A PACKAGE FOR THE POOR FOR Rs300

These families have come from Nalgonda district to Hyderabad in search of employment. Presently they are working on a construction site as daily wagers.They are living in the temporary huts seen here, constructed near the work-spot.

What are the bare necessities for a family?

Good, clean, safe water for cooking and drinking; an efficient stove for cooking food; a light in the hut in the evening for two or three hours including for children to study.

SAFE WATER,the first priority:These families get their water from a municipal tap in a nearby housing complex; the quality of the water depends on the supply source, its collection and transport and storage container used;often even treated water gets contaminated in transport or storage;after a study of these issues WHO strongly recommends HOUSEHOLD WATER TREATMENT at point of use[POU] as the best measure to ensure safe water for homes..A simple POT WATER-FILTER for Rs100 is described in this blog.
The Rajiv Gandhi Drinking Water Mission has been working on providing drinking water to all villages in India;its focus is on infrastructure development;while it is a laudable objective, household water treatment should also be included in its program to ensure safe water at home as recommended by WHO.

STOVE:The poor use biomass based stoves for cooking food;these are generally inefficient both in quantity of wood use and quality of fire as it produces more smoke than heat;indoor air pollution kills one person every 20 seconds according to WHO. Improved stoves for below Rs.100 are described.
LIGHT:The family in the photo uses a kerosene lantern like most poor in rural areas;several solar lanterns with CFLs[compact fluorescent tubes] or with LEDs[light emiting diodes]are in the market in price ranges of Rs 700 to Rs3000;A LED light for Rs.100 is described !.