Helping to preserve the source of life - water

Winrock International India recently provided a grant to the Himalayan Centre for Development and Culture, an NGO based in Tarikhet, Uttaranchal, for 'Integrated rainwater harvesting for cost-effective horticulture development and restoration of degraded eco-systems in selected micro-watersheds of Kujgarh catchment, Kumaon hills'. The grant was used to construct several water harvesting structures, in the form of khals (reservoirs) to catch and store rain and spring water, and arrest erosion, in the three villages of Pathuli, Kotar and Manari in the Tarikhet block of Almora district. Despite no rains in these hills for stretches of 3-4 months (which is unusual for the region), and a worsening water situation, these villages were better off than those of surrounding villages. Discussions with local residents and neighboring villages indicated that:

• people from neighboring villages were also accessing the same water
• even though the rain-fed crops had failed, the villagers had some water to maintain their vegetable crops (vegetables are a cash crop in this area)
• livestock, an essential component in the subsistence of these people, now had several watering points

Life has changed, for the better, for these villages!