This Article is From May 24, 2009

Selling blood for water

Selling blood for water
Dhar:

Ishwar Singh Thakur will give you his blood: In return, all he wants is water. It's Thakur's response to the water scarcity in his hometown Dhar in Madhya Pradesh.

He and his group of voluntary blood donors have run a blood bank free of cost for 15 years.

Now, if you want a bottle of blood and want to give something in return, they want a tanker of water.

Says Dhar resident Rajesh Daabi: "My brother needed blood. I contacted the organisation. When I wanted to pay money, they said I could give water instead if I wished. So I gave three to four tankers of water."

The samiti takes the water to colonies that get barely a trickle Whatever remains they water the green lungs of the township.

Says Ishwar Singh Thakur, president of Haatwadha Samiti, Dhar: "We distribute water in several areas. The balance is used to water big parks."

A novel solution to quench a serious problem.

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