900+ Dogs Need Sustainable Water Supply

850+ Dogs Need Water Security

Thank you for your support — you have ensured the survival of our dogs and our people in this time of great need. In late February 2020 the VOSD Sanctuary & Hospital ran out of water leaving 850+ dogs, cows and horses in a very perilous situation. While we were tiding over it by buying water daily with water tankers India went into lockdown and this greatly precipitated our situation — as our supply lines were severed. Water comes from 22 km away, food and medicine comes from 75-90 km away in Bangalore. All of you responded to our appeal, with overwhelming enthusiasm for which we are very very grateful. Much needs to be done for ensuring water security over the foreseeable future.

When we took possession of this land where the VOSD Sanctuary & Hospital stands it was a eucalyptus plantation. This was uprooted which gave us absolutely dry barren land it took 2 yrs for anything to grow. The dogs, cows and horses supplied a lot of the organic manure that allowed these trees to take root. We have now 500 adult trees covering the area which did not have a blade of grass. Another 100+ saplings are in the ground since last monsoon fighting for life in the heat.

No life survives without water and we used to buy water then too but when we drilled luckily we struck water. The water table in these borewells in the last 6yrs has receded 200-300 feet. In this time:

• We extensively contoured the entire area so we can channel and collect all the rain runoff.
• We created recharge and storage ponds that store 100,000 cubic feet of water and we built grey-water recycling.

Even though we are only halfway into the lockdown, your overwhelming monetary support has allowed us to ensure the following immediate measures:

• Continuous water supply: You have ensured that water tankers will continue to deliver to us, and our dogs will have water till we hit the monsoons.
• Continued food supply: With the quantities of food we buy ~10 tons a month, the severed supply chains caused prices to rise to 3-5 times are usual negotiated prices. You have ensured we can afford this.
• Completion of the 1.5 lac liter underground water storage: This was 10 days away from being completed when we ran out of water and construction material. We hope to complete this soon when the lockdown ends. This will go a long way in ensuring up to 1 month of supply with rationing.
• New motors and pumps: Cameras showed there was water below,w and we went a total of 200 feet to reach it and installed much larger 30kva pumps and motors. It was our hope that the volume of water would be sufficient for us. However, we have only at 1000 LPD as against the present requirements of 15,000 LPD.

Not finding sufficient water underground changes our future significantly.

How Our Water Future Has Changed

Not having access to a large volume of underground water as we had hoped, and no real hope of finding more water (since there are more than 10 wells within 100 ft of our boundary and all are dry), we have to live with the future that in the best case we will have 6 months (from June to November) when the water table will be enough for us to pump water, the other 6 months we have to do with stored water.

The Plan For Ensuring Water Security For VOSD

Given this uncertain future, these are the following steps are being taken:

• Underground storage #1: The 150,000-liter tank, nearing completion, was to be used to store the underground water we pump out. Now it will be used to store filtered rainwater exclusively. This is budgeted for Rs 14 lacs.
• Underground storage #2: We already have a deep recharge pond that will now be converted to a covered underground concrete water storage of 500,000 liters. This will also be filled with filtered rainwater. This was earlier budgeted for Rs 25 lacs.
• Rainwater collection & filtration system: An extensive rainwater collection and filtration system will be installed across the existing large roofs > 10,000 sq feet including the hospital, 4 residences, single large kennel areas All this will use a system of gutters and filters and pumps to bring water to these tanks. This is budgeted for Rs 2-3 lacs.
• Recharge wells for the borewells: The smaller roofs of kennels and enclosures will also use gutters to drain into 5-6 recharge wells for the borewells that will be 15-25 feet deep. This is budgeted for Rs 2-3 lacs
  Redesign the main rainwater runoff pond: The main runoff collection pond holds 75,000 cubic feet of water when full. However for 3 yrs now, this does not fill up. Besides, as the consultants who have visited told us, this has pointed out – this pond is on the eastern extremity of the farm. Water above and below ground where we are flows West to East – so it does little for our borewells. Most of the water evaporates the last 1 foot can’t be used because of the silt. We plan to use only half of the pond, fill the other half, but make it 10’ deeper and line the walls and sides and cover it. This will not be solid concrete but will ensure that water is not lost to seepage and evaporation. This water will then be filtered and pumped back to Underground Storage No. #2 and #1. Together with the Underground Storage #2, this will give us 15 lac liters of storage and will cost only Rs 20,00,000 as against the earlier budget of costing Rs 25 lacs for only 5 lacs liters.
• Upgrade of the STP: Upgrading the STP from the basic system will allow us to clean water to a point that it can be used by a commercial RO system (to be installed). This will cost approximately Rs 200,000.
• Install Commercial grade RO plant: A commercial RO plant of 500 LPH capacity will produce 5000 liters of drinking water each day from our Underground Storage #1 and #2. This is budgeted at Rs 200,000, including installation.