Something magical is happening in parts of Jharkhand. A once densely forested region had turned into a quasi-desert. But! In Kosmai, water has returned to the village reservoir after a quarter of a century; in Hirapur, wildlife was sighted after many years. Streams are flowing fuller and for longer, while groundwater levels are rising in the villages – by 10 feet in some places! Remarkably, people are even able to harvest a second crop, where a single crop used to be vulnerable to drought. In the last 3 years, communities have increased the area under watershed and ecological restoration by nearly 3 fold (from 25 to 100 sq Km).
Context
India has one of the world’s worst national water crises. According to the World Bank, it has 18 percent of the world’s population but only 4 percent of its water resources, making it among the most water-stressed in the world. Especially in Central India, severe watershed depletion has been having immediate and devastating consequences for Adivasi (indigenous) and Dalit (caste-oppressed) communities of the region. The water scarcity has been affecting a wide range of factors- the ability to access drinking water, grow crops, care for cattle, and sustain basic daily needs. The decline in farmable land has been pushing many into precarious daily labor, abandoning subsistence agriculture—their primary source of livelihood. Indigenous communities are forced to migrate, disrupting their social fabric and eroding centuries-old traditions and knowledge. Biodiversity loss, desertification, and soil erosion render the region increasingly uninhabitable. Moreover, the water crisis has exacerbatesd malnutrition and disease, compounding the challenges faced by communities.
Action | What are we doing?
The Association for India’s Development (AID) has been partnering with grassroots groups to do community-based watershed restoration and reforestation in central India for the past six years. The scarcity has been particularly extreme in Jharkhand, where AID with grassroots partners has initiated the program in four tribal districts. Our main focus is on restoring watersheds and increasing water accessibility through constructing water and soil-conserving structures and reforestation. To make this restoration and reforestation sustainable, we are working toward rejuvenate Sarunala and Kiul rivers so that it can flow perennially again. The forest communities are the drivers of and partners in these efforts.
Impact | Here’s what’s magical
The program has helped bring 100 sq Kms under community restoration and an annual conservation capacity of 100 million liters of water. Groundwater levels have risen by over 10 feet in some areas within three years and area under the second rabi crop has doubled. Buoyed by the success in bringing water and greenery to some of the drought-stricken villages, the project scope has grown to address the social impacts of deforestation in the region, in addition to reviving the watershed. The success of this effort has increased the demand for similar projects across the area. Moreover, this restoration can be sustained through the revival of Sarunala and Kiul rivers in the region, making scaling up an essential endeavor. AID would thus like to explore scaling this model to a larger area covering more states. The Watershed Restoration Fund is earmarked to address this demand.
Water in a reservoir after 25 years – Koderma, Jharkhand
Satellite image of increased vegetation from 2016 to 2023
Environmental impacts include increases in ground water, stream duration, forest density, wildlife diversity, and agriculture. The areas where the watershed project has already been implemented have seen a dramatic rise in groundwater. In the case of Hirapur, it has risen 10 feet. Streams which used to flow only until December or January before drying out are flowing until March or April.
A study of satellite imagery confirm an increase of 13% in forest cover. Villagers report seeing more wildlife return to the area. In the case of Hirapur, pythons, which have not been seen in decades, have been spotted. Due to water availability, Adivasi people also are now successfully harvesting two crops where they used to struggle to even have one. A total estimate of the water conserved by the structures built is about 100 million liters.
The social impact of this work is that Adivasi people, who depend on the forests and the rivers, can continue to practice and pass down their traditional ways of life. When Adivasi people are able to sustain their livelihoods, the issue of Adivasi people being forced to work as exploited laborers in nearby urban settings is avoided altogether.
We invite you to join hands with the communities in Jharkhand and beyond to do your part in healing the earth by restoring local ecologies and livelihoods.