After years of water shortage, a central drinking water facility is being built that will improve the living conditions of 600 people for the long term.
For the 600 residents of the “No. 12 Tank” slum in Kolkata, access to safe drinking water has long been a daily challenge.
Families regularly carry large water containers from distant public taps – physically demanding work that falls mostly to women and older people. The community does have a well, but its water is heavily contaminated and undrinkable. Residents therefore often have to choose between buying bottled water they cannot afford and walking long distances to fetch water.
Most households depend on irregular daily wage work. After paying for food, there is hardly any money left for other necessities.
“We wake up in the morning and our first worry is water. Where will we get it today? Who will carry it? That is no small thing when you are tired and still have to work,” says Meera (name changed), who has lived here for more than ten years.
The situation becomes especially difficult in the summer months and during water shortages, increasing both hardship and health risks in the community.
To meet this need, DSS Kolkata (Divine Script Society) began building a dedicated drinking water tank in April 2026. “The project faced some challenges,” says Tanmoy, head of living standards. “Extreme heat, early rains and unrest after the elections slowed progress, but the tank is now expected to be completed by mid-June.”
Once in operation, the facility will provide the whole community with a reliable source of clean drinking water and considerably ease the burden on hundreds of families.
“We have been working in this slum for some time and knew that clean water was the most urgent need,” says Asif, head of community development. “This project is about making sure that basic services are accessible to everyone.”
The project has already brought new hope to the residents.
“I have been carrying water drums for so many years. When I heard that a water tank was going to be built, I couldn’t believe it at first. I kept asking: is it really true? Will the water really come here?” says Sunita (name changed), a day labourer and mother of three.
For the people of No. 12 Tank, the new water tank is more than infrastructure: it is a practical and lasting solution to a problem they have struggled with for years.