In the district of North 24 Parganas in the block of Gaighata, a natural element is causing health problems.

Due to the natural settlement of rocks and minerals in the earth around North 24 Parganas, arsenic, a natural but harmful element, is contaminating water supplies. When Water For People first opened its doors in India in 1996 and began working in North 24 Parganas, they helped discover that many of the health problems in the community were due to arsenic contamination. Arsenic is a problem because, unlike other contaminations, normal filters cannot remove it and the filters that do are very expensive to buy new.

Determined to find a solution, Water For People and local partners installed the first arsenic filter in Gaighata. It was a success and in 6 months many of the ailments associated with arsenic began to dissipate. The community also came together to form a water committee, which collected tariffs to fund the upkeep and maintenance of the filter.

But over time another problem presented itself, the new filters were being used at an alarming rate and buying new ones was costly and out of the question. And even though the filters could be recharged at a charging station, the closest one was far away and the process took at least two days to complete.

So, with the support of Water For People, and our local partner, Indian Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology, Shibpur (IIEST) the committee worked to find a solution.

And they did.

By 2012, IIEST established a recharging station in the community, which means filters aren’t replaced too soon, and the community doesn’t have to pay for costly transportation. Now, it is easier, quicker, and cheaper to re-use the filters, and the life of an individual filter has increased (now they are only replaced every 2-3 years.)

But this isn’t just a story of technology and innovation, it is a glimpse into what it means for communities to come together around a need, and catalyze change from the ground up. Today, the committee is thriving with each household contributing 20 rupees each month (they have saved enough to buy three filters,) and they’ve even created jobs for the community members including a caretaker and three rickshaw drivers who deliver water to more remote areas.

This is just another example of what it means to cater to the needs of individual communities and empower them to build systems that work for them, systems that will last for generations to come.