DARBAR SAHITYA SANSADA

E 9k= stablished in 1982 in the Puri district of Odisha, Darbar Sahitya Sansada (DSS) has focused on livelihood security, gender equality, climate action, and conservation. DSS takes a communitarian approach to water issues, including water literacy, governance and conservation of surface water, and the rejuvenation of water bodies in relation to livelihoods.

Since long Darbar Sahitya Sansada has been working on water and sanitation activities in Odisha. DSS has intervened in these fields:

Water conservation in community ponds by community effort (mainly women) to make drinking water available for human and animals for longer in the water scarce areas.
Promoting organic farming to reduce water contamination and pollution by chemical fertilizer and pesticides.
Community level awareness on water literacy and water governance.
Awareness on plastic pollution / contamination in water and adopt recycle and reuse.
Worked on clean drinking water provision during disasters, by tube-well, wells, ponds disinfection.
Demonstrated the sand based filtering of drinking water for saline and iron content etc.
Promoted sustainable aquaculture( inland fishery- pond based) using organic practice.

DSS recognises access to clean drinking water and sanitation as a basic human right, and has been working towards this goal by raising community awareness, providing demonstrations and strengthening the planning process through community participation.

Building on this community knowledge and experience, DSS is planning to recharge groundwater through recharge points and rooftop rainwater harvesting to provide households with water for a few months during periods of water scarcity. As groundwater is being depleted, DSS is focusing on surface water and rainwater harvesting.