Water Development Activities

With the continuous ground water exploitation and global warming, the water for future generation will become scarce. It is not the matter how much rain we get, but it is how much rain we harvest. It is very essential to make the people aware of rainwater harvesting techniques which comprise of various technology models for both surface and ground water harvesting measures.

More than 50% of the rainfall is got about 15 days or in less than 100 hours out of a total of 8760 hours in a year. Therefore it is very important to harvest this rainwater which comes and goes in few days. This precious wealth should be properly saved ad stored for this generation and future generation also.

A Rain Centre 'Varunalaya’ with 50 kinds of Rain Water Harvesting and Water Conservation Technologies has been established in our ashram in order to give exposure for various categories of people like villagers, members of SHGs (Self Help Groups), NGOs, Farmers and School & College Students. The models are so designed that those who visit Varunalaya can select the appropriate technology according to their need of requirement of their place.

Though water is easily available from the Mother Nature, every one of us is wasting the water thoughtlessly without thinking that freely available source has become a costly item of purchase. This centre gives awareness on Rain Water Harvesting and Water Conservation.

REVIVAL OF VILLAGE TANKS

The real source of irrigation for cultivation are the village Tanks (Lakes). Alas! The Tanks have become orphans for the past 30 years. A heavy blow on the farmers’ development and cultivation. Nobody came forward for maintaining the water bodies. But Ashram took initiative with the assistance of Ministry of Rural Development to renovate the Tanks of various villages. Ashram has Renovated 4 tanks of each of 200 acres irrigation capacity. The following works were completed under this project.

• Clearing the thorny bushes and jungles in tank bund and tank bed.
• Clearing jungles in incoming channel.
• Desiltation in tank bed.
• Desiltation in incoming channel
• Turfing on incoming channel.
• Plantation of saplings on tank bunds.
• Construction of slucies – 2 Nos.
• Repair of Cullingul (weir).
• Construction of distribution channels (outlet channel).
• 12 Villages have been benefited due to renovation of 4 tanks

RENOVATION OF PONDS

In the villages we find many dried up ponds. Ashram has taken up the work of these already existing water harvesting points by way of recharging the ground water recourses and make use of these ponds for the villagers both for small agricultural operations as well as for drinking water to cattle. Due to improper care, the ponds has been silted up since present capacity is very less for storage of water.

Ashram has renovated two ponds with the help of Self Help Group members and support of the State Government.