पत्रिका जगत Positive Journalism
Jaipur 16 January 2019: The monsoon god, it seems, smiles at Rajasthan only intermittently. In some years, such as 2017, rains were plentiful, while 2018 was mostly dry. The problem is compounded by the absence of perennial rivers. Luni and Banas remain the only two rivers of some repute that flow across the state.
This is why a large part of the state’s rural population depends on their immediate environment and natural resources to meet livelihood requirements. The situation gets even more challenging in the summer months. The south-west areas of the state are typically among the worst-affected due to monsoon vagaries.
DCB Bank, a private sector bank with increasing presence in Rajasthan catering to rural, semi-urban and urban locations, realised the dire situation of such rural communities, and decided to offer help through multifarious ways. DCB Bank has invested resources for community development and climate change mitigation programmes oriented towards creating lasting framework in the form of community governance structures and practices, rejuvenating water saving structures and water bodies.
The bank, in 2018, chose the Gogunda Tehsil of Udaipur District, which lies in the middle of the troubled south-western region, and sought to find some long-term solutions. DCB Bank launched a watershed regeneration drive with an objective of securing potable water for the parched villages. The idea was subsequently developed into generating agri-income opportunities for the local population, and generally improving their quality of life.
The Bank subsequently ensured the planting of 7,500 trees in an unused land of 22 hectares. The trees were mostly of forest species – including neem, awla, karanji, sahetoot, ram baas, gwarpatha, jungle jalebi, seesam along with grass seeds of stylo-hamata, dhaman and sheran. The transformation of the hitherto barren land has been magical – to say the least! The planting of trees and the grass are already helping control soil erosion as well as generate adequate fodder for cattle and farm animals.
As a part of the watershed regeneration efforts, the Bank has implemented soil water conservation by farm and stone bunding (gabion) on eight hectares of land area. Separately, a drainage system has been developed to harness rain water percolation. Locals participated in this project by the way of ‘Shram daan’ or self contribution where they collectively built contour water absorption trenches to collect rainwater. Over a period of time, these trenches trap top soil, percolate water and eventually help increase water table levels.
In parallel, educational trainings on inter-cropping, farm selection, preparation of land, seed treatment, techniques on sowing seeds, using manure and protecting crops from diseases. The local population has been also introduced to contemporary models of farming such as floriculture, horticulture along with livestock development.
Recently, a training programme was conducted with village development committee members in Badundia and Modwa. The objective was to educate farmers about the decreasing levels of water tables and its correlation with the inefficient use of water. In these sessions, villagers were taught to measure and manage the groundwater level.
Going forward, the community would first take an account of their domestic and drinking water needs, and then budget in the requirement for livestock consumption and irrigation. Based on these calculations, they would collectively work towards finalising an optimum cropping pattern.
To ensure the project has continuity, a two-day residential programme was conducted at Jagaran Jan Vikas Samiti, Udaipur. Experts from Seva Mandir, Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) and Forest Dept., Udaipur, were invited to share their experiences on managing pasture lands, and to avail good quality quantity of abundant fodder within the village for a longer period. This will also aid in improving the health and productivity of the livestock.
The combination of training programmes, watershed regeneration and planting activities have began to bear fruit. While overall 400 families in the region have already benefitted from these exercises, the efficient use of barren land – that have produced quality fodder – is providing economic sustenance to as many as 55 families of Gogunda Tehsil.
