Vision
Maya imagines a world where water security is possible for everyone, irrespective of personal income or wealth. Our goal is to develop a product that will get children involved with water conservation issues from a young age. This will then encourage adults to become increasingly engaged in these issues based on their own children’s interest. In turn, this will reshape the conversation about water scarcity and ultimately cause action to be taken.
Introduction
It is no secret that Bangalore has gone through a period of immense population growth. Between 2011 and 2018 the population rose from 9.62 million to 12.0 million (1). This is a rate rivaled in India only by Delhi (2). This has put immense pressure on resources of all kinds, and particularly strained the amount of water which is available. As a result of this strain the Bangalore Water Supply and Sanitation Board (BWSSB) has failed to completely supply all its citizens with water (3). People have taken matters into their own hands with an estimated 80,000 wells dug in the city. This is well beyond the city’s capacity and has resulted by some estimates in a reduction of ground water by 7% per year (2). This has had a profound impact on the city as lakes dry up.
Problem
The city has tried to combat this through making rainwater harvesting mandatory for buildings above a certain size--2,400 sq ft for old buildings and 1,200 sq ft for new ones. However, according to surveys done by the BWSSB, some 59,000 structures out of the 155,000 requiring this harvesting have failed to implement the systems (4). The question remains why is this occurring? The rainwater systems were made mandatory in 2009 so there has been plenty of time for the implementation of rainwater systems. The Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) site in a 2013 report a lack of awareness as a major reason for the lack of installation. Additionally, there is a statistic found in the report which is particularly interesting. Of those who installed the RWH systems 79% did so due to government force (5). This suggests that people in general do not feel a personal responsibility to install the systems for themselves. This lack of urgency and initiative is indicative of the ultimate problem that Bangalore is facing.
By interviewing individuals it has become clear that people generally know a fair amount about the scarcity of water in Bangalore. Additionally, the same ISEC report suggests that 94% of those who do not have RWH systems are aware of their existence (5). However, in the middle to upper income households in general there is not a concern with running out of the water. As a mechanical engineer working at the rain water theme park explained, this is because the upper income households are receiving enough water from their taps. This water comes from either the Cauvery river or local borewells, but the disconnect from the source allows them to be rather ignorant. They hear about the issue of water scarcity, but they never face it. Additionally, there is a general powerlessness these people seem to feel. For example, those that live in apartment buildings feel that they cannot take charge of their buildings. They believe that the building owners are the ones with the power to take care of rainwater harvesting and recycling water. Others expect that the government will take care of water scarcity problems. This feeling of helplessness is supported by the ISEC report which suggests that 13% of people did not install systems because they believed it not to be necessary, while 56% did because they felt they could not fit it into their lives and they did not have the tools to do so (5).
These are indicative of an ultimate lack of importance placed on action for water sources. The issue is either believed to be not an issue or not important enough to fit into their schedule. This lack of initiative by the middle to upper class to act in terms of the water scarcity issue plaguing Bangalore is the problem we hope to address.
An excellent example of this is a middle class parent who we discussed this issue with. She works as a business analyst in the life sciences field and has a six year old daughter. While she is very aware of water scarcity and has many concerns about the issue she ultimately does not know what she can do. She lives in a community which recycles grey water, but that also does not have a rainwater system and that relies on borewell and government-provided tap water. In an attempt to conserve water, she tries to use less water when washing dishes and will encourage her helping staff to do the same. However, she ultimately feels as though this message is not translated to them as she has to constantly remind them and she does not do much beyond this. This is the result of a lack of time and a ultimate feeling that she is powerless to enact larger scale changes. This action must be left to the government. The question remains how to feasibly encourage this woman and the people around her to attempt larger scale water demand reduction and supply augmentations.
Evidence suggests that people’s water demand and supply habits change when there is intense media coverage of droughts, the Cape Town day zero campaign is a great example of this (6). In Bangalore however, there has not been such extensive or dramatic campaigning. This is partially because there is no drought currently in the area, the normal is unsustainable water harvesting practices. Thus, coverage is not dramatic and does not stress an abbreviation to the norm that could spur action.
Customer
We ultimately hope to target these middle and upper class individuals who face these issues. It is these people who live in the city, and as previously described in the city people are much less worried about water scarcity. We talked to 5 students at Bhoomi’s College who were all from Bangalore and now recognized their privilege in never running out of water or having to worry about water scarcity. These individuals had other things to occupy their busy lives, whether it be studying for school or more pressing familial concerns.
The students also said that in their college they are able to physically build solutions to issues of sustainability, including water conservation. This made them feel a lot more empowered, and like they were able to make a difference. These are the people who have not had to worry about water scarcity but can afford to take action to conserve it. From there, we must target parents since our product is aimed at younger children, and ultimately must be purchased by an adult.
Beneficiary
Children are the direct beneficiaries as they will be provided an entertaining and educational product. However, with the ultimate goal of increasing the action of individuals around the issue of water scarcity, everyone would theoretically benefit (see Appendix Theory of Change). This would ultimately increase individual water security by ensuring everyone has enough water. However, we believe that our biggest beneficiaries would be the lower class. For one, the purchasing power over water for the lower class is reduced as they have less income. With upper class and middle class individuals increasing rainwater harvesting and water conservation, the lower class would naturally have more water available for their supply. An increased supply creates a lower ultimate cost of a good, thus benefiting these individuals. Additionally, many in the lower class live in the rural areas and because of this they are often not connected to a water source relying on tanker water. Tanker water comes from borewells, and is much more expensive-about 70 rupees per kiloliter versus at most 23 rupees per kiloliter for city provided water (3).
One BBC study claims that Bangalore will run out of water by 2023 (7). Whether or not this is true, it is clear that the water table is decreasing and this will drive up the price of tanker water, as the amount of energy needed to pup it out increases. The middle and upper classes would be able to pay a higher premium for water, and the lower class may be left thirsty. By increasing initiative to save water, the price of water should stay low. This would benefit the lower class more than anyone else.
Perspective on the Problem
Given the nature of our problem, it becomes rather difficult to gather evidence that the people know they face this problem. From interviewing Bangalore parents, we learned that they do, or at least tell us that they do, save water. They tell us they do this by turning off the tap and repairing leaky faucets. However, from these conversations, it seems that most families were not actually distressed or worried that they might soon or some day run out of water. While the people are lackadaisical about this issue, organizations are more concerned. In 2009, Bangalore passed a law to make rainwater harvesting mandatory on rooftops at a certain time. After most building owners failed to comply with this law, the government passed a new law in 2016 to charge a penalty on the water use of those breaking the first law (8). Also in 2016, the BWSSB spent rupees 40 lakh on pamphlets and street plays to increase awareness about rainwater harvesting (8). Additionally, the Bangalorean NGO, Biome Trust, and it’s founder Vishwanath Srikantaiah, have also commented that knowledge and initiative are vital in order to move towards water sustainability. Our customer may not fully realize what a large issue they are facing, but increasing their degree of understanding helps the many stakeholders move forward with successfully solving the overall problem.
There is a clear and concerted effort to end this issue and increase awareness. We believe that these efforts have not been successful in reaching the middle and upper class because water scarcity is not a personal issue to them thus far. These people have enough money, live in the city, and are connected to the tap. In government schools that we have visited it has become clear that the lower class has taken measures to conserve water since it is so vital to their livelihood. However, the water that the lower class saves is not enough, and more efforts must be made to reach the middle and upper classes.
Solution
Our solution is a book series that incorporates adventure and education. The book series is to be focused on a young Indian girl named Maya. Maya will travel through fantasy lands, make new friends, and solve problems. In this process, she will also learn more about water scarcity and water conservation methods. This book series should be popular to young children and their parents for several reasons. First of all, in India there is an obvious lack of representation of dark-skinned Indians. Maya is dark-skinned, and we hope this will attract parents and children. Next, we will include cultural context to the book, so that it is culturally relevant to the people buying it. Finally, each book will include two languages: English, and a local Indian language. In the state of Karnataka, this other language would be Kannada. English is one of the universal languages of India, and unfortunately also a sign of wealth and power. As one SJC student mentioned, Indian people are sometimes embarrassed to not speak English, or to not speak it well. Therefore, one of the most marketable aspects of our book will be that it helps teach English.
Once parents buy the book series, their child will learn about water conservation and water scarcity while also having an entertaining language learning experience. Our theory of change is that the child will be exposed to the subject of water through an activity they wouldn’t usually expect it. The concept is similar to that of a trojan horse. The vessel for the knowledge is entertaining and fun, and can easily involve both the child and the parent. Our theory at this stage involves some key assumptions that we’ve gathered evidence on. At its core, it’s a focus on children’s education, and the idea that said knowledge can spur action from a parent due to a newfound interest from their child. Through the use of our educational book series, middle to upper income households begin to change their relationship with water conservation topics. Rather than being a daunting issue only the government can affect, it becomes a family-friendly engaging topic. As time goes on, not only will these series be fostering a generation of children that actively think about and are informed on water scarcity issues, but it in theory brings parents to take initiative on these issues as part of an educational and family driven cultural shift. As more and more middle and upper income families work together to implement things like groundwater recharging and rainwater harvesting, then the cost of tap water goes down for the lower class. In the long term this not only lowers costs for all economic classes, but due to less stress on the rivers and water tables, Bangalore becomes water secure over time.
Evidence
There are several different assumptions that we are making throughout our theory of change that need to be addressed with evidence. First of, there’s the assumption that our children’s book will be effective at teaching children in an age range of 7-10 years old. The first piece of evidence we found draws from a 2015 study done in Taiwan. Over the course of eight weeks, eleven children aged 5-6 years old were given eight different picture books that aimed to instruct on environmental concepts (9). The results of the study found that the children’s knowledge of concepts greatly increased following the exercises. Subjects like water usage, electricity usage, and waste knowledge all improved throughout the study (9). This change in behavior in children via a picture book supports a fundamental assumption in our theory of change. For further evidence we look to a study done among 420 college students. In this study, 45% of participants reported learning new concepts from books, 40% reported a change in their attitudes, and 15% reported a change in their behavior (10). Learning new concepts and changing attitudes are incredibly important to changing an individual’s, and society’s values.
Another large assumption that needs to be addressed is the idea that what children learn and what behavior they change will translate with some respect to their parents, and that said knowledge will alter the culture and behavior of the family to some degree. The influence of children on parent behavior has been documented in development research. A 2003 study done in Costa Rica followed elementary school students, their parents, and adults in the area. The children were given a one month environmental course and all the participants received a pretest and a two post tests. By the time the second posttest occurred not only were the students scores improved by 67%, but the parents had improved by 52% and the other adults by 29% (11). This suggests that information was passed on in the community not only spreading to the parents, but to further through adults without children in the program. Furthermore, behavioral changes have also been documented. In a study done in 2002, parents were asked about their child's influence over them. In response they described behavioral changes such as quitting smoking due information their child provided (12). In addition some research done in Seychelles found that of 160 school children studied, the students who had taken part in wetland education had parents that both knew more about wetlands and were more likely to engage in environmentally friendly behaviors (13). Lastly, throughout our time documenting and evaluating the rainwater harvesting systems at government schools, we have found some anecdotal evidence of children influencing their parents. One child, with the help of his father, used the model of rainwater harvesting at his school to build one at his house. This same story happened at another school where a student convinced his family to obtain a system after watching and learning about the system in his school. Overall, there were countless examples of students taking behavior they learned at school home with them. This link between the knowledge of children and the influence children can have on their parents suggests a powerful opportunity to change the water culture of families in Bangalore from the inside.
Finances
In order to publish our first book of the series we will need money before we have sold anything. We plan to apply for grants at the beginning to fund illustrators, writers, and the publishing fees. After our initial kick-off, we expect to be selling online and in bookstores to the middle and upper class. From our interviews, we know that our targeted customers can afford books at a price of one to two hundred rupees per book, or 600 rupees for a set of books. This will be enough to sustain our team. If we sell enough books and make a profit, we plan to attempt to implement a system where the books can be returned and these returned books can be given to children in lower income areas. While we have found that these children have more experience with water scarcity and conservation, they could still benefit from practicing English and from seeing characters similar to themselves.
Pilot
To test the effectiveness of our idea, we created a heavily illustrated children’s book. This book would be the first one in our series, and we are targeting children around 8-9 years old; the ones who can read sufficiently and are interested in storybooks. We have visited bookstores and websites to see current products. Along with this we have interviewed many children to ask them about preferences of animals and uncover their current knowledge of water issues. This was instrumental in the creation of the book. The aesthetics and entertainment of our product were a key focus of this prototype as they are extremely important to ensure the engagement of the children who the product is intended for.
Test
Our finalized first draft of the children’s story is attached in the appendix. We have been getting feedback on our illustration and storyline from students in the government schools we are visiting as part of our organization project. After we finally printed the book, we showed it to students at the APSA Dream School and to children and parents at Cubbon Park. The feedback was generally positive; the kids liked the illustrations and the fact that there is a magical world in the story. They were also preferred to read the book in English rather than in Kannada, but there is a good chance that it was because all the children who we tested it on knew fairly good English. When we asked what they learned from the book after they finished reading it, they answered that they learned they should not tease their friend and also water shortage is a problem. As for parents, we asked if they would buy the book for their children and how much are they willing to pay if they wanted to buy it. All of the parents we surveyed were willing to pay at least 100 rupees which is a good news for us considering our publishing cost is estimated to be around 50 rupees each book. (Biome feedback would have been great here)
Next Steps
While we have some basic initial feedback it is time to get a larger sample size and begin to create a survey for children after they read the book. This will allow us to better quantify our results. Additionally, we would like to explore a few slightly modified prototypes in which activities are included in the end of the book. This would try to foster engagement in the children and hopefully help find a way to further engage the parents. Furthermore, we could use some feedback from educational NGOs and children’s book publishers, which we have had much difficulty obtaining thus far. This would help us to tailor our books to what children would be interested in and to what the parents and NGOs want children to learn. Next, we would discuss a price with a publisher and bookstores so we would have full information about the total cost. From there we would begin to work on the next books in the series by hiring authors, illustrators and editors.
After a few books of the series have been established we plan to focus on incentivizing parents to return the books after their child grows out of them. This is important as:
We strive to be a responsible company that cares about the waste they are generating. We will responsibly recycle the books that are in unusable condition.
We will donate the used books to children in government schools in rural areas at no cost because we do not want our products to be exclusively for the rich.
Our final step forward is to explore converting the book into an animated video. While surveying the children we found out that 6 out of 10 children said their hobby is watching television and only 2 of them said reading is their hobby. From this, we believe that if we make an animation and broadcast it on a local channel more children will be introduced to our educational content.
-UW GCIL Interns
Citations:
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Kimmel, E. (2019). Can Children's Books Change Children's Values?. [online] Pdfs.semanticscholar.org. Available: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/8671/92f0fbc643b0691610c83fb04b51abe8374d.pdf
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