Forest Programmes

The third year of drought in arid Rajasthan by passes Neemi, village in Jaipur district, where boys are splashing in last years rainwater. Neemi's battle to rescue rainwater from the clutches of the wretched earth began years ago. The water starved villagers had built the hamlet's first earthen dam with their own hands and the assistance of the NGO TBS. After this, they built another earthen dam, few other smaller checkdams, and renovated old abandoned village tanks. The have conquered drought by capturing every single drop of rain water, that fell upon their land and planted trees. Because of that, hillocks are green and land fertile.

The water warriors have indeed won the day and certainly this year's drought, by taking on hostile geography and transforming their difficult lives for better. Learning, relearning and teaching each other the art of harvesting water.

Fifteen years and 45 checkdams later, the village is desert no more; not even in a year that has seen the Gujarat government declare drought in 22 of its 25 districts. In Samadhiyala, 30 of the 280 wells still have water. Judicious water management decisions by the community during last year's spell of water deficiency made this possible.

A devoted advocate of traditional water harvesting. Mishra of Delhi-based Gandhi foundation cautions against over-romanticising such water warriors in these times of scarcity and crisis. He says that rain water harvesting, is not merely fighting droughts, but its about water sufficiency at all times - normal seasons, dry spells and floods. " All of us, in Metros, small towns, villages and hamlets should be engaging in such efforts, because these are time-tested methods of managing natural water resources, as old as our civilisation."

Water gradually became the responsibility of the state, and with the result, people stopped taking interest, and the droughts which could have been avoided, had the common man's relationship with his water continued uninterrupted.

That is why TBS insists that villagers contribute to make the water harvesting structures in their areas. The participation could be through money or through shramdaan. In Neemi, for instance, villagers contributed labour worth Rs.40,000/-while the NGO put Rs.1.1 lakhs towards the construction of the first earthen dam. Says Rajendra Singh:"Till you pay for it, work for it, your water isn't yours, and you have no relationship with it." In the process, depleting groundwater levels have been recharged, so that five dead streams have been rendered perennial again

Neemi village is so fertile today, that the farmers of UP's faraway Bareilly district have leased out Nathu Lal's two acres for water melon farming. Water has brought them not only a better crop, but also brought them dignity.

Even in villages of drought-hit Orissa, the rehabilitation and the relief work launched by the NGO Care, the people are back in their fields this year, after rejuvenating the traditional water harvesting structures in that areas. Villages in Madhya Pradesh, U.P. and Gujarat are also deploying the age old traditional rain water harvesting methods. Politics and Government has always been a hurdle between man and water. Now all over residents of some villages have already got together to form Jal sahyog committees. Each village seems to be competing with the other to make, bigger and better dams.

Kundi Method

Kundis are commonly used traditional water harvesting systems in dry areas. Evaporation and water wastage is minimum in this method, and is also helps raise ground water levels.

Roof Top Collections

We can make our own little water cage in our towns, by following 4 simple rules. During rains, water slides down to a channel from the rooftop. It goes into a pipe attached to it which is connected to an underground tank. Stored water can be pumped out. Cleaned and used during dry months. From a 100 sq m rooftop area and with 400 mm annual average rainfall, one can store water enough for a family of 7 for 10 months.

Proving yet again, the people's management and participation in water programmes is an imperative if the country is to be drought proof and water sufficient.