I was driven to Agra where I visited
CURE's offices in a very confusing Municipal Corporation building and we then
went out to the village of Kachhpura which is a slum settlement located across
the river from the Taj Mahal. To generate income for the improvement of the
village tourist tours are offered where local villagers take groups through the
village.
I did this and found it a fascinating tour
where monuments appeared in amongst the bustle of the village. I even watched a
play performed by local women. Money from these tours is funding a program of
toilets being installed and to date 145 have been completed. Students of Architecture
from the London Polytechnic come and work in the village each year. The latest
CURE project is a Decentralised Water Treatment System (DEWATS) which cleans
dirty water running into the village.
CURE is looking at a citywide approach to
improving all the slums in Agra. They have found that the wells and tanks
installed by the Moghuls can be cleaned up and help with the improvement of the
slums.
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