“ Paani Aur Parivartan ”

1. “Paani Aur Parivartan” An Ordinary Story of change in Khori District Rewari Haryana A.Mona Sreenivas, IAS Additional deputy Commissioner Rewari

2. Water is food and fire is the eater of the food.Fire is established in water andWater is established in fire-Taittiriya Upanishad 3.8

4. Unkind Geography • Rewari district has a dryland topography • One lost river-”Saavi” • Mostly canal based water supply • Arid weather and depleting groundwater levels • Located between the software capital “Gurgaon” and the backwaters of Haryana “Mahendragarh”

5. Khori- Snapshot • Block Khol • Population: 5000(approx) • Caste composition: 25% jats, 25%SC,7% brahmins ,6% ahirs • BPL :350 • Aravalli range criss crosses this area

6. Watershed as a crying need • Taken up in 1999-2000 under DDP 5th batch • Reasons: • Water gushing down the slopes of the hills caused damage to standing crops • It also cut into the land • Soil and land erosion • Water logging further damaged the crops • Yieids fell,productivity went down

7. Contd… • The dilemma of both excess and scarcity of water • Issue of Waste water • Issue of Wastage of water • Rampant deforestation in the hills • Drinking water crisis year after year • Shrinking unproductive land holdings • Migration

8. Activities for change

9. The Beginnings of change • Three Check dams constructed to check the flow of water from the hills • Protected the crops from damage • Checked further depletion of groundwater • Groundwater recharge • Agricultural revival • Productivity rose

10. Change unfolds.. • Water channels and nalas diverted excess rain water towards a common drainage point • Waste water of the village drained to a johad • Water accumulated in a johad used for irrigation • Drainage point identified following rules of natural flow of water and gravity

12. Indicators of Change • Cropping pattern • Per hectare productivity • Pattern and size of land holdings • Caste and land ownership • Number of tractors • Number of wells/tubewells revived • Number and yield of milch animals

13. Social indicators • Number of schools • Enrolment and retention • Opening of College of Education • Number of SHGs • Institutional deliveries • Social harmony • Increase in number and usage of toilets

14. Explaining Change • Watershed initiative created awareness of the need to conserve and manage water. • Link between water and prosperity • The watershed concept is not only physical, economical,ecological but also social. Integrates social resources with natural resource management • Equity, sustainability, participation: keys to success

16. Women and water • In khori, women emerged as leaders of the water campaign • Woman sarpanchSmtKamladevi led the women • Women’s burden as water providers in India • Women & girls responsibility to collect, transport, store and manage water. • She gets to use the water last. • She is excluded from decision making on use and distribution of water

17. Women and water • In khori women decided the priorities • Drinking water , water for animals, and channelling waste water were set as priorities above that of agriculture • Empowerment of women • Divided by caste, united by gender • Women led plantation drive

18. Long term changes • Watershed concept incurs costs instantly but returns are often delayed • Long term positive externalities involved • Necessities collective action • Need to fine balance support for socially complex and diverse groups with differing entitlements and rights of access and use of resources.

19. Long term Changes • Empowered user groups to develop internal mechanisms for conflict resolution and determination of rights • Developing agreed norms for sharing costs and benefits. • Changes in land ownership patterns • Smaller holdings also become viable. • SHGs emerged to give structure to the otherwise amorphous category of user groups

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