Watershed

Through different measures such as gully plugging, stream bank protection or water pits, the water which is running down the hills during the rainy season seeps into the ground. This causes the groundwater level to rise and the water, stored in the ground, can be used during the dry season.This enables the farmers to turn wasteland into usable land and cultivate vegetables and other plants throughout the entire year.

Environmental Protection

Efforts are taken to protect our nature. Sensitizing the public, nature education camps for children and youth, training to adopt eco-friendly farming and trainings on waste management are being conducted periodically.

Drinking water Management

The construction of rain water harvesting systems in the remote and hilly areas is part of our Watershed project as well as the Jalanidhi project. In order to have sufficient drinking water during the summer months, rainwater is collected in tanks during the rainy season. Previously the farmers had to rely on water from tankers which was expensive and the quality of that water could not be ensured. Besides the construction of rainwater storage tanks, bore and open wells are also implemented. Almost 1250 families have now access to clean and sustainable drinking water.

Together against Water Scarcity

“A lot of inhabitants of Valiyapara in the Chakkuppallam Panchayat of the Idukki district faced severe water scarcity. During the winter season they could get drinking water from nearby wells, but during the summer they had to get the water from far off wells and also had to large distances to wash their clothes. For 1000 liters of water they had to pay 450 Rupees. This took up lots of time for the families. After forming a Beneficiary Group under the Jalanidhi project, they decided to construct rainwater harvesting tanks for each household. One tank has the capacity of 10.000 litres. The collected rainwater can be stored and used during the dry season. Because of the financial support of the Grama Panchayat and the government of Kerala, the beneficiaries are able to afford such water supply schemes. Since they also contribute a significant amount of money and participate at the construction work, they feel that the facilities are their own. The families can now use the water from the tanks for drinking, cooking, washing clothes and animal husbandries. Additionally they save time for other tasks such as their profession or household activities.”