Encouraged by Chancellor Mata Amritanandamayi, a team of staff members from the Amrita Center for Wireless Networks and Applications (Amrita WNA) were sent to the remote village of Dunda in Uttarakhand to help fix a water distribution problem. This village also faced severe scarcity of water during summer.

A network of pipelines carried water from a source located atop a hill about 6-8 Km away from the village. However, the tank downhill remained mostly empty due to pipeline leakage, tampering and blockage. Upon inspection, the team realized that the check dam built at the water source on top of the hill was old, badly damaged, and needed to be demolished.

Mr. Arunkumar, who was one of the four staff members sent to Dunda, recalls his daily 2.5 hour trek to the work site carrying utensils, supplies, drinking water and tools. Gathering firewood to cook for nine people was a challenge. Time and again a “Ched” tree damaged by forest fire would get uprooted and fall. But, despite all these challenges, the team managed to rebuild the check dam and water tank, fix all major leakages and clear blockades. A new pipeline was laid underground to prevent tampering.

Mr. Arun was delighted that the team could learn basic plumbing in such a short span of time, with minimal training, and help solve the water crisis of this remote village.