On October 22nd, Mr. S.C. Behar, Chief Secretary, Madhya Pradesh arrived at Maror, a village in Tikamgarh District, by a helicopter to unveil the commemorative plaque for “Water of Life” project under which three checkdams had been constructed by Development Alternatives, Jhansi on the river Ghurari to provide safe and clean drinking water to Rajpura, Buraru and Morar villages in Newari block. The project has been funded by United Distillers, UK. Mr. David Carter of the UK High Commission and Mr. Peter Lipscomb from the United Distillers were also present at the ceremony. With the construction of the checkdams, these parched villages have not only become self-sufficient in terms of clean and safe drinking water but are now able to harvest three crops in a year instead of just one rainfed crop. This herculean task of executing the project was accomplished by AVM.S. Sahni and our Jhansi-based DA team, who have been relentlessly working on this project since April, 1995. The primary survey by the working team revealed that Buraru village had a population of 1200, whereas Rajpura had 1500 inhabitants and Maror around 2500. Out of this 5000 odd population, about one-fifth were children between the age of five and twelve. These villages needed innovative water-harvesting structures to provide safe drinking water to them. The strategy was to harvest water through construction of check-dams on streams and rivulets to recharge the groundwater level and thereby augment the water in the wells and handpump bores. With the above mission in mind, the working team constructed two check-dams on the river Ghurari which flows along Rajpura and Buraru villages. A third check-dam is constructed on a rivulet around Maror village. The check-dam at Buraru is a feast for the eyes, with its mesmerizing waterfall and unique marine life due to the micro ecosystem created here. In all, the three check-dams service a total catchment area of around 500 hectares. Our engineers upgraded the handpump and wells in all these villages. All pumps and wells have ‘pucca’ platforms with proper drainage now. Some new handpumps have also been provided. Prevention of stagnant pools of water and availability of safe drinking water have considerably reduced the risks of outbreak of vector-borne diseases such as malaria, cholera and hepatitis. To monitor the quality of the water sources (i.e river, rivulets, wells etc), we have evolved a water-testing kit named ‘Jal-Tara’ which is a touch-stone for checking the purity of water. This kit could be effectively used as a watch-dog in protecting scarce water sources from getting polluted. So, our team is also engaged in educating the rural mass regarding the usage of Jal-Tara. While unveiling the commemorative plaque, Mr. Behar lauded DA’s efforts at improving the water and sanitation conditions of famine-prone villages of Madhya Pradesh. Mr. David Carter said that such sustainable development ventures as the ‘Water of Life’ project strengthened the bond between the peoples of UK and India. “The increase in the groundwater level indicates the potential of a piped water-supply in the coming future, alongwith other possibilities like pisciculture”, revealed AVM Sahni. A hearty welcome was given to the visiting dignitaries by a lively band of folk-singers whose lilting music enthralled the visitors and the village folk alike. Though our march towards sustainable development is certainly a long one, still even a thousand mile long journey starts but with a single step. The march has begun and we, in a small way, have proved that “small is not only beautiful but it is also possible”.
Rajiv Gupta, Communication Unit |
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