Manual: Integrated Village Planning and Development
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every part of the village, as suggested in Step D2. This is like a small informal survey. They may respond with a variety of answers, but ask them for the first two or three most critical problems they face, and which is the most pressing. How many people in the village do they think face the same problem(s)? 3.
Then collate your findings to find the one problem which is most common, urgent and affects people the most. This is important because the more pressing and common the problem is, the more people will be inclined to gather together to find a solution.
4.
When (and IF) you do such a quick survey, when people you ask identify a problem, also ask how they think the common problem can be solved. This will give you a better picture of people’s ideas and wishes, and the kind of solutions they would like. This information will be useful in later steps! Typically, such problems will relate to issues of daily life – livelihood activities (e.g. agricultural issues), housing, water supply, education and health facilities, roads, electricity supply and connection, connectivity to other villages and towns, etc. The task is to identify which is most pressing, most important to people and affects the largest number. Common Problems Water availability, for drinking and for irrigation, is a common problem in many villages. In Hiware Bazar Panchayat, with the deforestation of the hillsides, and low rainfall, the water table had fallen, land was denuded and wells and handpumps were running dry. Agriculture was unremunerative, little agriculture labour was required and people had to migrate to towns for employment. Piplantri Panchayat had the same problems – deforestation, denudation through open grazing and falling water tables. Gangadevipalli also faced a similar problem, with a few handpumps and one tap located at some distance from the village. Ramachandrapuram Panchayat, in the next district, had adequate groundwater, and many handpumps, but the water was highly fluoride contaminated. (Flouride causes fluorosis, a debilitating disease of the teeth and bones) The nearby river ran dry for most of the year due to an upstream dam. No other surface water source was available close by for drinking or irrigation use. Lack of education and health facilities are other problems. Piplantri did not have a high school and girls stopped studying after Class VII because they had to travel to another village. Residents of Gangadevapalli and Ramachandrapuram also faced similar problems regarding children’s education.
STEP P2
GETTING PEOPLE TOGE THER & FINDING SOLUTIONS
Having learnt what the main issue affecting most people in the village is, do not right away try to ‘fix’ the problem. Organize a meeting of all the village residents to discuss the issue and find the best and most acceptable solution. Invite ALL in the village, and persuade them to attend. Even if not all people come, most are likely to come if you spend time convincing them since the problem is acute and affects everyone. In the meeting, through discussion, find the most commonly acceptable solutions, and the ways to implement and manage them (STEPS DP1 to DP4, and STEP DP6).