Human civilization and its development have very close ties with water sources. Most of the ancient civilization developed along the banks of major rivers of the world. Since time immemorial availability of water and its quality have played very important role in economic growth of the region. Communities having no or bad water sources suffer from numerous diseases 80% of which are water born. Sufferings do not end here. They not only lose their productive working hours, they also spend their heard earned money for the treatment of their sickness. Children, supposed to be in their schools during the day time leave schools and spend hours in fetching water for their daily use.

It has been calculated by few studies that assess to safe drinking water and basic sanitation services for population currently at risk would result at:

• 200 million fewer cases per year caused by diarrhoea
• 2.1 million deaths every year caused by diarrhoea
• 76,000 fewer cases of Guinea worm every year
• 75 million less cases of Trachoma (Eye disease) every year
  

Thousands of hand-pumps were installed to provide safe drinking water to rural communities by various governmental organizations, NGOs, International developmental organizations. In early nineties the popular Guinea Worm Eradication Programme initiated with the support of UNICEF and other international donor agencies. Provision for potable safe drinking water was made in guinea worm endemic areas and communities got relief. Rural drinking water facilities installed during that period served participating communities for couple of years and many of them are inactive currently due to following reasons:

• Lack of participatory approach by the participating communities
• Lack of awareness in rural communities on advantages of using hand-pump
  water
• Lack of follow-up by the implementing agencies
• Absence of skilled hand-pump mechanics and standard tools within the
  reach of communities
• Non-availability of hand-pump spare parts within the easy access to be participating communities to which affects timely repair of broken-down hand-pumps

These resulted to many of the hand-pumps’ non-functionality. Communities keep on suffering for safe and potable water after those rural water sources broke-down. Those communities are currently drinking water from local streams, unlined dug wells and ponds. In some of the previously guinea worm endemic communities several cases of guinea worm reported recently, which is alarming.

Providing potable water to the community not only helps in improving general health condition in rural areas, it also leads to economic growth of the area. Improved health condition brings more healthy and productive workforce for agricultural, industrial and service sector activities. In Cross River State entered in partnership between Rural State Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWATSSA), Calabar and Tulsi Chanrai Foundation, NGO to ensure availability of safe drinking water in villages of Cross River State. A separate Programme was initiated by RUWATSSA in June 2005 and named – Repair, Rehabilitation and Maintenance of Hand-pumps (RRM Programme). Tulsi Chanrai Foundation joined hands with RUWATSSA, Calabar and based on its remarkable achievements in Kebbi State, developed a programme for rehabilitation of non-functional hand-pumps with active community participation.