PROJECT ASBAH

NEED

Polluted drinking water is the major cause of diarrhea and various other water-borne diseases, responsible
for around 1.7 million deaths a year. Approximately 63 million do not have access to clean drinking
water, leaving them with no alternative but to depend on contaminated water for drinking and cooking
purposes. Project Asbah aims to provide clean and pure drinking water to rural households by using
different strategies as per the need of the area.

Project Asbah also aims to empower unemployed local women as they will be taking active part in the
production of the solution and as well as overlooking the operations at the Community RO plants.

NEED ASSESSMENT AND VALUE OFFERING

Different areas were surveyed to check the chemical contamination and Total dissolved Solids (TDS) in
the drinking water.

Areas where high TDS levels are found, a community RO plant will be set up.

In other areas, a solution called Asbah Purification Solution is used to kill the pathogens present in the
drinking water. It is a diluted version of Sodium Hypochlorite which effectively treats pathogens. The
solution is made in collaboration with Pristine Water Services. The Solution Bottle is produced by a
female entrepreneur and sold to the residents of A.C.Nagar and Nehru Colony who don’t have access to
clean drinking water.

After collaborating with the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, they’ve also come up with an
inexpensive clay filter that can be locally made and purchased. Priced at Rs 550, the filter comprises two clay
pots placed atop each other, with two Terafil candles placed in between. Terafil, a solid disc composed of a
mixture of red clay, river sand and wood sawdust, serves as the filtering agent. Having a capacity of 15 litres,
this filter is particularly useful for treating water polluted by sediments, pathological and biological
contaminants and microorganisms, which are commonly found in rural areas. Not only do they help in
eradicating water-borne diseases, but also generate income for the potters and are affordable to the rural
consumers while effectively countering competition.
INNOVATION
The use of Asbah Purification Solution is very innovative. This low cost product is not only easy to
understand but saves a lot of water in a way that the water which is wasted after purification process in
purifiers in urban cities will not be wasted here. This model is also helping the unemployed women in the
slum areas.

SUSTAINABILITY

The Asbah Purification Solution Bottle is produced by a female entrepreneur and sold to the
residents of A.C.Nagar and Nehru Colony who don’t have access to clean drinking water. A
cap-full of this solution can be added to about 20 litres of contaminated water, thus removing
most of the pathogens from it. Each bottle is priced at Rs.30 and can last for about 2 months. 5
women are currently employed through our intervention, one for production and packaging and
the other four for marketing and feedback. They receive a commission on sales. These plants
provide highly affordable RO water on a daily basis to 1000 families at Rs.4 for 20 litres. They
work on a card-based system, through which these families receive 20 litres of clean drinking
water every day. The RO plants are entirely run and handled by the two female entrepreneurs,
thereby empowering them by providing them with employment. Furthermore, the four walls
surrounding the plant have been beautified as a step taken to spread awareness of the
importance of clean drinking water among the rural people.

For every filter sold, the local dealer who has been identified so as to create an efficient supply
chain earns Rs. 75. The filters significantly reduce expenditure on clean drinking water to less
than Rs 1 per day. Therefore, Project Asbah has impacted more than 100 lives in one month of
operation by providing 15600 liters of clean drinking water and reducing the risk of waterborne
diseases.

SCALABILITY

The project started with A.C Nagar, an urban slum 40 kilometers away from Delhi. Then the projected
was expanded to Nehru Colony, an urban slum 5 km from AC Nagar, with similar
demographics, it was the perfect area for the intervention. The RO Plants have been set up in
Lal Bagh and Kabir Nagar, both urban slums initiatives.

In these areas, we received support from the Delhi Jal Board and Model Town MLA Mr.
Akhilesh Pati Tripathi. In the near future, we are looking to expand our RO network to, Dhobi
Ghat, Om Nagar, Bhalswa, RK Puram, Wazirpur and Sarai Peepal Thala, thus impacting a total
of 17,500+ lives.

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IMPACT

Economic
In 12 and 4 months of its operation respectively, the entrepreneur selling the purification solution
has been able to earn Rs.3500 per month, and the entrepreneurs handling the RO Plants have
earned Rs.4500 per month, which will only increase in the near future owing to our IEC
activities. Drinking clean water will also reduce the health costs undertaken by rural people.

Social
Project Asbah has impacted 5000+ lives by removing contaminants from water and reducing the
risk of waterborne diseases.

Environmental
The production of the solution is an eco-friendly process. On the other hand, our RO Plants are
set up in a way that the wastewater generated is used up in a nearby toilet complex, and efforts
are taken to stop high-TDS water from entering the groundwater. Moreover, we plan to spread
awareness among people about the ill-effects of disposing of garbage on the roads.

Basically, the project has proved to be environment friendly and socially empowering as it saves water,
the process of eliminating the pathogens is safe, economical and is helping women to be uplifted from
poverty.

PARTNERSHIP

Project Asbah got collaboration with Pristine Water Services, World Vision India, Council of Scientific
and Industrial Research for clay filters, as well as support from Delhi Jal Board.