Experience in Roma district
An insight into the safe drinking water project in Garla Mare, Romania.
17.05.2004
Introduction - Safe Drinking Water in Garla Mare
For my biology study I did a practical for WECF (Women in Europe for a Common future) in the Romanian village Garla Mare. WECF carried there out the pilot project ‘Safe drinking water- a catalyst for citizens participation’ in cooperation with Medium et Sanitas, a NGO from Bucharest. The drinking water in the wells is polluted with nitrate, bacteria and pesticides by the pit latrines and agriculture. The project proposed safe sanitation (ecosan toilets) and provided safe drinking water for the most vulnerable groups by installing water filters.As the whole village should participate, a village committee was set up, were all layers of the society would participate. For several reasons it didn’t succeeded. To be able to continue works in the village when the project ended, a women’s NGO is being set up.
The village has 3500 inhabitants, of which 25% are Roma. There is no central drinking water supply, people get their water mostly from wells. For sanitation pit latrines are used. There are schools for classes 1-4 and 5-8, a kindergarten and a dispensary.
The main problems in the village are unemployment, hygiene, health and economic situation.
Download the full version of the Roma experience (doc.).
