Target Driven Pond Rejuvenation Plan Rajesh Kumar, Additional

“Ground water is receding rapidly. If we continue this exploitation we will be without water very soon. Ponds can be the lifeline of both villages and towns.” Rajesh Kumar, Additional Divisional Manager, Finance and Revenue for Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh Target driven Pond Rejuvenation Plan The Gautam Budh Nagar district administration will use the upcoming monsoon as an opportunity to strengthen At a recent meeting with Akhilesh Yadav, water conservation and recharge efforts by Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh, the undertaking desilting, building of check dams, Prime Minister tweeted, “use of latest recharging of rivers and other water storage technology and community participation mechanisms. can play a key role in effective According to Rajesh Kumar, Additional drought management for planning District Magistrate (F/R), the district has of water conservation and recharge.” plenty of ponds but no water. Most have been While farmers and parched fields across encroached in different forms. The process of western India await showers eagerly, identifying them in itself was a huge challenge. special committees have been formed in For instance, revenue officials discovered places the districts along the Hindon basin to where families had built brick and mortar urgently identify, dig up, desilt and restore homes and were living there for years. The village ponds, so they can be ready to District Administration is taking the help of brim with clean rainwater. Much hope local NGOs, industry and community members hinges on the monsoon of 2016. NOIDA to rehabilitate these dispossessed families. 53 Replenishing ponds, a major strategy for efficient use of natural water resources A status report on groundwater by Planning Board identified 45,000 recharge the National Capital Region Planning structures that are expected to yield Board (NCRPB) has drawn attention approximately 1 bcm of groundwater to dipping ground water levels in and annually. This can be done by desilting around the capital. With population ponds and creating artificial recharge growth, rapid urbanisation, an upward structures in both urban and rural looking economy and rising standards of areas. Identified locations include areas living this is only going to get worse. In in the Aravali ridge, abandoned quarries, the absence of a broad framework for encroached village ponds, flood plains of rainwater harvesting and a plan to save Yamuna, Ganga and Hindon, in addition the disappearing of ponds and lakes, the to institutional and residential buildings. Village pond status in Gautam Budh Nagar district As per revenue records Gautam Budh Nagar has 991 ponds of which 749 are encroachment-free and 242 encroached upon. Phase 1 of the project will recover and restore 60 ponds. Status in 3 sub- divisions of Dadri, Jewar and Sadar as of May 30, 2016: • Sadar has 245 ponds, of which encroachments from 4 ponds have been removed • Dadri has 467 ponds, of which encroachments from 16 ponds have been removed • Jewar has 279 ponds, of which encroachments from 6 ponds have been removed 54 Innovative strategy for funding pond one pond in the village, leased to fishermen. REFLECTIONS reconstruction activity The money earned from the arrangement will go to the village fund for development work. The Pond Rejuvenation Plan is a The Pond Rejuvenation Plan of Gautam commendable initiative of the District Buddh Nagar covers both urban and rural Communities to take charge for government. To optimise such rain water areas. Major construction activity is being harvesting structures, information on undertaken in the urban areas of Greater maintenance of freshly recharged ponds the catchment area and existing drain Noida. Builders and construction companies For maintenance of the ponds the district infrastructure would be important design are being requested to undertake cost of administration is envisaging active considerations. Once water is stored in the digging up abolished ponds as part of participation by the community. A Land corporate social responsibility. Corporate Management Committee has been formed ponds, potential pollution from household houses, public and private organisations, headed by the village pradhan with a revenue drains and sewage disposal may raise new Resident Welfare Organisations and department official represented on it. problems. Gravity could also bring septic individuals with a philanthropic bent of tank overflow into the ponds. Experience The town Jewar has a pond that is 3 metre mind are being approached to fund the task shows that pond areas are often used to deep, covering an area of 3220 square metre. and support it with related activities like dispose of solid waste by local inhabitants Digging work began on 25th of April 2016 and organising talks, awareness programmes on is on track for completion before monsoon. as well. To ensure that the revived ponds water conservation. In some places, soil will Funds have been released so that the mud will stay healthy a Pond Maintenance also be sold and money pumped back into the that is being dug up can be transferred to low and Solid Waste Management Plan would pond rejuvenation effort that entails using of lying areas in the village. The Committee be recommended to be developed with earth moving equipment, water sprinklers and is simultaneously working with the forest involvement of the community in each labour. department to build structures and plant village or town. Only then the restored Ponds in rural areas will be funded by trees. Awareness sessions are being held with ponds will continue to fulfil multiple local bodies and in some cases community schools, Mahila mandals and adolescent social and eco-system services to sustain themselves. Once the pond is ready, it will be groups on pond maintenance, management life for people, flora and fauna. used for irrigation purposes, cattle grazing of solid waste and garbage disposal, open and in some cases where there is more than defecation and air and water pollution. Nitin Verma, SustainAsia and Dr. Veena Khanduri, Executive Secretary, India Water Partnership. 55.

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