A case study of domestic defluoridation of ground water in Jaipur, India.

This study was undertaken to assess the success of the intervention programmes of Centre for Community Economics and Developmental Consultants Society (CECOEDECON) initiated in the rural areas of Jaipur district of Rajasthan, India. The programme focussed on capacity building among villagers to create awareness about fluorosis and used Nalgonda technique for removal of excess florides from ground water in selected areas. The data and information were collected from respondents in six village related to aworeness and incidence of fluorosis, awareness regarding the CECOEDECON project and the use and effectiveness of domestic defluoridation technology. Analysis of collected data revealed that level of awareness was highest (68%) among the respondents of Barkheda and Yarlipura villages where the project was withdrawn in 1998. It was observed that the level of awareness decreased over time and it was found lowest in the villages where project was withdrawn in 1996. About 87% of the respondents reported that most of the women are members of the Mahila Mandal started under CECOEDECON project. Some of the respondents (38%) mentioned that they were experiencing problems after the withdrawal of project teams. Thus, it is evident that follow up programmes play an important role in sustenance of the use of defluoridation techniques in villages along with the infrastructure to take care of minor repairs and supply of chemicals.