Water Conservation
Water Conservation
Conserving for a secure tomorrow
The economic growth relies on sustainable natural resource management. Unpredictable weather and climate changes can affect food security adversely and create a barrier to alleviate poverty. Kutch District of Gujarat, is characterised by its arid to semi-arid region and is severely affected due to water scarcity. Erratic rainfall patterns and poor management of water resources have resulted in a range of environmental and agricultural issues. These include recurring droughts, excessive groundwater exploitation, leading to salinity ingress in coastal aquifers, deteriorating quality of drinking water, soil degradation, land degradation, and a decline in crop productivity.
Understanding the gravity of the situation, in the late 80’s Navneet invested in construction of 18 check dams on 5 sloping canals, with groundwater recharge wells at strategic locations. This initiative resulted in the percolation of 66 crore litres of water into the ground, which significantly improved groundwater levels and reduced salinity in an area of 1800 acres.
Building on the success, Navneet Foundation in 2021, initiated a community-driven programme to manage Rukmavati river basin in Moti Rayan village as a primary area for implementing activities like Pond deepening, Prosopis removal, and Bore well recharging.
The programme envisages to;
⦁ increase the capacity of ponds to accommodate water even from torrential rains
⦁ enhance groundwater recharge capacity
⦁ increase the coverage area under irrigation
⦁ improve the efficiency of water structures
⦁ Institutionalise the community for responsible use and management of resources
⦁ Facilitate integration and improvement of other livelihood interventions aligned with water resource management
The ground water recharge activities have led to an increase in total capacity by over 242,111.18 cubic meters, with prosopis removal saving over 85,000 CuM water, benefitting 2500+ families.
Additionally, the Navneet Sarovar, a check dam located on the campus of Navneet Civil Engineering College at Veerayatan Vidyapeeth School and College, plays a vital role in groundwater recharge by capturing over 1 crore litres of water. These initiatives underscore our commitment to environmental stewardship and reinforce our dedication to sustainability and eco-friendly practices.
