Jal Sahelis' long march for water conservation covering remote villages of Bundelkhand

By Bharat Dogra

Bundelkhand region in Central India, comprising 14 districts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, has often been in the news due to water scarcity but at the same time it should be emphasized that this region has important assets and strengths which if tapped properly can end this scarcity. However the solutions must be based on several specific features of the region and a lot can be learnt from traditional wisdom of conserving water and collecting water, particularly in tanks. A significant number of such tanks go back about a thousand years to the times of Chandela kings.

It has been learnt in the course of finding the most cost-effective and sustainable methods of water conservation here that the restoration of several of these damaged and depleted water sources provides one of the best ways of meeting the water needs of Bundelkhand region. Another good option is to revive and rejuvenate several small rivers which used to be the lifeline for many remote villages but have been harmed to the extent of almost vanishing due to over-exploitation, excessive sand-mining, encroachments and other factors.

Parmarth is a leading voluntary organization of the region which has worked in cooperation with the government and local communities to improve water conservation in about 100 villages, helping to renovate about 100 tanks, apart from taking up the rejuvenation of six small rivers. An important plank of this work has been the mobilization of women water volunteers called jal sahelis, recognized by their sky blue dress, who have been involved in several important initiatives of river rejuvenation and tank restoration, apart from improving water supply and sanitation.

Now these jal sahelis have got together to take out a yatra or march from Orchha to Jaishankar Dhaam, covering about 300 km. distance in five districts—Niwari, Tikamgarh and Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh, and Jhansi and Lalitpur in Uttar Pradesh. This march is to continue from February 2 to February 19.

While nearly 150 Jal Sahelis are determined to cover the entire distance, several others join them for shorter intervals. At various places along the route jal chaupals or water dialogues are organized in which various aspects of water conservation are discussed. The jal sahelis tell about their own work and learn about local initiatives. In the process information about the local water sources is also collected along with suggestions regarding what kind of improvement efforts are needed. Such detailed information collected on the basis of inter-actions with local people can be very useful later for improvement or restoration work. What is more, whenever time permits, some shramdan or contribution of voluntary work is also performed for the cleaning or improving of water sources.

All this has attracted a lot of attention and support from villages which are on the path of the march or else are located close by. Morale during the initial days of the march so far has been very high.

These marches can be a very good way of taking the message of water conservation to many more people in remote villages and also to spread inspirational information regarding some of the remarkably successful efforts of villagers and particularly village women in the recent past. These can lead to more such efforts by other people. When those who have been a part of such efforts themselves go to the people of various villages to relate these, people in similar conditions can relate to them and their experiences and ask them eagerly about more details of their inspiring work, then the chances are very high that this kind of very useful and inspiring work is likely to spread further. So it is not surprising that this march has raised high hopes within a few days.

It is really a remarkable achievement that these women not only contributed voluntary work earlier but in addition have also found the time and the energy to come out for a much longer period, despite many farm and family responsibilities, for a wider social cause. Such efforts should be widely encouraged.

---

The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Planet in Peril, Protecting Earth for Children, A Day in 2071, and Man over Machine

Comments

Plastic burning in homes threatens food, water and air across Global South: Study

By Jag Jivan In a groundbreaking study spanning 26 countries across the Global South , researchers have uncovered the widespread and concerning practice of households burning plastic waste as a fuel for cooking, heating, and other domestic needs. The research, published in Nature Communications , reveals that this hazardous method of managing both waste and energy poverty is driven by systemic failures in municipal services and the unaffordability of clean alternatives, posing severe risks to human health and the environment.

Economic superpower’s social failure? Inequality, malnutrition and crisis of India's democracy

By Vikas Meshram India may be celebrated as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but a closer look at who benefits from that growth tells a starkly different story. The recently released World Inequality Report 2026 lays bare a country sharply divided by wealth, privilege and power. According to the report, nearly 65 percent of India’s total wealth is owned by the richest 10 percent of its population, while the bottom half of the country controls barely 6.4 percent. The top one percent—around 14 million people—holds more than 40 percent, the highest concentration since 1961. Meanwhile, the female labour force participation rate is a dismal 15.7 percent.

The greatest threat to our food system: The aggressive push for GM crops

By Bharat Dogra Thanks to the courageous resistance of several leading scientists who continue to speak the truth despite increasing pressures from the powerful GM crop and GM food lobby , the many-sided and in some contexts irreversible environmental and health impacts of GM foods and crops, as well as the highly disruptive effects of this technology on farmers, are widely known today.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra* The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

'Restructuring' Sahitya Akademi: Is the ‘Gujarat model’ reaching Delhi?

By Prakash N. Shah* A fortnight and a few days have slipped past that grim event. It was as if the wedding preparations were complete and the groom’s face was about to be unveiled behind the ceremonial tinsel. At 3 PM on December 18, a press conference was poised to announce the Sahitya Akademi Awards .

The war on junk food: Why India must adopt global warning labels

By Jag Jivan The global health landscape is witnessing a decisive shift toward aggressive regulation of the food industry, a movement highlighted by two significant policy developments shared by Dr. Arun Gupta of the Nutrition Advocacy for Public Interest (NAPi).

The illusion of nuclear abundance: Why NTPC’s expansion demands public scrutiny

By Shankar Sharma* The recent news that NTPC is scouting 30 potential sites across India for a massive nuclear power expansion should be a wake-up call for every citizen. While the state-owned utility frames this as a bold stride toward a 100,000 MW nuclear capacity by 2047, a cold look at India’s nuclear saga over the last few decades suggests this ambition may be more illusory than achievable. More importantly, it carries implications that could fundamentally alter the safety, environment, and economic health of our communities.

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

Search This Blog