"The Social Sustainability of the Drought Mitigation Project in Nayagaan and Nala Villages"

Host Organization name and supervisor name: Wells for India, Om Prakash Sharma

Researcher name and position: Kitt Healy, Intern for Wells for India in association with the Foundation for Sustainable Development. Political and Social Thought major at the University of Virginia, USA.

Background: In June of 2001, Wells for India and its partner organizations commenced the Drought Mitigation Project in 11 rural villages of the Aravali Region. As the name implies, the goal of the DMP was not only to provide relief from the immediate effects of water scarcity, but also to mitigate the effects of future water shortages. As per these objectives, the DMP created both physical assets for water management and the social institutions and awareness necessary for effective self-governance. Two years after project completion, the enduring impacts of the DMP's social programs remained unknown. Understanding the current status of these impacts is necessary to provide NGOs with an accurate picture of their work, as well as to assess the long-term sustainability of the DMP.

Primary question: Are the major social impacts of the Drought Mitigation Project still present in two partner villages two years after project completion? Are these impacts sustainable in the long-term?

Objectives:

  • 1) To achieve a detailed understanding of the enduring social impacts of the DMP in Nala and Nayagaon two years after implementation.
  • 2) To assess future sustainability of social impacts according to five established indicators.

Strategy: The research took into account five core areas of social life directly influenced by the DMP. Within each area, qualitative and quantitative data was used to construct a detailed description of how related social institutions currently operate. The five core areas were: Village Institutions, Government Linkages, Household Relations, Health and Education.

Methodology for data collection: The research methodology took into account the importance of both qualitative and quantitative information through the following collection methods. 

Data Collection:

  • 1) Secondary Sources Data Collection
  • 2) Structured Individual Interviews
  • 3) Semi-structured focus Group Discussions
  • 4) Photographic Documentation/ Observations.

Secondary sources included project reports, similar studies in the region, government documents and NGO publications. Individual Interviews were conducted in two villages, Nala and Nayagaon. 15 individual interviews and two focused group discussions were conducted in each village. Questions and discussion topics were structured according to the five core areas of social life identified above. Interview respondents were selected according to membership in village institutions (at least one from each group). The sampling within each village institution was random. Photographic data was used to enhance analysis and presentation.

Analysis/ Findings:

The major findings in each core area were presented either as impacts or factors of sustainability. The study found that the social impacts of the DMP were profound, especially in the areas of political mobilization, women's empowerment, nutrition, migration reduction, and children's education. In each area, the study concluded that the long-term engagement of the implementing NGO is a primary factor of sustainability for the impacts, as is the level of training and education that villagers receive regarding resource management and physical asset repair. Finally, the study found that the maintenance of physical infrastructure (roads, buildings, etc...) is a major factor in the sustainability of the DMP's social impacts.