Pune: Four Villages Become Water Sufficient Through Rainwater Harvesting
Sheetal Akhade
Bhawadi, 17th February 2022: Under the rainwater harvesting projects initiated by the non-profit organization The Climate Reality Project, four villages in Ambegaon taluka of Pune district are now water sufficient and do not need any water tankers.
On 12th February 2022, a dedication ceremony of ‘Jal Aatmnirbar Villages’ was conducted in Zilla Parishad School, Bhawadi village, Ambegaon taluka.
The Climate Reality Project spearheaded the program with assistance from Vasundhara Sanvardhan MAPS Industries and funds from ICICI Bank. The organisation tries to bring awareness to climate change issues and gives globally possible solutions.
Bhawadi, Karegaon, Thugaon and Kurvandi of Taluka Ambegaon are the four villages under this project. These areas are water-starved for nearly 4-5 months every year and hence face acute water shortage. They used to depend upon government tankers for fulfilling the water needs of the village.
Col. Shashikant Dalvi (retd), National Coordinator, The Climate Reality Project India, and MAPS Industries, Pune, approached these four villages for rainwater harvesting in 2021.
“Extensive surveys were carried out to understand the root cause and to implement the solutions. The team got excellent support from the sarpanch and villagers. Therefore, the project of implanting rainwater harvesting systems in the villages was able to complete in a record time of 100 days. The work was completed despite the monsoons and the COVID pandemic”, Col Dalvi informed.
He added, “I can guarantee to say that after the next monsoon these four villages will become completely self-sufficient or Jal Atmanirbhar”.
As an addition, the team has also decided to clean the Vela river near the four villages which will allow the percolation of clean water into the groundwater level. And the team also aims to create awareness for menstruation among women and girls in the villages.
“India includes regions that are highly climate threatened. The major issues of Climate change are water scarcity, floods, droughts etc. But the best solution for water scarcity is rainwater harvesting, which not only provides clean water but reduces soil erosion and flood hazards by collecting rainwater”, said Aditya Pundir, Country Manager, The Climate Reality Project.
