the persecution inflected by the murky waters. 

"Because the area is in the Sundarbans the presence of water is mostly everywhere but the water is not suitable for drinking or for household consumption as it is saline and dirty. Women had to walk long distance and stand in long queues to fetch water. Boring deep wells in these areas is usually risky as the water table varies from a thousand to fifteen hundred feet. There are also chances of getting saline water. But we were successful in installing one in the village. The hand pump is benefitting more than hundred families here," Prashant, a Community Development Coordinator of World Vision India. 

"I have a small girl and leaving her alone at home to fetch water from a faraway location was a problem.  

Now the hand pump has reduced the burden of travelling long distances for water, I have more time to spend with my daughter and take care of her. The water from the bore well is usually warm and even our children love to bathe in it. The incidences of skin disease have drastically reduced in our village," says Uttara. 

The hand pump now brings joy and good health to the residents of Chottogeonkhali village giving them access to one of the most basic necessities of life; clean water. 

Extra Notes: 

• In the year 2014, World Vision installed 138 hand pumps and 27 new tube wells in the Sundarbans region, bringing relief to many families 

• Avantika is a World Vision Sponsored Child 

-Annila Harris/World Vision India

Labels: #childwellbeing #health #WASH #water #worldwaterday featurestory