Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand): The recent heavy rains in Uttarakhand might have wreaked havoc in the Himalayan state, but it has also highlighted an inspiring story about environmental conservation with 30 women in Rudraprayag district of the state working for the last one month on rainwater harvesting and forest conservation.
The 30 women from Sabha Kot area of Ranigarh Patti in Rudraprayag have been working continuously for one month on rain water conservation in five hectares of forest land and afforestation. The group of women guided by environmental expert Devraghavendra Singh have dug 200 pits as part of their water conservation efforts saving one lakh liters of water. The rain stored in these pits helps recharge the water sources around the village and underground water level. Besides, the women are also making efforts to promote mixed plantation in the forest area as 50 species of Himalayan plants are being planted in the barren forest area including oak, rhododendron, kafal, deodar, bhamor and chamkhadi. The women of village Kot have dug 500 pits for planting mixed plants as part of their environmental conservation efforts.
The mixed plantation in the local forest area will begin on the auspicious occasion of Harela festival. Besides other varieties of forest trees, Ringal plants will also be planted in the woods in a bid to boost the local cottage industry.
Environmental expert Devraghavendra Singh, who is guiding the group, said that Singlas Devta mixed forest will be made a “worldwide model of environmental conservation with the help of women and the village head, in which one thousand mixed plants will be planted”.
Village head Kot Suman Devi said that the initiative is a happy moment for her as it shows the way towards environmental conservation. Work is being done on water and forest conservation in her village assembly for the first time and on a large scale, she said while expressing her gratitude to the government for the MNREGA scheme, due to which women are also benefiting from employment.
Social worker Jaikrit Singh Chaudhary, who has been supporting the women in this program for the last one month, said that it is a matter of pride for their village to launch such an initiative. Ever since the work of water conservation has been successful, water sources around their villages have started getting recharged, he said. Taking inspiration from this work, work of water conservation has started in other villages as well, he added.
Namami Gange Nodal Officer Rudraprayag Prof Dr Bikram Veer Bharti, associated with the water and mixed forest conservation campaign of women, said that the women of Gram Sabha Kot are setting an example in the direction of water conservation. From time to time, the students of his college Rudraprayag are also coming to observe the work of women and are taking a pledge to adopt the traditional water conservation practice in their villages by learning the tricks from the women, he added. He said that the experiment of water conservation by the women is acting as a guide for the new generation and pledged to help the women in every possible way in the future.
To protect the forests, a committee of women of Gram Sabha Kot has also been formed in the name of Singlas deity believed to dwell in the forest. The women have taken training in the mixed forest plantation from noted environmentalist Jagat Singh Jangli.
Jangli said that the work of water and forest conservation is being done on a large scale by women, which is a matter of pride for the entire district. Keeping in mind the water crisis in future, such experiments with water will prove to be a boon for the next generation, he said.
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