Visit to Coastal Communities

Today we were back on the road and a had a two hour drive to the region of Satkira and a district of Shyamnagar where we visited projects which have been assisted by a WaterAid partner in the area.

The challenges faced by these rural communities are linked to their low lying position and closeness to the coastline of the Bay og Bengal.  This area suffers from cyclones every year which cause destruction of property which you would see in the news, but lesser reported events where communities water supplies become infected by saline water from the tidal surges.

We visited a community who showed us how they had improved their sanitary conditions by the creation of a Pond Sand Filter which uses a hand pump to raise the water onto a sand filter bed and then out through taps.  The difference to the water is a better taste, smell and less solid particles.  The water looks perfect.  The families now suffer from less illness and are encouraged to pursue further projects to enhance the community position.  The level of planning done within the community is very business like and a lot of hard work goes into ensuring that their future is healthier.

However, the contrast to all this hard work is that they still live on land which in 30 years time could be under water due to climate change.  This is just something to consider, then think that if you were in that situation wouldn't you be asking the question 'What do we do?'.  It's thought provoking and I have to thank Jez from Sutton and East Surrey Water for raising the point.

On a brighter note, the people that I met today were all very welcoming once again, and their way of life still has a lot of great benefits.  As I sat on one families porch looking out over their rice fields and ponds, it was so calm and friendly that you could easily just sit there for hours.  The difference is that these people never get that chance as they are constantly working to achieve a better standard of living.  When I return to work I will post a lot more images of the work we have seen done today and hopefully give you a better idea of how WaterAid really can change peoples lives.

And the weather, it's not snowing.  :o)