Bihar people construct 2168 Soak Pits | Fusion - WeRIndia

In order to conserve water, the people of an entire district came together to improve their living conditions. Residents of Sitamarhi district in Bihar started construction of soak pits in schools, health-care centres, police stations, etc.

The project came to life because of the increasing water crisis. Due to the harsh summer, water has become very scarce in such locations. The Sitamarhi District Administration wanting to do something unique started an initiative called Sokhta-Kranti. The aim is to construct soak pits in the region.

The initiative was a huge success because everyone came together for the construction of soak pits in public areas like schools and police stations. It led to the construction of 2168 soak pits. The technical team of this project was led by District Magistrate Rajiv Raushan.

Soak pits are water conservation pits which require minimal space and investment. They also require very little maintenance.

How it works:

The pits have a hand pump unit which has a hand pump, a platform, and the filter/trap. There is a settlement chamber unit where water enters into after going through the filter. It helps in reducing the number of waste particles that enter the soak pit.

The soak pit unit does the actual process of filtering and soaking. The filtering happens in two stages. First in the plastic container which is filled with neem twigs/leaves, coconut shell, etc. The water then passes through the various layers of various sized bricks.

The covering unit of the pit has two or three brick layer that cover the settlement chamber and soak pit. This unit decreases the scope of entry of rain water and also increases the strength.

The model of the pit was formed after considering the conditions of sitamarhi. The specifications of the pit were finalized after considering the infiltration rate and the level of cleanliness of water.

Image Reference: TheBetterIndia