Former England opener bats for clean water

HYDERABAD: Former England opener Nick Compton is a man on a mission, batting for clean water for people in rural Andhra Pradesh.
The 30-year-old Compton, who made his Test debut against India in Ahmedabad last year, is on a visit to the state as part of his charity mission with Frank Water Projects, a Bristol based Charity organisation which is involved in water purification projects in the remote areas of the state.
As part of the visit, Compton took part in a friendly match on Monday with the students of St Gabriel High school and youth of the water purification project villages in Warangal, Karimnagar and Medak districts. "My aim is to inspire the children and youth to be active in sports as it is important to have good health and development," Compton, who has played nine Test matches for England, said.
Compton, who is the grandson of the legendary Dennis Compton, also said his other objective is to motivate the youth to share and care for the less privileged. "India has both rich and poor communities and contributing to the poor must become a part of the people's culture in daily life," he said.
Compton said he is passionate about clean water projects because water is a basic need and a human right. "In the West people often taken water for granted, however, here millions of people suffer from flouride contamination which affects their daily life. Hence, it is important to ensure that people have access to clean water so that their lives can be better," he added.
The opener was impressed with the efforts of Frank Water Projects and Bala Vikasa in their community building approach and said that he will continue to promote the project in a big way so that more villages can access clean water.