In the dust bowl of Khaman Kheda in Madhya Pradesh, Dev Yadav, a local farmer, marvels at his wheat fields. Ever since fresh life was infused into the once-dry local lake in 2022, his crops need three times less water and yields have doubled, which Yadav believes is nothing short of remarkable.
“I can now plant two crops of wheat and lentils, even in the drier months,” he says.
Just a few kilometres away, in Serwai village, summer used to mean dry waterbodies and plummeting groundwater levels, making livestock rearing nearly impossible.
“But so much more is possible now,” says Santosh Patel. “Every family had only about two cows to supply milk for their home consumption. Now that the ‘talaab’ (pond) stays full longer, we can rear more livestock and earn from milk sales,” he added.
These stories of prosperity rippling across villages are the humane side of a waterbodies rejuvenation project by ATE Chandra Foundation that manages philanthropic initiatives of the ATE Group, an engineering firm founded in 1939 as part of India’s freedom movement.
Trigger for the project
The foundation, driven by the personal efforts of Archana and Amit Chandra, is focused on improving income and sustainability of small and marginal farmers in India since 2015. While they’ve been partnering with ministries and charities to achieve these and helped conserve 1,500 acres of forests, their standout project has been tackling rural water problems by rejuvenating old waterbodies across India.
Since 2016, the foundation has breathed new life into 5,000 lakes, ponds and tanks, spanning 7,000 villages across seven states.
The trigger for the project was the epidemic of farmer suicides in Maharashtra. Gayatri Nair Lobo, the foundation’s CEO, recalls how small and marginal farmers, burdened with loans to buy seeds and fertilisers, were pushed to the brink every time monsoons failed.
“While loan waivers by the govt only offered temporary relief, we realised we needed a sustainable solution to allow farmers live with dignity, and not on dole-outs,” she says.
The foundation knew they had to tackle the problem at its root —dependence on rain. “We explored a few existing solutions and identified one that focused on rejuvenating existing but no longer usable waterbodies,” explains Lobo.
Their pilot project, the foundation said, took root at the Akoladev Dam in Maharashtra’s Jalna district, driven by enthused farmers and a demand for nutrient-rich silt that would reduce their need for costly fertilisers.
Public-private partnership
“We figured out that all the lakes and ponds in Maharashtra could hold water three times the capacity of Bhakra Nangal Dam. The demand from farmers and the feedback that we got pushed us to do more,” she further said.
However, given the limitations of funding a project solely with the foundation’s resources, they began collaborating with the govt. The public-private partnership allowed them to expand across Maharashtra and initiate pilot projects in other states, including Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, starting in 2022.
While the govt bears 30% of the cost to hire necessary machinery, the rest of the cost to rejuvenate a waterbody is covered by local farmers and communities that help remove silt, which, they believe, “creates a strong sense of ownership to maintain the water-bodies in the long run”.
With the foundation and the govt joining hands under the ‘Gaalmukt Dharan, Gaalyukt Shivar’ (silt free water res ervoirs and silt applied farms) scheme, farmers such as Dasharath Kalidas Hirve in Bhoom district of Osmanabad are transforming barren stretches into fertile fields.
Suresh Survase in Dindegaon is hopeful of a bountiful harvest this year. “Because it will also increase the water holding capacity of our dam and we all will get water for cash crops,” he reasoned.
Rejuvenating waterbodies is a multi-step process that the foundation has refined over time. Lobo breaks it down into clear steps. First, dry waterbodies are identified.
Timing is crucial
“We use an app to determine which ones have the potential for groundwater percolation. Next, a local NGO engages with the community to educate farmers about the benefits of silt application and generate demand for the silt.
On a predetermined date, machinery such as a backhoe loader or excavator is hired. Farmers line up with their tractors to collect the silt, apply it to their fields, and return for more,” says Lobo, adding that timing is crucial since the work needs to be completed between mid-April and mid-June, when the waterbody is dry.
Tapping into local wisdom has been the key, given that many communities have their age-old ways of managing water.
“The NGO we select for a district identifies village elders who weigh in, especially on silt quality and application techniques,” Lobo adds. So, how do they prevent future silting?
“Our experience shows these waterbodies stay healthy for eight to ten years,” she says, adding that this ensures a higher return on investment. “For a very small cost per litre of water storage, you get a functioning waterbody with all its benefits for almost a decade.”
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