Mazhapolima: Keeping Water in your Well Year Round

In regions receiving heavy monsoon rains followed by dry spells people are always looking for ways to take advantage of all that water. For the people of Kerala, a state in the south-western part of India, the answer has come in the form of Mazhapolima. Mazhapolima is a community based well recharge program started in 2008 by Mr. Kurian Baby, former District Collector and current Senior Program Officer, South Asia and Latin America team at IRC International Water and Sanitation Center.

The goal of the Mazhapolima program is to "contribute towards enhanced health and welfare of the community through improved access to drinking water". The program reaches this goal by satisfying a number of objects including, but not limited to, recharging ground water, improving drinking water availability and service level throughout the year, significantly reducing the impact that drought has and the costs associated with trucking in drinking water to satisfy demand, and improve agricultural production and productivity.