Environmental Conservation

The various programmes undertaken by the Society for Environmental Education and Rural Development (SEED) under the broader head of Environmental Conservation are:

PLANTATION
Forests are the base of rural life, the women ‘sangathans’ of Suraikhet region have made us fully realize the statement. Making use of the power of their ‘sangathan’, these women did not only save the forests, but also bridged the gap between the forest and the rural communities. In Bajina, Kande, Shilang, Bajan, Baheda, Nauri, Matela, Ghughuti, Minar, Kamrad, Badi-Banoli, Sanade, Dhunga, Bitholi, Kauda, and other more than two dozen villages, the Mahila Mangal Dals have afforested the community land of their respective villages. The main trees which were planted by the women were Mango, Sheesham, Siver Oak, and amla along with Oak, Buransh, Jamun, Reetha, Uteesh, Bheemal, Timal, Kachnar and other broad-leaved trees of the fodder species. For this purpose, women have been planting trees since the last four-five years. The responsibility of the security of these plantations too has been taken up by the Mahila Mangal Dals of these villages. Today, greenery has returned to these villages.
In the initial days, the ‘sangathans’ received saplings from the nursery of the forest department. However, taking the saplings from these nurseries and bringing them to the village was proving to be a difficult task. In spite of this, the women carried the saplings for 6-7 kilometers on a steep climb as ‘shram daan’ (labour donation). Soon the women’s ‘sangathans’ developed their own nurseries owing to united labour. The members collected seeds of Oak and other broad-leaved trees from the neighboring forests. They selected appropriate venues, either community grounds or private land. SEED arranged for polythene bags with the help of Uttarakhand Seva Nidhi and the women did all the work of preparing the soil, putting it in the polythene bags and planting the saplings. The women brought cow dung from their own homes and four women per week were given the responsibility of watering the plants. The women’s hard work yielded fruit and soon saplings burst into glory in the village nurseries. In the beginning, the women thought of the task of preparing a nursery to be a highly technical job. However, when the head of SEED, more famous as “paryawaran wale massab” (the teacher of the environment), put this forth as a challenge, the women accepted it.

NAULA RENOVATION
For the regions Dwarahat and Bhikyasain, situated between the Gagas and the Ramganga (Western) rivers, the problem of water scarcity is not new. This is the very reason that the region has always been rich in water conservation techniques. The devotion of this society towards water has been similar to other dry regions of the world. The history of the region revolves around temples and naulas. It is said that once this place had 364 temples and the same number of naulas. However, the social weave of conservation and care broke with time. Most ‘strots’ (water sources) have dried up. Those which still have water have suffered because of lack of care. Today, times have once again taken a turn. Handling the environment and water education programme during the past decade, the Mahila Mangal Dals have not only made the rural communities aware, but have also rejuvenated a relationship between water and the society.
Women’s ‘sangathans’, by rebuilding the tumbled down traditional naulas around their villages through community labour and material help, have made a start towards the conservation of these naulas along with developing a system of distribution of the water in them. Initially women associated with the Mahila Mangal Dals of villages Naulagaon, Nairi, Bitholi, Rana, Manso, and others carried stones and concrete on their own heads. They took the men of the village with them and involved even them in the repair work of the ‘strots’. Those who were unable to contribute labour, contributed money. With this money, labourers were appointed for building new structures for the naulas. Today the naulas have been renovated and the ‘sangathans’ are handling the responsibility of their cleanliness and care. A new awareness can be seen in the villages owing to this work done by the Mahila Mangal Dals.


• POLYTHENE TANKS
  Apart from being used for drinking, water is also used for the purposes of cleaning, washing, etc. If there are alternate arrangements of water for these purposes, comparatively lesser strain falls on the drinking water sources and people find some relief from the problem of water scarcity. With these arrangements, important changes can be brought about in rural life along with cleanliness. Women in the villages of the Dwarahat region have proved this to be possible with the conservation of rainwater.
  Generally, this region experiences showers after intervals through the year. Often the rainwater falling on the roofs has been collected in small vessels and brought to use in areas facing extremely severe water scarcity. However, the women’s plans are different. They plan to eradicate this problem through group efforts. For this purpose, women associated with the ‘sangathans’ have built tanks fitted with a polythene layer. In villages Kande, Bitholi, Ganoli, Kaula, Gochar, Jalali, Sunadi, Nauhini, Dhameda and others, women have built private tanks with group efforts. With the collected rainwater, these families are not only fulfilling domestic needs, but are also using the water to grow vegetables at home. In many homes, the water used in purposes like bathing and washing too is being collected in these tanks and is being utilized to grow vegetables. At a place where once the entire time of women and children went in collecting drinking water, there the people could only dream of growing vegetables during the summer days. However, the women’s ‘sangathans’ have today converted this dream into a reality.


• KHAVS
  In the catchment areas of the water sources, dense forests of broad-leaved trees help in maximum percolation of rainwater and an increase in the groundwater level. Secondly, the fallen leaves rot on the forest surface resulting in humus. Both result in the percolation of rainwater. However, this involves a long process. If small pits are built at the right spots, and with the right technique in these areas; then the rainwater, instead of flowing down the slopes, gets collected in these pits. Because of this, while the soil erosion is reduced, the water stored in these pits slowly percolates inside the ground and increases the groundwater level. Within some years, the impacts are visible in the water sources. This is the very reason why khavs are proving beneficial in villages where the water crisis is severe.
  In the villages, women have worked towards rebuilding the earlier snapped thread of connection between the water in the ‘talabs’ and in the ‘strots’. The women’s ‘sangathans’ of dozens of villages of the region have built hundreds of ‘talabs’ with group labour and have encouraged those around to find and rejuvenate the already extinct ‘talabs’ of the olden days. The lake near the Suraikhet Inter College, apart from providing water for the wild, had also maintained the level of water in the sources at Bitholi and many other villages.
  However, the youth filled it owing to its proximity with the playground. Yet today the Mahila Mangal Dal of the village has returned it its earlier shape. Once again it can be seen filled with water even during the summers. In the villages of this region, the Mahila Mangal Dals have made their communities realize the importance of these lakes. These ‘sangathans’ not only restored greenery to the lands belonging to the Van Panchayats and village communities with the aim of water conservation, they have also made ‘Bhagirath’ efforts to let the rainwater infiltrate the ground and rejuvenate their traditional water ‘strots’ through the construction of ‘talabs’ and forestation in the water conservation areas of the drying up water ‘strots’. In the Bitholi village near Suraikhet, the Mahila Mangal Dal of the village, after forestation of the catchment area of the traditional water ‘strots’, the naulas; have also constructed 412 khavs. In the adjoining Kande village, the women of the Mahila Mangal Dal have built 110 khavs. In Shilang village of the Bhikyasain Development Block, the Mahila Mangal Dal has restored greenery in the region above the water ‘strot’, along with the construction of 217 khavs. The positive results of the labour of these women have now started coming forth. In the Bitholi village near Suraikhet, the amount and regularity of water in the ‘strots’ of water has increased. Today water is available in these ‘strots’ even during the summer months. Not only this, in a dried up water ‘strot’, water has once again returned last year. This led to the generation of confidence and excitement amongst the communities and the women got encouragement to strengthen their ‘sangathan’ with group solidarity.