Rotary International and many of their local clubs have been instrumental in enabling and coordinating SkyHydrant installations globally. The most recent project delivered safe drinking water to schools and communities in Palghar District, India.
Through the Rotary Global Grant program, eight rural schools in the Palghar District were provided with SkyHydrant units to service the school and surrounding community alike. This global grant was sponsored by Rotary Club of Endeavour Hills, District 9820. In addition, the Rotary Club of Navi Mumbai India was supported by the Diganta Swaraj Foundation and Disaster Aid Australia.
David Langworthy from the Rotary Club of Endeavour Hills in Australia visited the region for the inauguration of the SkyHydrant water systems in these eight schools. “This is another fantastic outcome where like-minded partners can deliver meaningful outcomes with immediate impact,” he said. David had been involved in the project since the beginning in 2014. During a presentation of the ‘Safe Water for Every Child’ project to Indian Rotary Clubsback, Dharmendra Gangrade from Rotary Club of Navi, Mumbai immediately recognised the opportunity for a possible Global Grant. Now, 5 years later, more than 8,000 children have access to safe, affordable water.
The eight schools are all boarding schools. The smallest school has just 800 students and the largest nearly 2000 students. Prior to the installation of the SkyHydrants, the prevalence of water-borne diseases was high causing many of the children to miss school on a regular basis. Since the installation, the schools have reported a drastic decline in water-borne diseases with some reporting no cases of diarrhoea at all. This is significant based on previous Diganta Swaraj Foundation reports stating at least 166 children dying of diarrhoea daily.
The Diganta Swaraj Foundation has installed several SkyHydrant units in the villages in native regions in India over the past 10 years. During his recent visit to India, David inspected one such installation from 2011. For over 8 years, the unit has been providing safe water to more than 400 families, remains in a sound condition and the communities value the availability and privilege of having safe water.
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