Experiences of Water Resource Development- A presentation by Seva Mandir, Udaipur

Founded in 1968 Present in 626 villages and 56 urban settlements in southern Rajasthan - 70,000 households & 370,000 people 300 full-time staff Serving the most disadvantaged in society

o Hilly and remote villages, little road connectivity o Arid and semi-arid desert (frequent droughts) o Common lands-72% of total area degraded and contested o Predominance of small & marginal rain fed farmers o Area fares poorly in most of the human development indicators

Critical Hydrological Features 640 mm. annual rain fall Mainly seasonal rivulets and streams Major source of water open wells & hand pumps

Ground Water situation GW extraction- 115% Udaipur and 120% Rajsamand High GW depletion and contamination Reasons- Degraded and conflict ridden catchments, mining, shift in cropping pattern- increased pumping, Inappropriate agriculture practices, individual sources, etc. CGWB, 2009 (Raj) and 2010 (Uda)

Response of Seva Mandir Harvesting of rainwater 72 surface water harvesting structures – Rejuvenation of 45 ponds Improve Irrigation Facilities – 45 Lift Irrigation Systems – Lining of water channels – 5 Gravity Irrigation Watershed Development 12,000 ha watershed area treated Augmenting Water-use efficiency, and promoting human well being –Promote efficient irrigation mechanism –Promote low-irrigation crop varieties –Drinking Water Systems, Sanitation & Hydro-geology initiatives

Safe drinking water & Sanitation W ell restoration, tank construction, revival of govt. tanks & providing water filters to remotely located households Introduction of of Eco-san toilets and persuasion towards behavioral change W ell restoration, tank construction, revival of govt. tanks & providing water filters to remotely located households Introduction of of Eco-san toilets and persuasion towards behavioral change

Response of Seva Mandir… GROUND WATER MANAGEMENT o Identified 21 youths who are studying local hydro-geology o Trained youth involved in water resource development planning at grassroots GROUND WATER MANAGEMENT o Identified 21 youths who are studying local hydro-geology o Trained youth involved in water resource development planning at grassroots

Achievements and benefits Water harvesting structures serve as a major drinking water source in summer for livestock Lift Irrigation projects have been able to make participating households food secure. Initiative on drinking water & sanitation led to reduction in drudgery and dignified conditions for women. Trained youth provide critical hydro geological inputs in integrated water resource development planning.

Challenges Social conflicts over natural resources lead to distorted water regime Ground Water not seen as a Common Property Resource Irrigation dependency shifting on GW – increase in disparity among households based on access to wells/ bore wells Increasing understanding of development workers and village communities on Integrated water resource development process, needs patient and persistent efforts

Way Forward Water to be seen from overall natural resource and societal perspective Land and Water contestations ( local conflicts) to be addressed We need appropriate institutional set up for making it happen

THANKS