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DHARAMSHALA, August 24: Around 11000 residents of McLeod Ganj have attributed a renewed importance to ‘drinking water’ as a priced commodity owing to the excess urbanization of the area without balancing counter measures and the contamination of glacial water sources putting out diminished water purity levels over the years.

The water purity concerns are further accentuated by inadequate water storage facilities, outdated drainage and sewage systems and the monsoon season (July- mid October) that averages to a whopping 3000 mm of rain per annum making the town vulnerable to a horde of water borne diseases.

Water borne diseases like chronic gastro intestinal problems (including extreme diarrhea), typhoid and cholera have been reported in the Tibetan refugee community ever since they first came into India in 1959.

One Tibetan NGO, LHA Charitable organization has spearheaded a ‘clean water’ social initiative that has sought consistently since 2011 to cater clean drinking water to the community installing water purification systems in schools, monasteries, community establishments in Dharamshala and beyond with the latest installation at the Central Tibetan Administration’s staff dining hall last week.

In a span of less than 5 years, with funding from organizations such as Tibet Fund, Louisiana Himalayan Association and generous individual benefactors, the Tibetan NGO has installed 21 high capacity water purification systems in the community establishments spread around Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand state, such as TCV day school, Tibetan Delek Hospital, Library of Tibetan works and Archives, Gamru Indian Government school, local monasteries with special emphasis on schools where the focus is on children who are unaware and more susceptible to water borne diseases.

Speaking to Phayul, the Director of the NGO, Ngawang Rabgyal said, “This project is an attempt to promote health and hygiene in the community by providing clean drinking water and eradicating water borne diseases which is common in the area. A survey revealed that over 94 % of Tibetans drink tap water as they couldn’t afford filtered water so these water purifiers, 21 of them until now have affected over 11,000 people’s lives for the better. We have similar plans to help more people in the future”.

Mewoen Tsuglag Petoen School’s Principle Tenzin Dorjee who is well aware of the project as two of such water purification systems have been installed in two Petoen branch schools, told Phayul, “LHA’s amenities are a great help to all the 369 students and also staff in the two schools who have access to clean water now, I believe the water purification systems have contributed to the overall health of the children”.

Around the world, more than three million people in the world die of water-related diseases each year, including 1.2 million children. In India, over one hundred thousand people die of water-borne diseases such as typhoid, cholera and diarrhea annually.