Bondh E Shams - the Solar Water Project
Bondh-e-Shams[1], the Solar Water Project, literally translates as Droplets of the Sun. It is a non-profit organization that provides clean water to inaccessible South Asian villages, where locals walk 3-6 hours everyday for their daily water supply. The charity deploys custom-engineered solar powered water pumps that guarantee 25 years of unhindered water supply to its target communities. [1][2]
The Team[edit]
Hamza Farrukh, Founder
Dr. Ameer Hamza, President
Clare O' Brien, General Secretary (Americas)
Sunnan Ul Haque, General Secretary (Pakistan)
Mahnoor Fakhar, Foundational Outreach Secretary
Adil Javed Malik, Managing Director (Pakistan)
Chetan Singhal, Fundraising Secretary
Faina Stefadu, Design & Graphics Secretary
Rimsha Rehan, Social Media Secretary
Janita Aamir, Fundraising Secretary Pakistan
Yousif Al-Dujaili, Advisor
Muhammad Soban Ali, US Chapters
Sana Ibrahim, General Secretary (UK)
Dr. Ehsun Naeem, Operations Director
Kate Zotina, Partnerships Manager[3]
Timeline[edit]
- March 2014: Bondh-E-Shams receives the $10,000 Davis Peace Prize for installing a solar powered well in the district of Jurr Village, Punjab, Pakistan[4]
- July 2014: Team of student volunteers assembles in Rawalpindi, Pakistan[5]
- August 2014: First solar pump successfully installed in Jurr village (people served: 2500, total cost $10,000, impact time: 25 years)[6]
- September 2014: Media recognition[2]
- February 2016: Crowdfunding and official status- $5k raised in 2 months[7]
- June 2016: Published by Cornell Policy- Recognized for the economy affected by our work, giving credence to our cost-effective, green model.[6]
- January 2017: Second pump successfully installed at Jhungal village (people served: 5000, total cost: $6000, impact time: 25 years)
- June 2017: Recognized as the 7th Best Social Impact Project by Goldman Sachs Analyst[8]
- Jan 2018 - Featured in Williams College Feature Stories. Williams College is currently the best Liberal Arts College in USA![9]
- February 2018 - Bondh E Shams - Roots F-8 chapter organized an internal school debate competition to raise awareness and funds.
- March 2018 – Eventful month:
- CEO Hamza Farrukh nominated to the Forbes 30-under-30 Asia Class of 2018.[2]
- Water drilling kicks off in Nara village.
- Recognized on National television, PTV.
- April 2018 – International media recognition with BBC urdu and Early edition (Philippines).
- April 2018 - CEO, Hamza Farrukh, spoke at MAKX, Norway’s international Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
- May 2018 – Expanding operations to southern provinces of Sindh and Balochistan
- Site visits to:
- Khokrapar, an urban slum, Sindh
- Bela district, Balochistan - in process
- Winder district, Balochistan
- Qadir Nagar, in Ghaggar Patak, Steel Town, Sindh
- Site visits to:
Summary[edit]
Since Pakistan faces an epidemic of power breakdowns and lack of access to clean water it was chosen by the charity for its pilot study. Bondh-e-Shams aims to alleviate these factors by using solar powered wells to allow access to clean water irrespective of power breakdowns. The use of solar power has taken off their reliance on the power grid for its operation which ensures that the frequent power breakdowns do not hamper its productivity. [2] After installation of the solar water pump, the community is directly involved in its upkeep to ensure a mutual ownership of the project and its long-term sustainability.[6] The wells are bored deep into the ground, to access aquifers. The depth of the water tables varies with the location. In Punjab, boring was often done to 300 feet but in some arid parts of Balochistan the water table has sunk to 400 or 600 feet. The deeper bore ensures plentiful supply of water for at least 25 years, as opposed to traditional hand-pumped wells which may only be as deep as 30 feet. Hand-pump operated wells are severely affected by any small changes in the water table. [6]
Bondh-E-Shams is one the recipients of the $10,000 Davis Peace Prize for installing a solar powered well in the district of Jurr Village, Punjab, Pakistan.[5][4] The solar well helps reduce the daily walk to get clean water from hours to mere minutes for the residents of the Jurr Village. Just one solar well has the ability to supply more than 1,500 residents.
The team consists of Hamza Farrukh, the founder and CEO, Dr Ameer Hamza, the president, and Sunnan Choudhary, the cofounder, and around a 100 or so passionate volunteers based in the UK, the US and Pakistan. The work of Bondh-E-Shams has been well-received internationally and earned Hamza Farrukh a name in the Forbes Asia's '30 Under 30'[2][10]
The resolution of the water crisis has resulted in an improvement in the social determinate of health in a positive way. The incidence of waterborne diseases in one village decreased by 37%. There was also an indirect increase in the literacy rate as more time was available for education.[8]
The first solar well installation and its impact was well-appreciated in the district of Jurr Village[4]and provided the boost in donations for the second solar well that was built through a global crowdfunding campaign. [7]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Home". Bondh-E-Shams. Retrieved 2018-06-03.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Leung, Hannah. "The Pakistanis Who Made Forbes' 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 List". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
- ↑ "Meet The Team". Bondh-E-Shams. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Eliminating Water Crisis and Conflict in Pakistan". davisprojectsforpeace.org. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Roots projects peace". The Nation. 2014-08-28. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Wa[te]r and Peace - The Cornell Policy Review". The Cornell Policy Review. 2016-06-22. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Click here to support Solar-Powered Clean Water organized by Hamza Farrukh". gofundme.com. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Farrukh, Hamza (2017-04-09). "How I ensured clean water for 2,500 villagers for 25 years for just $5,000. And, then did it again". Medium. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
- ↑ "Droplets of the Sun". Williams College. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
- ↑ Desk, HIP (2018-03-27). "Pakistanis who Made it to the Forbes' '30 Under 30 Asia 2018' List". HIP. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
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