The story:
The village Dhulwadi is situated on the backwaters of Shivsagar on the Koyana river bank. People here depend mostly on agriculture for their livelihood. The crops cultivated are seasonal like rice, nachani, wheat, and grams. However, out of the total area of 1106.70 Ha., only about 157.40 Ha. is cultivable and 662.30 Ha. is not under cultivation due to its physiographic location and slope. There is also no surface or groundwater irrigation due to its location.
There are five springs in the village whose water is used for irrigation and domestic purposes. Yet, the area under spring water irrigation is very less and seasonal. Hence, due to lack of better livelihood opportunities, people migrate seasonally to cities like Pune and Satara in search of employment.
The solution:
The project aims at improving the water availability of the village from a seasonal basis to a year-long basis. This project will strengthen the springs which will yield a good amount of water throughout the year to meet the drinking water requirements and irrigation. Measures are also proposed upstream of the springs for soil conservation with CCT plantation and gabion structure.
The outcome of the project
- Springs are rejuvenated with water recharge treatment
- Awareness generation amongst the people and formation of Self-help groups (SHGs)
- Training locals and setting health check-ups
- Encouraging agricultural productivity through horticulture plantation, micro-irrigation units, and vermicompost and biodynamic compost units
- Encouraging alternate sources of income through afforestation, bamboo plantation, and support for poultry and goat farming
