Marathwada is unfortunately infamous for drought. MANAVLOK implements several projects in hundreds of villages to minimize the problems of people due to drought and make village water abundant. The best way to tackle this scarcity is through watershed development. As man and his environment are interdependent, the changes in the surrounding environment directly affect the lives of the people depending on them. We are implementing the following projects to achieve the goal of a drought-proof village. Previously, the State Government of Maharashtra selected MANAVLOK as the ‘Mother NGO’ for implementing WSD programs. For this project, the Government of Maharashtra selected 13 NGOs from Maharashtra on the basis of their contribution and experience in watershed development and water management.
CCT’s are excavating continuous trenches (60 cm wide x 30 cm. deep) on continuous contour lines, which are marked with the help of contour markers. Trenching was started from top to bottom. The distance between two trenches depends on the slope as well as the availability of time and resources.
This activity is executed with the help of earthmovers machinery. A trench of size 1*1 M along the contour line is excavated so that more water will be stored.
These are small structures constructed in the upper ridge of a watershed area or waste land (having a slope of more than 5%), undulating topography, and/or where runoff is high. It is performed by laborers with stone available at the local site. It tends to protect soil erosion from hilly areas and also helps with vegetation.
This activity is approximately similar to farm bunding. It is performed by constructing a bund of size 0.30*0.80*0.60 M with stone available at the site. It can only be performed with the help of laborers.
These are generally built to temporarily halt the flow of water to enable soil conservation and storage of water. The bund created is a mixture of soft rock and black cotton soil.
This activity is a combination of gabion structures and Cement Nala Bunds, except for the cost difference. This structure stores water almost identically to the quantity of CNBs, but at a comparatively low cost. It is totally executed with the help of laborers. A 2M concrete wall is partially constructed, and then stone with chain mesh is bound together to increase its strength.
A farm pond is a structure constructed to store the water on the farm by excavating a pit. The farm ponds are small tanks or reservoirs constructed to store water, essentially runoff water.
This structure is constructed by making a trench of 5*3*2 M in size along the streams or brooks where there is moderate flow. WADTs create a barrier to flowing water and also trap fertile soil.
A farm pond is a structure constructed to store the water on the farm by excavating a pit. The farm ponds are small tanks or reservoirs constructed to store water, essentially runoff water.
This activity is performed to create more water storage. It is totally construction work executed with the help of machines and skilled laborers. A bund at a height of 2 meters along the river basin is constructed and stores back water up to 100 meters.
The objective is to excavate the silt from the dried dams using earth-moving machinery and spread it over nearby farms. The activity increases the water-holding capacity of the dried dams while also enhancing the soil fertility of the farmlands.
Doha is created by widening and deepening the existing Nala or river. The size of Doha varies between 10 -15 M as per the local sites. The sole purpose is to rejuvenate the water structures.
It is performed in a river basin where water percolation is poor, mostly in black cotton soil. A 100-foot bore-well is drilled, and a trench of 2.5*2*2 meters is created and filled with stones, pebbles, and sand to increase recharge.
The rejuvenation work of the Holna River and its tributaries was carried out in the villages of Patoda, Palaskheda, and Devala in the Ambajogai block of Beed district. The work of rejuvenation started in January 2016 in the auspicious presence of the renowned water expert, the honorable Mr. Rajendra Singh. More than 10 km of work has been completed in these villages.
This activity is performed to rejuvenate the existing defunct bore well. A trench of 2.5*2*2 M is created and filled with stones, pebbles, and sand.
The objective is to increase agricultural production by desilting old wells, which will enable farmers to draw water from the wells in times of scarcity. Because of the desilting, the farmers have started using the wells they had abandoned. The rejuvenation of the old wells has also created the availability of water in the Rabi season. This project has benefited the farmers and increased their crop production.
Water-saving devices—drip/sprinkler sets—were provided to develop micro-irrigation systems that will enable farmers to utilize water from the wells or farm ponds in their farmland in times of scarcity for optimal utilization. With drip/sprinklers available for irrigation, farmers are now saving more water compared to the traditional method.
Drought proofing in the region is done by carrying out tree plantations. It helps in increasing green vegetation, preventing soil erosion, providing means of livelihood for marginal farmers, and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
In the year 2019–22, 8 machines were provided by Manavlok to clean the sub-minors Yeldari and Siddheshwar dam canals at the request of the Purna Irrigation Department, Tal. Wasmat Dist. Hingoli. The canal water gets distributed in the three districts: Hingoli, Parbhani, and Nanded. A major canal cleaning project was carried out. Within this, a stretch of 450 km was cleaned from 2019 to 2020. In the periods 2020–21 and 2021–22, canal cleaning was done for 370 km and 270 km, respectively.
The purpose of this project is to 'Strengthen the Institutional Arrangements for Drinking Water Safety and Security Planning and its Implementation in Rural Areas of Maharashtra', supported by evidence generation and upstream advocacy with a demonstration in three districts (Latur, Pune, and Osmanabad) of Maharashtra.
The MANAVLOK team worked on reclaiming saline soil in the villages of Shirur Block, Pune (Project: Lavan2020). We assisted in desilting and provided advisory assistance to the villagers about saline soil management and micro-irrigation techniques. Overall, the project helped rejuvenate the 16 km stream by deepening & widening it. We also implemented compartment bunding on 2000 acres to reduce soil salinity and groundwater runoff, thereby directly benefiting 400 families.