Sandeshkhali is a small island in the vast estuary of the Ganga, close to the Bangladesh border. For its 200,000 residents, life is a constant struggle against poverty, lack of jobs, the forces of nature, and constant human rights violations. This is the story of one fundamental problem — and what it took to solve a part of it.
Location
Deep tube wells
Depth required
Cost per well
Total cost
Approx. USD
Inaugurated
The island is surrounded by water. All of it is brackish.
Sandeshkhali sits in the vast estuary and delta of the Ganga River, in the North 24 Parganas District of West Bengal, close to the Bangladesh border. More than 200,000 people live here. Their days are shaped by poverty, the absence of work, the forces of nature, and constant human rights violations.
Of all the difficulties facing the island, we chose to focus on one: the lack of potable drinking water, which affects every household on Sandeshkhali.
On a recent trip to Sandeshkhali, social workers met with hundreds of ordinary women. Their biggest grief was the same, again and again: there is no fresh water for their babies.
The water around Sandeshkhali is brackish and totally unusable — not for one purpose, but for all four of the things a household needs water for every single day.
Dharmansh USA, a federally-approved 501(c)(3) charity, built two deep tube wells on the island. Every decision behind them was shaped by what Sandeshkhali could actually sustain after we left.
The soil is heavily salty. To reach drinkable water, each well had to go down more than 800 feet.
Each well was connected to a manual pump. An electric pump was ruled out on two counts: the cost, and the island’s unreliable power supply.
Our local team enquired with several contractors. The best price for one deep well with all its accessories came to INR 400,000.
We ran a special fundraiser for this purpose, and the necessary money was collected in a timely manner.
Including all accessories
Two complete wells
Raised by our donors
On 16 March 2025, both tube wells were inaugurated. Ordinary villagers — women especially — were present in large numbers for the occasion.
They gave their blessings with Shankadhwani, the sounding of the conch shell. At the end of the programme, sweets were distributed among the children and the other villagers.
The local population gave their own labour to the project, at no cost.
They organised the logistics that made the build possible on a remote island.
Dharmansh USA wants to acknowledge the contribution of the people of Sandeshkhali to the success of this endeavour.
धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः
Dharma protects those who protect it.
Sandeshkhali got its wells because donors gave in time. A monthly gift is what lets us say yes to the next village that asks.