Aakash Ganga is a bundle of innovations in:
Capacity: Capturing enough rainwater to meet 12-months supply of safe drinking water for a village.

Technology: Deploying satellite images to eliminate time consuming and laborious physical survey of villages.

IT Network: Monitors the water quality and utilization of numerous reservoirs in 100s of villages.

Economics: AG is economically sustainable. Villagers contribute as much as 50% of the cost. Infrastructure and maintenance costs are recovered through revenue generation.

Knowledge Management Center: Internet-based knowledge repository for disseminating information.

Two-tier Social Entrepreneurship: Level 1: At village leve a social enterpreneur manages the system. These village level SEs belong to an institute of social enterprises. The Institute facilitates flow of capital, management, and technology.

Cultural integration: Uses local traidtiions to build a bond between the community and the AG. For example, transformied water storage sites into places of worship.

a. Indian Institute of Health Management Research, India (www.iihmr.org)
b. Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India (www.bits-pilani.ac.in
c. Bhoruka Charitable Trust (www.bctngo.org)
d. Samgra Seva Sansthan

IIHMR is the lead implementer and BITS is the lead technology developer.

a. We have presented an implementation plan for 100 villages, expandable to 1000 villages, to the Indian Prime Minister's Office for adoption by the government.

b. The villagers would contribute 15% of the cost.

c. Private sector would contribute 15%. The government is expected to provide the rest 70% of the cost.

d. The institute of social enterpises will facilitate flow of capital, management, and technology. It will maintain the sytem in perpetuity. It will recover the cost through revenue generation for organic growth and to support below-poverty-level familities.

e. Local governments have allocated land for revenue generation through plantation. A portion of the harvested rainwater will be used for revenue generation.

we are at various stages of negotiations with private sectror, foundations, expatriates, and government to expand the project to 100 villages by 2010.

b. During 2008 - 2010, we plan to implement AG in 100 villages serving 200,000 - 300,000 people in four districts of Rajasthan, India.

c. Once the system design and scheme are perfected, AG plans to rollout the implementation in 1,000 villages serving 2 - 3 million people.

a. Villagers have taken initiative to innovate Aakash Ganga. For example, hiding gutters and pipes so as to retain the aesthetics.

b. Local communities maintain the financial records and have assumed ownership.

c. The modernization of their traditions has boosted their pride and self-esteem.

d. Young girls, freed from the daily chore of fetching drinking water, can pursue education and vocational training.

These districts have severeal thousand villages. The average rainfall is 200 mm - 400 mm. The soil is sandy. No runoff. No surface water. The groundwater is saline and contains high levels of fluoride.

a. Aakash Ganga won World Bank's Development Marketplace grant of $200,000 in 2006.

b. Additional funding, $200,000, was provided by non-resident Indians of Rajasthan Origin.

c. US-based experts contributed several person years effort, valued at $400,000, in designing the system, social enterprise structure, project management, and adpating the system to benefit from local traditions.

Pro bono effort of several person years

The real challenge is to scale the project: Build a social enterprise. Since the social enterprise is a public trust, we cannot access equity investment from social investors. Loans may not be available for lack of collaterals.

What does the number of bachelors has to do with the scarcity of water? My daughter was bewildered. Wouldn't you?

Allow me to solve the ridle for you. No girl wants to get married to a boy in this village lest she has to spend every day of her life fetching water for the family.

Now, think of the social impact of water scarcity, especially on young girls.