The Hill Districts of Uttar Pradesh have been facing chronic drinking water crisis since the early 80’s. Combined with growing population and the degradation in the quality of water, a large number of people have been adversely affected. Over the past 100 years there has been a progressive reduction in the forest cover, deteriorating from the natural mixed forests which once dominated the hills to the mono-culture of pine. This resulted in progressive soil loss, reduced infiltration and increased run-off leading to widespread reports throughout the Hills of water resources either becoming seasonal or drying up altogether. The women and girl children are specially affected by this problem as the burden of fetching water for domestic consumption, often over long distances over steep hill paths, is on them. Waterborne diseases like dysentery and gastro-enteritis have become common especially during the late summers affecting a large portion of the rural populace, and some, specially the children, fatally.

It is in this context that the work of Kassar Trust which has been working in UP Hills since the beginning of 1985 attracts special attention, not only for the innovative technology it has developed and/or field tested but also for the unique way in which it has involved its village partners (most of them in far flung remote villages many miles beyond the last motor roads), not only to contribute substantially in cash and labour for the drinking water schemes but also in the way it has engaged them in the planning, implementation, management (including the O&M) of the scheme at all stages.

• The Trust’s programme is demand driven and not target oriented
  
• The Trust has created a very high level of credibility through its past works. People come from long distances to request it to work in their village.
  
• There is a very high level of beneficiary involvement in planning, management and implementation of the programmes. The design of the schemes and all its various aspects are worked out in the village rather than imposed upon from outside.
  
• The staff members of the Trust are highly motivated and maintain a high presence and visibility in the project villages. They are also very accessible to people in the village.

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Goal

• Raising the quality of lives of the communities living in far-flung inaccessible mountain zones.
  

• To work with the community through a people based programme, for arresting and reversing environmental degradation and for evolving a system for its sustainable use.

• Securing sustainable health for the rural hill communities through improved water supply, environmental sanitation and health and hygiene awareness.

• Reducing the burden of work on women and the girl children.Secondary objectives:

• Working for greater availability of water, fuel wood and fodder through long-term local resource planning and management.

• Improving food and financial security (micro credits) of the community.

• Working for a healthier home environment.

• Generating funds from the govt for the Trust’s own programmes as well as for allied programmes implemented by other smaller NGO in the hill districts.

• Advocating more decentralised and people friendly Govt. policies to make development programmes less tedious and less managed by the bureaucratic power brokers.
  

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Trust/trustees
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