Rainwater Harvesting to boost wealth in the valley
Introduction
Nagulapally village is situated in Nagulapally Gram Panchayat of Julapalli block in Peddapalli District, and it is one of the drought-prone regions in the state. Due to low groundwater levels and rocky terrain, the villagers faced severe water problems. In monsoon, all the water drained to the nearby stream limiting the scope of recharging borewells and open wells. In Gram Sabha, it was decided to conserve rainwater by digging the staggered trenches and continuous contour trenches on various locations of the village.
Implementation
The Gram Panchayat completed the construction of water conservation structures in 2017–2018. Staggered trenches were dug at a cost of Rs.12.38 lakhs while continuous contour trenches of length 14,704 meters were dug at the cost of Rs.11.24 lakhs. The villagers were initially reluctant to work for the project as it was a tedious job to work on the hard soil. However, the villagers were motivated by the Gram Panchayat officials in numerous meetings explaining the benefits of the project, and consequently, they agreed to work in the larger interest.
Impact
The water conservation structures have helped in meeting the drinking water needs for livestock and increased the water level in the borewells. These water conservation structures have benefitted the entire village land of 288 acres. These structures have collectively conserved 88.59 lakh litres of water. An additional land of 146 acres has been brought under cultivation. Paddy cultivation in the village has also increased from 85 acres to 142 acres with an increase in production. Additionally, 23 acres of barren land is being cultivated. A total of 38 open wells have also been recharged in the village.
Voice
“I own 2 acres of land. After the intervention, there is sufficient water in my well. Initially I used to cultivate green gram, groundnut and red gram but now I have entirely shifted to paddy which has given me an additional income of Rs.10,000 from 0.50 acre”. —Shri K. Venkataiah, Farmer
“I own 2.5 acres of land. After the intervention, my income has increased to Rs.1 lakh per year. Earlier I was limited to growing chilli, tomato and paddy but now I am cultivating commercial crops. MGNREGS was very useful to me, as it changed my life”. —Smt. A. Bhagyalaxmi, Farmer
