Kirnik Water Foundation

Kirnik Water Foundation is run out of House Number 4/82, which belongs to Madanlal Bohara in the Kapad Market area of Ichalkaranji. We are right in the middle of the textile hub here in the Kolhapur district. Water is a big deal in a place like this because the factories use so much of it and the local people need it for their daily lives too. We spend most of our time looking at how water is being used and where it is going to waste. Our office is small and right in the middle of the busy market streets. You can hear the sounds of the power looms nearby while we work. We aren't experts with degrees; we are just locals who noticed that the water situation was getting worse every year. We talk to the shopkeepers and the factory workers about ways to save a few liters here and there. Sometimes we help fix old pipes that have been leaking for months because nobody bothered to report them. It is honest, tiring work that involves a lot of walking around in the heat. We don't have any big corporate sponsors. We just do what we can with the little we have. Being in Kapad Market means we are right where the action is. We hope that by focusing on our own town, we can make sure there is enough water for everyone’s kids to use later on.