Background
India is a large, varied country with a growing population of more than a billion people. There is a incredible diversity of wealth, religions, languages, culture, and geography. There is a large divide between rich and poor, with more than 25% of people living below the poverty line. Population growth remains rapid, especially in urban areas where people are migrating from rural communities in search of a better life.

India's diverse economy includes agriculture, handicrafts, and a wide range of modern industries and services. India has enjoyed significant economic growth over the last decade and poverty has been reduced by about 10%. This economic expansion has helped certain regions reach new levels of prosperity while others remain some of the most impoverished in the world.

Water and Sanitation
Water For People cannot hope to fully address the water and sanitation needs of a country of India’s magnitude, but it has made a commitment to make a difference in one of the country’s poorest regions, the State of West Bengal.

Access to water and sanitation varies across West Bengal with wide disparities between districts. Water in eight of 19 districts within West Bengal are arsenic-ridden, making it unsafe for more than 5 million people who often turn to nearby ponds shared with livestock. As a result, West Bengal has one of the world’s highest levels of water-related illnesses.

The sanitation situation in West Bengal is equally alarming. The few facilities that do exist are poorly maintained, offer no privacy, and are under severe strain from overuse. Responsibility for maintenance of public toilets is often ambiguous, leading to unclean facilities that are rife with disease. Most people simply defecate in fields, rivers, or ponds creating even greater health risks. The absence of sanitation facilities in schools contributes significantly to the dropout rates of female students when they reach puberty.

Water For People in India
Water For People began working in India in 1996 with a small pilot effort to help eliminate the threat of naturally occurring arsenic in the water supplies. Water For People partnered with Bengal Engineering and Science University to develop simple, locally manufactured filters that effectively remove arsenic from the water supply at public wellheads. Today, this innovative work continues with more than 110 filters having been installed, providing more than 33,000 people with safe drinking water.

But Water For People’s work in West Bengal extends beyond arsenic mitigation. In 2005, Water For People established a more formal presence in India when it opened an office in Kolkata and hired a full-time country coordinator, Rajashi Mukherjee, to facilitate work in the region with the support of four full-time staff members. Water For People–India has committed to help meet the basic water and sanitation needs of thousands of India’s poorest rural inhabitants with the development of appropriate and sustainable solutions.

In 2006, Water For People–India managed nine projects in West Bengal, directly benefiting 33,656 people, a dramatic increase of nearly 600% over 2005. The organization has developed plans to increase the sustainable coverage of safe water from 60% to 100% in 20 villages over the next five years.

Sanitation is a top priority for this region and Water For People has committed to covering 90% of the estimated 8,620 toilets needed for these 20 villages by 2011. Water For People will also equip 34 schools with water and sanitation facilities, making it more attractive for the 12,000 children in these villages to attend classes. Water For People will strengthen hygiene education programs to promote measurable changes in hygiene practices that undermine household health.

Arsenic remains a significant problem in West Bengal. Water For People will continue to strengthen its arsenic mitigation program by increasing the rate at which at-risk communities benefit from arsenic-removal technologies.

Working closely with its in-country staff, Water For People has developed an aggressive strategic plan to make a more meaningful impact in meeting the water and sanitation needs in the West Bengal region of India between 2007-2011.