Where to begin. . .

Well, our internet access is not as good as promised and it probably doesn’t help that we’ve been pulling 12-14 hour days since we got here.

Highlights:
· Red Fort in Delhi
· Having coffee in an upscale Taj hotel
· Indian driving
· Overnight train to Jodhpur (caught the flu and was not in the best shape- this will be another great story about awkward ill moments)
· BBC filming with the Maharaja
· Site visit to Agolai for potential WP site
· Maharaja’s birthday celebration at the palace
· Traditional music concert with Maharaja after birthday celebration- the Queen found a precious 5 year old girl who sings traditional songs and she was breathtaking
· Stakeholders meeting with people from nearby communities talking about their projects and challenges
· Lunch with the Maharani (Queen) at the stakeholders meeting
· Advisory board meeting at the palace showing JBF’s progress this past year
· Evening at the fort with a performance of Shakespeare’s 12th Night by a British acting troupe
· Dinner on the wall of the fort with the Maharaja
· Visit to the Thar Desert showing the extent of the water crisis in Rajasthan

Our visit yesterday to a community spread across the sand dunes of the Thar desert was striking. 75% of the population migrates during the summer season because there simply is no water. They fill underground storage tanks with rainwater, but few can afford to pay for them to be refilled by the government supply once the rainwater runs out. The government is supplying saline water nonetheless, so it’s not as if they are paying for high quality. There were three wells that were not too deep, 50-75 feet. All three wells had completely saline water- not potable by any stretch of the imagination.

This site was the main trustee with whom we have been working, Prithvi, ideal site for a waterpyramid- if it can work here it can work anywhere. While the conditions in Rajasthan seem to be perfect- an abundance of saline groundwater that can’t be used for most purposes- we have run across a technical barrier. The sandstorms during the summer season may proved to be quite a challenge. This is something Martijn has yet to come across in the Gambia and he will have to mitigate this problem accordingly.

The villages are highly motivated and have been working to increase the capacity of some of their existing rainwater harvesting structures. These mostly consist of large ponds with strong retaining walls and then building proper channels to divert the water into the pond and increase the catchment area. The water is then trucked to both household and community storage tanks before the summer season begins to reduce loss of water through evaporation. Most community water committees try to manage the supply for both animals and humans considering that livestock (cows and water buffalos) are the main source of livelihood.

It’s humbling the way these people live- in a truly barren region. People are supported mostly by livestock; however, when it comes to water people are first and livestock second. This means that livestock are left to die in the 4 out of every 5 years the area experiences drought.

We have some semblance of a plan for the remainder of our time here in Rajasthan. We’ll finish out our Jodhpur research this week and take the weekend to go on a camel safari in Jaisalmer. This is a true desert city and one stop on the famous Silk Road that runs through Asia to Europe.

Monday we’ll leave for a week in the capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur, where we’ll finish our research and write a short project proposal for Martijn in addition to the business plan. That means next Saturday we’re off to Agra to see the Taj Mahal.