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Rejuvenation of Water Tanks Development Alternatives under the Marico project has initiated the work of tank deepening in the villages of Niwari block in Bundelkhand, one of the most drought prone regions in India. One such village is Ubora. Due to water crisis in the village, there were no healthy water bodies due to which farmers were facing a lot of problems for agricultural activities. The Gochar tank was chosen for rejuvenation. With the agreement of Sarpanch and farmers living around the tank, the Development Alternatives (DA) team started the work of tank deepening and cleaning on 5th June 2020. JCB machine was used for deepening of the tank. During this process, soil was extracted and was given to farmers for use in their fields. The DA team also advised farmers that they should use this soil for making bunds around their fields as this will check soil erosion. Also since the soil is rich in nutrients and quality, it will enhance plant growth in their fields. Farmers were also given forestry plants such as Bamboo, Neem, Shisham, Teek and Drum Stick to plant on their fields. Also, seeds of Jawar and Bajra (4 kg each) were given to the farmers to sow in 1-acre area. The farmers sowed the seeds and also used vermi compost in their fields to promote natural, pesticide free farming. With this, at the time of monsoon, the tank was filled with rainwater which increased the ground water level in the village. Domestic animals could drink water from the tank. Farmers were happy as they could use this water in their fields. Rain water harvesting and ground water recharge along with growing millets and other crops that require less water is the way forward for all India’s villages. ■
Lalit Kumar Gangwar
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