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| Jal yatra |
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Gujarat: the journey begins |
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| Raj-Samadhiyala, Rajkot |
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| SECOND STOP: | ||
| Harkahala, Sabarkundla, Amreli |
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THIRD STOP: |
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| Mandlikpur, Rajkot |
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FOURTH STOP: |
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| Mahudi, Dahod | ||
| RAJASTHAN:
THE STOP OVER |
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FIRST STOP: |
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| Kesrisinghpura,
Dausa |
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SECOND STOP: |
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| Neemi, Jaipur |
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THIRD STOP: |
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| Gopalpura, Alwar |
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FOURTH STOP: |
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| Khoili, Karoli |
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FIFTH STOP: |
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| Shehajpura,
Sawai Madhopur |
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| Vol.3 | No. 3 |
June 2001 |
Gujarat: the journey begins
First stop:
Raj-Samadhiyala, Rajkot
All over Gujarat when villages were demanding
water tankers from the government, this village had and continues to have a resolution:
they do not accept government water. "Water must come from the people," says
Hardevsinh Balwantsinh Jadeja who as the village sarpanch for 22 years wrote the script
for its transformation. In its third consecutive date with drought, this is probably the
only village in the Saurashtra that has harvested three crops even though it got a
rainfall of just 100 mm against a normal rainfall of 450 mm. According to the villagers,
many of them have earned more from the third crop of vegetables in one harvest than their
total land cost. "Due to drought, the vegetables they cultivated sold at a high
rate," says Jadeja.
Raj-Samadhiyala’s magical metamorphosis from a village adopted under desert development programme to the present state started from a severe drought year. In 1986, the village took up watershed development activities and constructed 12 checkdams in two years. Since then, after 15 years and 45 checkdams and infinite community initiatives, the village stands out as a perfect example of integrated village development. Last year, despite the drought the village had plenty of surface and groundwater which helped them sail through the drought. This year as there is no surface water, residents are solely dependent on groundwater.
The village has a strict water management plan this year that will ensure water availability till the monsoon. This has been possible due to the strong village level institutions created besides the panchayats. While in neighbouring villages residents find it difficult to access government programmes as panchayats have been suspended in Gujarat, the community initiated institution called Village Development Committee (VDC) manages the drought in Raj-Samadhiyala. In absence of any statutory elected body at the village, the VDC has taken control of drought management. With the failure of monsoon in 2000, the VDC convened the gram sabha (village assembly) to chalk out a plan for using the available water resources effectively through the summer. Similarly, cash crops have been partially banned to minimise use of water. "In comparison to last year water table has gone down as rainfall was not sufficient. So the strategy is to use it judiciously," says Jadeja. According to well owners going by the present use of water, the village can manage a kharif crop even if the monsoon fails again.
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Raj-Samadhiyala: hope in the parched landscape |
Simultaneously, they are preparing for fresh
water harvesting and storage facilities. Even with Raj-Samadhiyala’s small catchment
area of 1.5 sq km, the present checkdams are enough to capture the rain. But in its
penchant for more harvesting of rainwater, the VDC has procured satellite imageries of the
village’s topography that show presence of 35-50 m deep underground cracks formed by
earthquakes some thousands years ago. Now the village excavates these cracks and directs
rainwater to it. "It costs less than a checkdam but stores three times more
water," informs Jadeja.
Second stop:
Harkahala, Sabarkundla, Amreli
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Villagers in Sabarkundla performing jal puja to welcome the monsoon |
Moving from Chotilla, towards the south about 250 kilometres inside Amreli district is the Sabarkundla block. Jal biradari, network of water harvesters born in Neemi, Rajasthan caught the imagination of the villagers of Harkahala in this block. Winding roads through other villages leads to fields now coloured in green with sowing of the new crop. In June when monsoon started pouring, as a part of promoting jal biradari activities, enthusiastic villagers of Sabarkundla taluka performed jal puja (water worship) to welcome the monsoons. The village priest along with prominent villagers dressed in white came to perform the puja on a canal overflowing with the blessed rains. Coconut, was cracked on the base of the checkdam and the priest showered rose petals on the flowing water chanting praises for the rain god Indra simultaneously. Jhantibhai Thakkar, the priest says, "Water is god like sun is god. That is why we worship water for better rains". From the abounding checkdams, the villagers carry water to tanks where the water is stored for drinking purposes. Deoa Bhai says, "We have thrown last years collected water and have refilled our tanks with the fresh water from the checkdam."
To ensure successful crops, people from far flung places like Junagadh gathered in the drizzling weather at the Gandhi Ashram of Sabarkundla to discuss ways and means of appropriate crop cultivation. All hoped to reap a big harvest because of the present rains. Women started off the session by singing melodies on monsoon. Scientists from the Junagadh Agricultural University came to discuss with villagers and the women folk about their agricultural problems.
In this remote saline region, Shri Kundla Taluka Gram Seva Mandal has been initiating developmental activities in the villages for the past 60 years . Various successful water harvesting works has been completed in the region in the last 15 years. Villagers and the Kundla Mandal under the watershed scheme with finance from the District Rural Development Authority (DRDA) started water harvesting works in 1998 in the village of Harkhala. Twenty per cent of the contribution came from the villagers as shramdaan (Voluntary labour). At a cost of Rs 5.5 lakh, the villagers made two percolation tanks and two check dams. Kamlesh Thakkar, secretary of four village committees and resident of Harkhala says, "The stored water helps in supporting irrigation in case of rain failure. Previously, in case of drinking water problem we had to get water from outside as the few handpumps in the village had saline water." Generally, people take two crop in the village but due to last drought, they had taken one. This year, they again hope to take two crops. Manubhai Mehta, project coordinator of Kundla taluka believes that to make a scheme successful, it is important to develop a rapport with the villagers. He adds, "I have lived with the village community for three generations, and only because of that, we could successfully implement the scheme."