Ted Nesse from the Stillwater Sunrise Rotary Club spoke to our club about the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project for rural schools near Pune, India. According to the 2011 Census of India, Pune is the ninth-most populous city in India with a population of 3.1 million residents within the city limits and has a population of 7.2 million residents in the metropolitan region making it the eighth-most populous metropolitan area in India. But that doesn’t mean that the surrounding region has modern facilities.
During 2023 and 2024, the Pune Tilak Road Rotary Club and the Stillwater Sunrise Rotary Club are collaborating on a global grant project to build toilet facilities and install water purification systems in rural areas near Pune, India. At four co-ed schools in three communities, toilet blocks will be refurbished and built, washing facilities will be installed and septic systems will be installed as needed to provide appropriate sanitation facilities for the students and staff at the schools. The school priority had been on academics, not sanitation (including toilets). The students relieved themselves everywhere, meaning that everyone had to watch where they walked. The toilet stalls were designed and built by local engineers and contractors using local building materials and local labor.
Another important part of the project is hygiene education. Classes educate students about the gains that come from using the improved facilities. The addition of sanitary napkin dispensers and incinerators helped keep girls in school.
The water is very “probiotic” and is not drinkable. Because terrible water is widespread, they know about water purification. The purification equipment is locally produced, and people know how to maintain and service the equipment. Replacing filters is only $200 a year. At two of the schools, water purification systems were installed to provide safe water. Health and sanitation training was presented to the students at all the locations.
Approximately 1500 students, plus staff, will benefit from access to modern toilet facilities and clean water. Maintenance of the systems for three years is included in the initial project, with planning for ongoing maintenance and support of the facilities after the 3-year period.
The Pune club has a long history of successful projects in towns in the area because they know how to build relationships with community leaders in the towns where they serve.
About the Speaker: Ted Nesse is a graduate of St. Olaf College (Biology) and the University of Michigan (B.S. Electrical Engineering, M.S. Computer Engineering). He retired from a career in electronic product development spanning robotics, electronic security and medical devices. While Ted worked mostly in engineering management, his own business, North Latitude Technology, LLC has been active since 2005.