‘Paani Thiye Panjo’ In Kutchi means ‘Let us make water sources ours again’

1. ‘Paani Thiye Panjo’ In Kutchi means ‘Let us make water sources ours again’ Strategies to Revitalize & Develop Traditional, Local Water Sources as The Main Drinking/Domestic Water Source in Arid Kutch – Gujarat Presentation By Sushma Iyengar

2. Water Heritage of Kutch . . . 3000 year old water management system of Indus Valley Civilization in Dholavira Well within talaab: Drought Proofing 400 year old lake system Virdas: a living tradition Roof water harvesting in an old Masjid- Lakhpat Well within riverbed

3. Developing Drinking Water Source…An annual average rain fall of a mere 350mm, coupled with 2-3 droughts every five years, makes drinking/domestic water availability the central issue for any development. The partnership between Villages Communities, State and Central Government , a Network of voluntary organizations,andTechnical expertshave been able to demonstrate that the most remote and arid villages could develop sustaining solutions in their villages; This has ensured adequate and good quality drinking water, even in droughts. Women’s collectives and Gram Panchayats manage the supply and distribution of their local, decentralized, water source and inspire an understanding that the role of the State, should ideally be restricted to providing capital costs for people’s water plans, apart from legislating and authorizing the Gram Panchayat and the community to govern their drinking water security.

4. Learning from Tradition…..The story of ‘Khari’ Village….renamed ‘Leelpar’

5. Aquifer Identification • Well inventory to understand sub surface extension and other aquifer properties • Surface geological mapping • Surface extension of aquifer • Demarcation of Zones of Salinity REVIVAL OF HAMIRSAR AND ITS CATCHMENTS

6. Common Dictionary For effective communication

7. Strategies for Water Resource Development and Preparation of Action Plan – Aquifer Management HAMIRSAR LAKE HAMIRSAR LAKE REVIVAL OF HAMIRSAR AND ITS CATCHMENTS

8. Geo-hydrology-based solutions Typically, as in Khari village, which has a catchment of 125 ha, the rainwater inflow is 425000 cum, while outflow is 3,82,500 cum. With runoff @ 60% (2,55,000 cum) , and Evaporation @ 30% (1,27,500 cum), the water balance indicated that 5-10% rain water harvesting for ground water recharge could match the drinking water demand – even in a 3 year consecutive drought period. Therefore the demand of drinking Water 21,600 cum was infact met by 5 % of the total rainfall.

9. Available four Aquifers in the districts Sandstone Laterite Weathered Basalt Alluvium

10. Available Shallow aquifers in Kachchh

11. Derived Understandings contd… Rann Evaporite Deposits Hills Shallow Aquifer Systems Inherent Salinity Due to Marine Deposited Rocks Sea Water Intrusion • Salinity Pattern – • Inherent Salinity due to Marine Deposits • Salinity Ingress from Sea • Shallow Aquifers in coastal areas • In deep ground water • Increasing Salinity due to Evaporation in Rann Areas influences Shallow Aquifers

12. Identifying Aquifers…. As most of the rocks are saline and not permeable, a regular watershed approach does not guarantee a sustainable source even in drought years. Out of the 19 Rock formations found in Kutch, 4 are good shallow aquifers – Sandstone, Alluvium, Basalt, and Laterite. Almost every village in Kutch has at least one of the four aquifers – which are sweet and can be recharged. Experts from rural comunities, with their traditional knowledge, along with geologists and engineers map these aquifers, based on which the villages are supported to – • Develop the aquifers with recharging strategy (check dams) • Upgrade and develop wells as the main source for drawal • Up-gradation of the traditional ‘talabs’ (separate for cattle and human use) • Use of solar energy for pumping water instead of diesel pumps (thus making the cost of pumping viable for the village community, and ensuring their ownership and control)

13. Water Harvesting Structure developed and Drinking Water Well developed as the main source by the community, with Solar Pumping Device, managed by the women at Dador village, North Kutch

14. DadorGroundwater Recharge and Management WATER RESOURCE PLANNING Post Monsoon 2003 Post Implementation Scenario: Quality: Annual Average TDS: 1600 mg/l Post Monsoon: 500 mg/l. Change in Groundwater Storage: (+ 9 m); Installation of Solar system of 30,000 lit/day capacity entails an investment cost ofRs. 2.5 lakh which has been recovered in a period of 4 years, while the same amount is normally expended on a diesal driven pumping operation in three years.

15. Daddhamapar village community collaborates with Sahjeevan and WASMO to develop water source and solar pumping device as a viable pumping system

16. Moti Sudadhro, Abdasa taluka which was supported to develop its own source, and integrated this with WASMO scheme for distribution

17. Percolation Tank Well Case Study of Naliya – A Town of about 35,000 Population • Prevailing Drinking Water Source of Naliya had poor quality of groundwater for drinking purpose, however, people were using it for other domestic purposes. The local source was connected with a six km long pipeline - the water drawn by this bore well was coming from sandstone covered by alluvium. • To improve the groundwater quality in well - a percolation tank with three recharge pits was built, which has improved the water quality from 2100 ppm TDS to 1600 ppm TDS

18. It is important to strengthen the water planning for the towns of the Taluka if one had to eliminate the need to be dependant on the Narmada as the primary source of drinking water. In 2005 Sahjeevan collaborated with the Panchayat of Nalia ( the Taluka capital of 35000 people ) to develop their comprehensive water management plan and develop and recharge their aquifers. Recharge Well Borewell Site • Traditional wells - Dhamani and Panjarapol wells – which traditionally provided drinking water had become inadequate due to small diameter and lack of lifting arrangements this was resolved by simply increasing diameter and depth of well Dhaamani Well

19. Vajira village in North Kutch which has tapped its drinking water resource between two aquifers and drought proofed itself even in years of consecutive droughts

20. Varnu village of Rapar taluka in East Kutch is located on the fringes of the Little Rann of Kutch. The village has a population of 735, covering 151 households. The village undertook the deblocking of catchment area, deepening and desiltation of the talaab and renovation of the 4 wells to tap the underground water.

21. Glimpse of Decentralized, local drinking water sources – revived and newly developed in 30 more villages with support from MoRD Sluice Valve 2 3 1 Lakhara D/W Talav & Well D/W talav & well-Lakhara D/W well- Nani Sudhdhro D/W Well-Beru 4 3

22. Regional development approach – A Taluka takes up planning for local sources…. • No. of Villages which have achieved self sufficiency in drinking/domestic water even in consecutive drought years by developing and maintaining their traditional system - 52villages • Plan for one entire taluka – Abdasa, with 165 villages – has been initiated through a collaboration between WASMO and Sahjeevan

23. Challenges we faced before this approach was truly accepted and institutionalized…… • Changing the mind-set: Communities believe that water is the sole responsibility of the state; State believes that water from local sources cannot meet the growing need, and only centralized systems can fulfill this; NGOs more comfortable in the role of implementors rather than socio-technical facilitators • Since water from centralized sources are so heavily subsidized, there is a disincentive to develop, self-manage, and govern their domestic water sources/needs • Doubts on the reliable availability of water through local sources in arid areas; then doubts on its replicability; then doubts on its upscaling potential! • Developing a methodology and system for integrating traditional wisdom/knowledge with advanced technical and scientific expertise/knowledge; for learning and delearning. • Developing a sustaining solution by taking the existing and projected need as a given – not the entire catchment as the base premise • Using the guideline as a GUIDELINE; not as a rule book for context specific, varied micro conditions.

24. Developing critical mechanisms to overcome the challenges….. • Undertaking detailed decentralized geo-hydrological planning with Gram Panchayats – considering water budgeting, traditional sources, salinity patterns, overall water quality, and potential technological alternatives - at the village level, cluster of villages, block, and district. • Setting up a ‘college’ of rural youth as para water engineers who can motivate, and facilitate basic planning, implementation, and management of the developed drinking water source at the village level. • Foster multi-stakeholder partnership based on known strengths – State, Coordinating Agency, Technical Resource Group, Handholding organizations, and implementing bodies (Gram Panchayats, and Pani Samitis)

25. Critical issues before us… • Protection of aquifers from competing users – especially industries and agriculturalists. - Demarcation of acquifers within the village - Protective legal frameworks for Gram Panchayats especially • Not adequately recognizing the growing pace of urbanization of rural areas which increases the stress on centrally managed drinking water supply schemes. (And therefore the need to develop local sources as the primary source, and centrally managed schemes as the back-up support system). -Urgent need to introduce a pricing policy which loads the incentive towards use of local source as primary source.

26. Thank You!