Join Hands for a Just and Safe Planet
In a world threatened by the climate crisis, large parts of India are coming under intensifying heat waves. Acute water distress combined with rising temperatures is posing an existential threat to human and non-human life.
In 2018, together with 3 community based groups and a resource group, AID recognized that the root cause of the water crisis was deforestation. We collectively decided to take it up head on! Read the story below. But in case you wanted a summary, your support can:
- Increase the area under restoration from 100 square Kilometers to 350 square Kilometers
- Help restore the Kiul and Sarunala rivers in Jharkhand
- Improve water access for 20,000 families
Let us join hands with the communities protecting and restoring forests and ensuring sustainable livelihoods!
Deforestation leads to vanishing rivers
Forests act as sponges that soak up moisture during the monsoon months and slowly feed the rivers long after the rains are gone. Without the storehouse of moisture, perennial rivers start to run dry and water tables fall precariously.
In every village we visited in Dumka, Pakur, Koderma and Giridih districts in Jharkhand we saw severely degraded forests, which were denser only 20 years ago.
Where we work
AID along with its partners initiated a Community Driven Watershed Restoration program in 5 districts of Jharkhand and 2 districts of Odisha. Starting with 25 square kilometers of area, communities are working to restore 100 square kilometers of the area today.
Community Ownership
We worked with our local grassroots partners to understand the history of the water crisis and their perspectives on solving it. People shared areas that needed water and where the streams flow. Our technical partner used digital models to find the optimal locations to slow down run-off water. We synthesized both knowledge and co-created the plan for restoration.
Water and Soil Conservation
Restoration for each microwatershed used local resources and was implemented by the local communities. Stones were used to construct gully plugs and checkdams. Contour trenches captured the run off water. Farm ponds built near the villages provided for their daily needs. All of this helped recharge the severely depleted groundwater.
Reforestation
Communities are doing active reforestation by planting more than 150,000 native and fruit trees, broadcasting more than 250,000 seedballs, nurturing Miyawaki forests in each Panchayat.
Impact: 100 Million Liters of Water Conserved Annually
The volume of water that the total number of ponds excavated so far can hold is 100 M liters annually.
Impact: Forests are bouncing back
As forests grow denser, animals, birds and insects are returning. People have reported sightings of bears, pythons, monkeys, wild boars and many others. Streams are running for longer periods.
Impact: Agriculture has doubled
Groundwater levels have risen by 10 feet in several places. With more water available, people are able to plant the second crop of vegetable, oil seeds and pulses. A comparison of satellite images showed that the area under the second crop has doubled in Dumka, Pakur and Koderma, Jharkhand, since the program started.
Let us join hands with the communities protecting and restoring forests and ensuring sustainable livelihoods!