Straight from the Rural areas of Konkan we bring you the preliminary results of the context research. The context research findings are concluded in 6 statements, each connected to a specific topic:
- There is a fresh drinking water problem in the urban areas of Konkan, but there are no significant problems in the rural areas. (water/healthcare)
N.B. Coastal Areas of Konkan will be visited tomorrow, to get a better view. An local agriculture specialst described that salt water is coming more in land, with a growth of 100 meter each year due to the rise of the seawater level
a.) Availability
Due to overpopulation there are not enough water sources. (prof. bapat, students IDC, villagers)
b.) Quality
Illegal housing -> illegal taping -> cause for contamination (KEM Hospital)
Why is there no significant problems in the rural areas?
a.) Just enough availability (hotel owner)
1. Wells
2. Governmental Grid (Dams)
3. Suplly by Tankers (trucks)
b.) Quality is good enough
1. Short connections (home sources of close by) Small chance of contamination: storage in closed pots. (villagers)
2. Little chance for contamination -> no use of pesticides (Agriculture specialist)
3. If there is awareness of an form of contamination, then chlorine drops will be used (freely provided by the government). (villagers)
4. Boiling/Filtering is not a must due to natural filtrations. (villagers)
- There is a need for other fresh drinking water sources in Konkan (water) (Mumbai Times, Prof. Bapat, Agriculture specialist
- To make a product successful in India it needs to be ‘cheap’ (lifestyle)
a.) Most of the people in India have little to spend: 140 Rp a day for a worker. (villagers)
b.) People make a lot of things themselves. (photos) c. In relation to water people prefer to walk for some time for free well water, instead of buying it. Labour is cheap. (prof. Bapat) - To make a product successful in India it needs to be functional & simple (lifestyle)
a.) No rocket science (form follows function)
i.) People do not use products they do not understand. (Prof. Bapat IT, Students)
ii.) Photo portfolio of products used in and around the house. (photos) - To decrease the contamination of drinking water the chance of human errors needs to be minimalized (healthcare) (Source: KEM Hospital)
- The use of solar cookers is rare in Konkan. (lifestyle)
a.) Does not fit the Indian cuisine (Students, Prof. Bapat)
b.) There is not enough space nor sunlight in the Urban areas (Students)
c.) It is too expensive (villagers) N.B. Government has a subsidy policy on solarcookers, but the villagers do not know how to subscribe for it.
