Bharti Infratel and TERI empower schools to take forward water, sanitation and hygiene awareness

The two organisations held a ceremony to mark the successful completion of Project FLOW and felicitate its Ranchi stalwarts

Ranchi, 9th Oct, 2018: Water is one of the pillars of sustainable development. Access to safe drinking water, adequate hygiene and sanitation facilities can strengthen overall social well-being and environmental sustainability. In 2015, Bharti Infratel and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), initiated Project FLOW (Facilitating Learning on WASH) with an objective of educating school children on the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) nexus. In the last three years, the project has provided WASH education to approximately 700,000 students, teachers and community members across 6 cities, in addition to providing access to safe drinking water in 63 schools.

Project FLOW aims to translate awareness and knowledge into action through knowledge workshops, school and community action projects along with providing grassroots solutions such as safe drinking water platforms, purification system, and rainwater harvesting structures in select schools. Geographically, the project covers 10 schools each in 6 cities in India, namely, Bhubaneswar, Ranchi, Indore, Jammu, Panipat, and Guwahati.

To mark the closure of the project, TERI and Bharti Infratel today organised "Pravah....go with the FLOW" at Shivaji Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya in Ormanjhi, Ranchi. The ceremony marked the successful completion of three years of Project FLOW and beginning of a new era where stakeholders would take the learnings of Project FLOW beyond the confines of schools, classrooms, and communities, and mainstream the learnings in their future thoughts, practices, and actions.

Mr Kumar Abhinou Swaroop, Block Development Officer, Ormanjhi, Ranchi, who was the Chief Guest of the event, said, "I am glad that a project like FLOW is being implemented in our block for the past three years. The infrastructure work that I saw in Shivaji Pratibha Vikas Vidyalaya, Ormanjhi is commendable. Apart from focussing on students, there is a need to target community members and educating them on water and sanitation management. The government is doing enough, but there is a need that all institutions come together for the social cause."

He also released an Operation and Maintenance Guidebook for WASH infrastructure set up during the project. The guidebook is a multi-faceted document divided into three parts - the infrastructure initiatives undertaken during the project, operation and maintenance of infrastructure such as water purifiers, storage tanks, drinking water platforms, and rain water harvesting structures set up as part of the project, and the way forward by schools to sustain this infrastructure.

Speaking on the occasion, Taru Mehta, Fellow, TERI, said, "Access to safe drinking water and adequate hygiene and sanitation facilities are the basis of any form of societal advancement. FLOW is our ambitious project that aims to develop an integrated governance framework that engages government officials, economic players, representatives of sciences, and the civil society for effective implementation of solutions."

The ceremony brought together all partners in change - school students, teachers, school principals, members of School WASH Committee, and experts from water sector. The stalwarts of the project were felicitated on the occasion for their role in the project.

About TERI

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) is a leading think tank dedicated to conducting research for sustainable development of India and the Global South. Established in 1974, TERI has become the pre-eminent institution for research, discussion and thought leadership on environmental governance and sustainable development.

The Institute is committed to the application of thought that drives action in the direction of tackling climate change.

About Bharti Infratel:

Bharti Infratel is a provider of telecom tower and related infrastructure sharing services. On a consolidated basis, it is one of the largest PAN India tower infrastructure providers, based on the number of towers owned and operated by Bharti Infratel and Indus, which are represented by Bharti Infratel's 42% equity interest in Indus. The business of Bharti Infratel and Indus is to acquire, build, own and operate towers and related infrastructure.

For further details, please contact:
TERI - Aastha Manocha: aastha.manocha@teri.res.in
Edelman - Sneha Dev: 9958000706 | Sneha.Dev@edelman.com