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    Restore Our Earth Volume I - Rejuvenating Water

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    EARTHDAY.ORG - India's latest ebook.

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    Restore Our Earth Volume! | : Rejuvenating Water EARTHDAY.ORG EARTHDAY.ORG 22March, 2021 Dear Reads Earth Day Network® (doing business as EARTHOAY.ORG™) grew out ofthe first Earth Day on 22 Api, 1970. This pivotal moment in history United peope global wih the single-minded objective of ensuing ‘2 greener, cleaner planet fora one n which natural wealth increases ‘and waste is managed. Fifty yeers on, the organisation is recognised {20a conval actor in tho worldwide ght againt ciate change with fengagements in 190 counties with over 80,000 organieation. ‘Our ongoing global theme is ‘Restore Our Earth’. directs attention to the need to refresh aquifers, rejuvenate the soll regrow green cover, ‘manage wacte, protect speciee and other natural wealth, and encure favoutable Air Quality Indices, amongst others ‘Tis ebook focuses on the very precious natural resource —water Cf atthe water that excts on cur planet, around 97% ic salt water. (Of the 36 or 60 of rech water avalabe, almost hal of itremain frozen In glacier, ice caps, or deep underground aquifers. Yes, just around 1.5%e is avalable for our use, making every drop count. Keeping in mind that the population is expanding, resulting in more people to share thie minuscule resource itis estimated that by 2025 1.8 bllon people wil ive in areas impacted by water scarcity, \We hope you enjoy reading the cace studs that expound some ofthe innovative strategies adopted in India to help conserve, manage, purity and detrouto water. Read about elo o reduce wastage, make udcious Use of every droplet, adopt means to purly contaminated water, and recover it fom sewage. We are very grateful to all those who sent in mater forthe ebook and our india team, which worked tirelessly fo put this voue together. ‘Our heatfet thanks to Wysiung Communications forthe beaut designing, Regan, Desig ppntun Ceri nae Ap DenisHayes _—_—Kathleon Rogore Karuna A Singh Chaperson Prsidet Aegioal Dot Asia (emer) Introductory Note -Acconting io a World Bank Ropot” nda is home to 18% ofthe Ears Population but only 4%» ofits water resources, leering to Inca, the report Sales, spor capita watoravaibilty s around 1,100 m7, wo Dolow tho ifemationaly recognised wator stoss Ireshold ot 1,700 mn por porson, {and dangorously costo tho water scacty threshold of 1,000 m* por porson ‘Tho ropor also notes th: Population growin and economic developmont pil furor prossuro on water resources, Cimate change ls expected fo increase vaiabity and bring more extramne woaihor events Who loss wator por porson isa problom, tis compounded by wastago ‘and conlaminaton in some cases--a gm scenario, Indeed, (Our ebook shares 25 ways to mako judelous uso of war, neroas Is capac and ensure its purty. showcases bo Do it Yourself menos, as well as oso by exports that nave Deen succosstuly implemented by Ineviduas and organisations around the county load about he Tarateo® Reactors rerfited into hand pumps, resuting Ina 0% plus reduction of microbes i walerIrough tommy sted by he snapping shrimp. Eartfokus valves conver watrto mist and beip ‘ave 60-60 Its of watee par faucet per day. Technology developed by WalorMakor (india) PV. Lid. draws in a and converts into war sato for drinking. Read about ways in whieh tho Shr Mala Vaisnno Devi Shrine ‘Board saved mils of res of water by insaiing lush Me Not urinals. \Wnilo indigenously growing phragmites nelp purty wastowaor In Himachal Pradesh, Absolulo Walor PV. Lid. has Sot up 100% aroon walor recovery plants to convortsawage into crinking wator “Thote are accounts of runotts conserved by Chaukae in Rajasthan and water Bufo mutiple uses by tho tradtonal Zabo system in the hills of Nagaland. Read about ine amazing use of gravy fo frm ie stupas in Ladakh. These ‘store several res of frozen water In autumn for agreitural use in te spring, “Mouniain spring wators, a ioino for many tal poopo, ar rvitasod by ‘Sikkim govoenmont’s Ohara Vikas native, Read about waye puto wale ie ‘made avalale by te revival ot ancient Surangas (unnels) and Kens (shalow wal) in Kerala. A ial area in Jharkhand recyes dscardod bogs {o buld low-cost dams. In Assam, Areron Niogon proves tobe an ecient ‘method for taypercons to remove arsene, ken and other heavy mola ‘contaminants fram groundwater. Neola Hauz n Deh qven new ie ‘mrough the construction of wetlands to become a verdant oasis nme busting capita ty, one that now attracts hundreds of birds. In Indore's Nalanda Sarovar, Clean Water has placed artical sands that help Kop ‘he waterbody dean. ‘Of, takes just a sial group, cr even just one person, opty ‘or ave vast quaniins of water. ead how youths In West Bengal ‘spend thei Sundays fixing the wastage of wale from broken roadside ‘faucets, in Bengaluru, the question ‘Why Waste?’ led a young it {o ciscourage the practic o fing customers’ gasses to the brim ‘eaters, Hermovement, lass Hal Fal, has helped save precious “ounts of war, bo nina ar overseas, Read about the young ge ‘om Oatsha who won a Googie Science Fair award in 2015 forthe mato sho developed to uso discarded com cabs to itr walter. “Tho way communis unit to mako areas ofthe Thar Dosort in Rajasthan wate-suticient is an example to emate. In Uta Pradesh, {he efforts of the vilagers of Antwadia have suocesstuly resurrected ‘he Kall ver—no mean fea! Keeping in mind tw heavy dependence Len Waainat pele re he el Cs Nation se ‘hat slgnécanty minimises water evaporation whan used in fee: as well as Khoy's greenhouses, which lower tho water roqumont ‘of farms n Andhra Pradesh by an astounding 80%, Also included ere ways various afistic gonros liso innovative moans to craw alontion {o the importance of water, as fr example trough the dance performances Sparsh Ganga organises, or the unique concept ‘Of visuatsing watornaratves by he Living Walors Musou, “Those ao just somo lates that focus on wator. Thor combinod ‘torts help increase wator avaabity to milions by capturing each drop, stering it satel, reducng its wastage, using I juccsousy,purying what is contaminatog, as woll as recovering It rom wastewater. Out 116 isto widen people's awareness about such efor so that many mere ‘can boneit Should you know of other nolablo examples, please do ‘share tm with us. La’ all unite io help "Restore Our Ear “ton mca enw 8 208g ar management ina Rostore Our Earth—Rejuvensting Water ‘SINo 10 Restore Our Earth—Rejuvenating Water Accelerating the Revival of Springs ural Development Department Government of Sikkim ‘Arsiron Nilogon Tezpur University Constructed Wetlands Contre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystoms, University of Delhi Discards that Filter Google Science Fair 2015 Awardoo Lalita Prasida Srpada Fix for Lite Active Citizens Together for Sustainability Flush Me Not ‘Shri Mata Vaishno Dewi Shrine Board For the People, By the People, ‘With the People Jal Bhagirathi Foundation Fourx Four {Gram Vikas Navyuvak Mandal Laporiva Glass Half Full Why Waste? Green Aquifers Valorie Venture Page No 05, " “4 7 32 13 1“ 5 1” 8 19 ‘Guarding the Unguarded Taraltee Solutions Private Limited Ico Stupas ‘Students’ Eaueational and Cultural ‘Movement of Ladakh Impounding Runotts ‘krish Vgyan Kenda, Indian Veterinary Rsoarch Insitute, eainagar Islands that Glean CCloan-Wator (Sustainable Water Technologies Put. Lid,) Ninety Percent Less. Kroyti Out of Thin air WaterMaker (Inala) Pvt.Ltd. Perennial Providers Contre for Water Resources Development and Management Recycled into Dams SEWA Weltare Society Root Zones Purity Purnima Chauhan, (AS (Reta) Sparsh Ganga Sparsh Ganga Page No 35 38 a1 a7 ‘SINo a 2 Restore Our Earth—Rejuvenating Water Page No ‘The Absolute Water 6 ‘Absolute Water Pvt Ld ‘The Magic of Mist 68 Earthiokus ‘The Return of Kall n ‘Natural Environmental Education and Research Foundation Tunnels that Give ™ Wator Divinor Kunnamenu Visualising Wator Narratives Living Waters Museum Accelerating the Revival of =aptIns | Accelerating the Revival of Springs De you recall stopping your car on a winding road in hil eran to taste the reteshing water froma spring? As per the last estimate, there are ve milion springs in nda, of which nearly three lin ae in the Indian Himalayan region. This area spans ten indian states, four hl iccts and ishome o over 50 milion people. Local populations reer to ths natural phenomenon by diferent ames dhara, moo, kuan and chashmanaul— but what's n a name? Call what you may, the pont is that free-owng spting wateris.aIfline fer ther. tis thei fundamental source of water for domestic use, cate-earing and agricultural needs. Wife also drinks fom these natural fountains. Cover the past century, there has been a rapid decine in sorings supplying ‘mountain-tresh water. Erratic rfl pattems, solsmic activity, deforestation and changing land-use pattems from agricultural to irasiructural needs, have egnifeanly impacted these mountain aquifer, resuting in ceduced volumes of water inthe once gugling springs. When a nearby spring starts ying, ts the rural women who suffer the most Wah the hands asd full collecting frewcod, providing fodder for cate and other domestic chores, they then have the altonal Burden of fetching water trom sources farther rom thie mes: ‘The stato of Sikkim compres the Easton Himalayan Range. As in other regions, the adverse eect of cimate change on rina threatens the delicate, holst balance that once simulated its ecosystem. Furthermore, as te trai i mountainous, only about 15% of rainwater percoates ito the sol The impact ofthis change onthe ves ofthe Sikkimese people gained wide attention during a seminar organised by the Word Wife Fund (WWF) in 2008, when a group of local women spoke ofthe daily drudgery they have to sutfer because of lack of water Recognising this need, the Rural and Development Department (ROD) ‘ofthe Government of Skim conceptualised the Dhara Vikas initatve to revive the state's dying lakes, springs and streams. The intiave aims to ensure water secunty by breaking the cyte of abundance and scarcity. Ialeo sosks to enhance the hycological contribution ofthe mountainous ‘ecosystem asa water tower forthe peopl, ensuring disaster rick management by reducing landsides and foods. ts supported by the ‘central government sponsored Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme, wth technical suppor trom ‘ther government agencie as well ac organizations euch ae WWF: People's Science insitute, Dehradun; he Advanced Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, Pune; and Arghyam, Bengalur, Implementation of the Ohara Vikas ntatve focussed on executing 2 Sciersiically robust strategy and on generating awareness. Awareness ‘generation has been an important partof Dhara Vikas. Miro-leve planning Involves discussion with the local populace. ll work-related resolutions are taken up n the Panchayats and decided upon et he vilage level Cepaciy-buiting measures include programmes organised in coordination wih various NGO stakeholders to develop specialised knowledge and skils in areas such as rainwater harvesting, eohytrology (te science that deals with the character, source and mode of occurrence of underground water) and sping cischarge measurement. Gobal Pesttoning System (GPS) tagging and aying of staggered contour trenches and ponds also help. ‘The AOD idontiies the recharge areas of various eprings and steam based on hyerogeclogical assessments, in order to control runots and increase permeation to enhance groundwater recharge. According tothe ROD, Dhara Vikas has signfcanty helped recharge lakes land revive several springs In Sikkim, Ae many ae 70 re now revived, Most of them aren Kaluk, Ravangla, Sumbuk, Jorethang and Namthang. Further, three diieg-up lakes, Doling, Datum and Karnok are revived to thelr natural States. Other lakes, such as Nag\ and Tammie Pokhari have been converted Into recharge srucures. The FDO is working on two dried-up lakes in West ‘Skim, Resum and Suke Pothari to revive them as wel thas ao led tothe reforestation of seven hilt forests at Simkharka, Sadar, Tendong, Maenam, Gerethang, Chakung and Sudungjakna. With the revival of lakes and springs and the increased awareness, vilagers in the area have started constructing water storage tanks. They use the day-ime discharge from Springs for irigatin, while the rightstime discharge used in retaion toil personal tanks ‘Another significant impacto the intatve was the creation ofthe vitage sping alas web pata, which provides information on mere than 1500 springs and ean be accessed at hitps:worsikim-springs. goin. Increased ingation has encoureged farmers to cuvate new crops. such as beans, racsh, cauliflower, cabbage and chilies, along with paddy land tomatoes. Many perennial garden ffs, such as guavas, banans, ‘ranges and this, are now cutvated. ‘As this inate involved the implemetation ofa new concept, many lessons wore lear: along the way. These include the fact that Skkim's Himalayas may not have a confined aque system for individual springs. Inwas noted thatthe spirg-based approach did nt signifcantly result in improving spring discharges. Consequently. ahiblandscape approach was used. This took nfo consideretion all he springs aburting the entire il or the extent of te hil enge. To recharge the aquifer, twas assumed these ptings were interconnected as a network of eracke and fractures developed ‘ver Sikkim’s metamorphe areas. The recharge area in the former approach, which was 2-3 hecares, has now increased to more than 20 hectares through the later one. Trenches for groundwater recharging wee inital dug without adherence to geohydroloncal requirements. Some trenches were dug on terraced feds Instead of on sloping land, while others were dug without supervision, to ensure maximum rapping of surface runofis, ‘hus making them ineffective, ‘Simiaty, many horticulture and forestry activites, ntaly undertaken te improve groundwater recharging, didnot show any positive outcomes, Inte t was realised that renches and pons had a more signfcant impact ‘on groundwater recharging and soil moisture than plantations, which lose ‘moisture through evaporation. In certan locatons, the lean period dlscharge was not recorded, making any conclusive impact assessment impossible al these eeuee are being addressed, ‘The Dhara Vikas inate has enabled about 900 milion lies of annual ‘grouncivater recharge. Its recognised wih several awards, including the Prime Ninister's Award for Excellence in Public Administration (2011-2012); tha Skoch Gold Award and the National Groundwater Augmentation Award (2010-2011) to WWF-India for technical euppor, amongst other. ‘Sarka Pradhan ‘Aional Seeretary-cumPD, MONREGA Fural Development Department Government of Skim, Tashiing Secretariat, Gangtok, East Sikkim, Gangtok 737101 ‘Sikkim ppdmgnrega skim@gmailcom ‘301 9434756908 ‘wa sikim-springs gov.in ‘Subash Dhakal Technical Otter Springshed Fural Development Department Government of Skim, Tashing Secretariat Gangtok. East Sikkim, Gangtok 737101 ‘skim pkysub@gmal.com ‘391 9503384062 ‘wor sikim-springs.gov.in Arsiron Nilogon_ Arsiron Nilogon Arsenic Is a deadly poisonous water contaminant. tis ditcult to detec 25 tis colourless, edourless and has no sedmertaton. ts present In groundwater in ceain parts ofthe word, including Assam. The contaminant affects enzymes that contol many bologcal procestes inthe human body. The intake of untreated water laced with arsenic can overtime lead chronic poisoning and diseases such as stn problems, bronchi, diabetes, ne marrow depression and cardiovascular disorders Arsenic is known tobe carcinogenic—itcan cause cancer intisues| and organs when ingested repeatedly, Wil ie adleable to remove all arsenic trom cinking water, the WHO cete a maximum permicsible level of 10 pp (10 micregrame perl). n many cstcts ofthe Brehmaputra and Barak river valleys Dt Assam, groundwater i found contaminated with arsenic far above this level. Forte rral populations, arsenic removel techniques such 25, ion-exchange, Reverse Osmosis, utvafiraion, and adsorpion are unsuitable because oftheir high costs, the requirement of poner, and the limited facies avalabe for depocalo! te large quantities of sludge produced, In the Chemical Sciences Department of Tezpur University's laboratories In Aseam, Profescer Robin Kumar Dutta adie students developed an officient, Dost Yours low-cost method to remove arsenic, irom and othe: heavy metal contaminants fram groundwater. He says that his search's biggest motivator was gteat personal loss: be lost his father, brother, uncles and a tiend to cancer. Testing the water nhs iver ein village, Maul, confirmed arsenic presence fo be fat above permissibe mits} Professor Duta named the method he developed ‘Asin Niogon’ a5 this removes both arsenic and ron simultaneously. n Assamese, ‘Aston stands for arsenic and ion, and 'Niogon,’emoval. Arson Nlogon removes areene from groundwater trom any mil concentation to less than 2 ppb or undetectable levels for any water quantity, be it 20 tres ‘0F 200,00 lites. The method ie simple and ensy to assemble athome by layperson. I's usetulfor both household and community purposes, ‘The simply ofthe Arson Niogon process doesn take away rom is efciency. This enabled Professor Duta to easily transfer the technique from his sophisticated laboratory tothe populace. ‘Aston Niogon is based n oxidation coaguation-adsorption at optimised PH. There is no requirement fr any energy to operate it Alt needs is just two Buckets that act as files. Those ae fited with lape a cliferent eves ‘The water is eated with small antes of common and safe chemicals: cooking coda (NaHCO,),potacsium pomanganate(KMnO,), snd fecie chloride (FeCl), These help in various ways to remove arsenic and ron “The doses of chemicals inthe method fr and dependl on whether iron Is also present in the water alongwith the arsenic. The cooking soda contvols ‘he water's pH to render itto optmum condos forthe preciptaton of iro, should tis also be present. At lower pH, ron precptation i slow, whereas at igher BH, some soluble ron remains in the water. Potassium permanganate oxisees difcult-to-remove arsenite ons to eaey-to-remove farsenate fons. This populr oxdsng agent for water treatment use has other advantages over its competitors: it exists as a stable sod with high wafer folulty and forme highly insoluble manganese dow at mid akaline ) » aah >_< =: \ / For the People, By the People, With the People 1.2002, ne NGO al Shagrathi Foundation (JSF) was establsted In esponse to the burgeoning Water crises facing he Thar Deserts Innabtants in Rajasthan Stale, JEFs programmes, actles fn strategies have a singular gol Ia Invoiv, empower and make the village community seleretant trough a partipatory approach, LJBF works in an area ofthe state known as Marwar (or desert ld). Despite its inhospitable clmate, Merwar has along history of atracting sates of, making It perhaps the most populous desert space anyone inthe wore, Here, water's considered a common propery resource, ‘Over generations, tactional community water management systems established assured ctrking wale for al. The mas fr these was embedded in aholstic and ecologicaly prudent rhytm of tie Agor (catcnment area), Gauchar(pastreland) and Oran (sacred forests Which were once reposiories of biodiversiy). From bere, the community ‘narestod the water toil flabs (village ponds) and nasa (grassland ond) located on the outskirts of te village. Over tie, the veape's Sodal fabric alsintegrated an the traditional water management system, ‘abandoned. The result, an increased dependence on the government to supply crinking water LJBF recognises the vast potental of people coming together as a way Ta water secuny, To resuect what was once a suoessUl working System, LUBE chose a grassroots enabaing approach (raher than a delivery one) ‘and workod to set up sttong Jal Sabhas vilage waler user assoctatione) In vilages lated in he dstits of Jodhpur, Pal, Hater, lore ‘and Jaisalmer. JBF tained the members o plan implement and maintain ‘Water projecs. Community instullons, (Jal Samiti al block levels ‘are Ja Perishads a project levels), coordinated and montored the Jaf Sebhas. “To encourage ownership, communtes are mandated to raise atleast 80° ofthe infrastructure costs trough cash conus to the dal Kosh (development fund), To ensure a formal, rensperent, accountable system, {unas can only be deposited inthe registred bank accoun of te Ja Kosh ‘Once constuction fs competed, a decentralised system is setup by the ‘Jal Sabhas to colect usage charges fo cover maintenance costs. Just as Jmpertant, his rein in any tendency to waste water since one has to pay {or itnothing is ree, ingot the success of ranmater harvesting conducted ‘under this system fs the quaniy of ain the areas receiv. To harvest ‘maximum water, the ‘Community Lea Waler Managomont System: taps every crop of water that falls from the heavens Inthe calchment ‘areas and diverts this trough water or feeder channels to suriace \aler-arvestng village reservoirs. Inaction, the consruction of tanks (underground water harvesting tanks) promoted in community and school ‘spaces, Tanks harvest water and act as receptacles to store water ‘transported from common sources during dry spels, Household tankas are constructed winin the premises of beneficiaries. By binging the water (Coser to home, I reduces te drudgery of women and the it chi asi saves them the effort of waking 4-6 km per day to fil 20 ite pot of water and cary Bat bak JAF recognises that sustainable solutions fo the erinking water problem Kanupriya Harish fare achieved only if women, the real manager of wate, take conto Exooutve Dioclor —Trustoo “Thus, they promote a gender-sensltve approach. Allthe Jal Sabhas ‘ney faciate have a minimum of 20% women members. That the eforts ‘Jal Bhagiath Foundation hear suenaes Is evidenced by women coming forward to form all women's 1-6 (8) Sawai Madto Singh Road sel Sabhas. Ban Park, Jaipur 302016 Fajastnan jalgjamnagran.org LUNDP commissioned an extemal evaluation of JBF's efor, which noted, +791 8624912950 "As a recut of fe project interveriions, wafer avait nthe projact jalbhagrath.org villages ad increased and te expenditure on water purchase by communities reduced by 140%, naving a major impact on poverty reduction... women and gi child. have more time fr productive work: ‘Similar conclusions were also reacted by the alan Ministry of Foregn ‘Ais. They also added: improvement of heath conlions, above ll for "women and children, wth a consequent reduction of health expenaitre, social incusion ofthe most underprivileged social classes inthe waler-sers association, wit a percentage of about 50%, decrease of conics Cue to greater water avaiabilly, wnichconirouted tothe greater soca slay “The 2016 evaluation by the European Union named JBF ‘One of the best examples of good practices and the project approach lo consullaions and implementation, idenufcation of communtes and the slecton and ‘construction of the most appropriate solutions to improve accossto water, {as well es community ownership development, are all excelent examples ‘that can be considered for repscation. The project i highly recommended as. flagship project for walor and sartalion intatives elsewhere “These testimonies and the many national and intemational awards strongly endorse the JBF-supportec peopleled movement fo salequard walerin Marwar The staisios of achievements are mind-blowing. These include 6,00,000+ beneficiaries. 500 vilages covered. 2,000+ water harvesting structures established. 4,000+ milion itres of water harvested each year. 25 Four x Four Four x Four 1 1977, part of Rajasthan faced severe drought. People surared really from he Tack of waer. Everyday ie was afecied by inadequate supplies of his precious commoaty for cooking, washing and drinking. in areas where the majr source of elood is animal husband, salsa impacted farming. Dehyration Klled goals and calle, as dd decent sustenance, Since hardly any graen pasture was avalable for ham to graze on, ‘The immediate result was a huge exodus of people rom the water-strved areas io nearby towns in search of employment. Laporyavllage was no exception. ft witessed long queues of people abandoning thet homes. Laxman Singh, a 17-year-old resident of Laporia, was perturbed seeing his. nike many wo let, Laxman opted to stay. “Mark my words, | wil create ‘ondtions that bring our people back, he promised the villagers. For thal to happen, he knew he had to prove to the migrants alan adequate supply of water had returned, Many in Lapoiya mocked him and thought he had lost his ming. Where watee going fo materlaise rom uit everyiing around |s ry?" ey quostoned. This didn potner Laxman, as ne was cogent he would prove them wrong. rowing that ne coulant achive hi am single-handedly, Laxman Singh Inspired those tha stayed back fo jon him fo form the NGO Gram Vikas, Naryuvak Mendal, Laporiya (GVNML). The most urgent task was {o devise @ system thal caught every drop of waler nature provided, sored it in overground wale bodies, and faciiated It saturating he so, to transmute the land rom an ard toa moist state “To design and develop a system appropriate to meeting local needs, (GYNML workers conducted many hours of research. They meliculousy ‘luted already implemented projects to shotist favourable ones. Long aisoussions rin sclenists wore Held at nates a jaan, ‘uct a tho SKN Collage of Agriculture, the Central Sneop and Woo! Research instiute and ihe Cental Aid Zone Research istule ‘al Jodhpur, Visits were made toe walershed development projects tthe Diretorale of Watershed Development and Soll Conservation ‘andthe Forest Deparment of the Government of Rajasthan, LUttmatey, the unanimous decision was to implementa unique, Ingenious technique locally referred to as Chavkas. This sty rainwater conservation ‘method has proven suecess In reuvenaling degraded grasslands ‘and pasturelands (chamot and gauchar in ard and semi-arid areas, ‘A Chauks, as te name suggests, i 2 four-sided structure. The enclosure ‘as tree sides Sloped toed nll earthen bunds or aykes that hola wale lo depins of 9 inches when Tul. A seres of Ghaukas is constructed fl predetermined spots along slopes io each every crop of rant ‘As the water winds is way down, the fst Chava intercapa the runoff ‘and contains. Any excess maves down ofl another. While ticking ‘own te water also percolate the ground it traverses fo render it ‘conducive to green growin. To calculate the consrucion's requirements, ‘an easy formula sf he land slope is 1%» (1 ft depth and 100 f engi, the side bund needs tobe 100 ton one sie and 90 tan the other. “The people of Laporiya say the Chaukas have reduced the veloty Cot the gushing water fo less than what would cause sol erosion. In the absence ofthe Chauias, te uno would wash away (and thus wast) the fin, frtle sediment, ric in organic matter. The prevention of water {gushing foe boom encourages te growth of vagetaton in areas ‘at were ear bare siopos. Aho boffom, tho waters stored 7 In ponds (naadis). Ths helps recharge the underground aquiters| as waler seeps io te lan. ‘Chaukas are of several types. The selection ofthe appropriate model for construction needs to keep in mind prevaling socio-economic, pysiograpnic, éamograpic, sol and cimatc conatons of the area Under consideration. One type Is for unltemiy stoping grassiands wit @unigrectional slope of a maximum of 1.5%. Another, is more tccive and sppropriate for areas in which natural drainage ines for waterways already exe. A rd ie the best choice for areas wth tundulting topographes, Tis mode's effecive when heres an Uneven slope of upto», Leaman Singh says, To ensure mendmum success, | urge the entire ‘community to come forward and take patin all pases ofthe Chauka system fom te inal decision to construct, to the far dstrbuton| fhe benef. Ofcourse, we faoed many fsues. But he strength of he majority's voice nee tide over hese. For example, some greedy moneylenders opposed the system as ther poorer cents fa longer needed to bortow money 1 ide them over the wale ris. ‘Another probiom arose wih sparse areas tuning lush. This atracted tencroachers. Sis in ol pats needed reguar eviews and required redirection of the Chaukas io ensure the system continued to provide ‘excellent resus. We have overcome al these,’ Laxman cons ‘The word soon got out that, miraculously, Laporiya now had enough water to cater tothe vilagers' needs. Laxman Singh beams everytime a vilagerretums Nome “God be praised’ he says, to which he villagers fa, ‘And our deepest rattude to you, Laxman I” | | ‘Jagveer Singh Chit Executive Ofcor Gram Vikas Navyuvak Mandal Lapotiya (GVNML) {Laporya, Dud Japur 303008 Fajasinan iagveor@gmmiorg seat g7aassort wor gun. orgh Glass Half Full BE Glass Half Full 'Do you wonder why the famous poem The Rime of he Ancient Mariner has he nes Water, wale, everywhere, Nor any drop to dink?” This Is tue or only as minuscule an amount as 195 of ll water on earth— in oceans, seas, rivers, and varod aquilors—consttulos available Treshwatot. Much ofthe 2.5% o our planet's freshwater lies trappea In glaciers and snowtets,eaving only a very tiny amount for use. That makes every cop of ths val resource so very precious “nds Walor Git fs the honorific confrred in 2020 on Garda Guihal, Itisone she nenly deserves. Asa TS:year-ol, she came to learn that ‘lose to 100 maton homes in india were without proper access to water. This had a protouné effect on her. Adaiona esearch threw up more starting fac. As much as 14 milion ies of water &.63y ends up dain, thanks to the eateries we al requent. From the smalest wayside dhaba to five-star hotels, the scenario the same. Invetigatons confirmed Thal mun ofthe waslage rested from servers rounay ling customers? lasses tone brim, as well as quests who had no compunctons boul leaving a lass half crunk. "Yet, there are milions who barely {gel enough water to quench tel this, while others walk for miles to gel his nactar’Garvtaponts out. Hearing stories of severe water \oprivation maved her to tears. She was delermined to find a solution to stop the misuse, Why waste?’ Garvia questions. “That sso cra, ‘he says, She it on an amazing Kea to ‘change the wort, one giass ‘of water ata time.’ Thal was the genesis that led fo the creation of her ‘non-profit organisation ‘Why Waste?" Her team members are enifonmentaly-consclous millenia, determined Io delete the gure ‘of 14 milion lives of wasted water ftom records. A ats step, they vised eateries to explain o owners and servers why saving water was So crucial ‘Why don you fl glasses only on demand? they suggested “Look at the quantities lett undrunk in a majoety of them, alo which wil goto waste they pointed oul. However, changing ingrained habits ‘spat easy was no smooth sailing" Ganita shares, Restaurant owners ‘cof a aking advice om youths ane continued ting glassos to he brim, whether customers asked fr em to oF not. Why should ‘acastomer have to ask?" the owners retorted, “To work out a win-win solution, Garvia came up with #GlassHallFull “The campaign sso simpe fo implement yel so etfectve: jst i each «las i the hallway mark an refi only on demand, Restaurants ‘wore extremely sceptical but Garvta and her team dn’ gve up. Fay, Napo, a restaurant in HSA Layout in Bengaluru, found ment Inthe lea and agroed to give Ita shot. saw phenomenal success! Garvta used the case as a testimonial to reach out to other restaurateurs. ‘Sho says, To urhor spread awareness, we creat tnt cards and askod ‘people to share images a her empty glasses on socal med, “Today, Why Waste's? #GlassHalFull movement has gane vial ‘Apat irom Inia, itis active in eight cthor counros. The ergarsation Continues ts work to help change mindsets, optimise usage and provent \waslage of water. To widen water postvty, members help educate {nd change behaviours regarding water among a range of cilzeny, ‘rom school students fo office goors to randparens. Intersting lndusions to thelr octal media cueacn are the fables an faiytales created by many to inspire young adults to help chien inculcate water conservation values alan eaty age. ‘ty Waste? nas ateady provented te wastage of si milion res ot wae. “We have reached more then ten millon people trough our impact actives," CGarilaproualy dciares. The organisation is recognised as ndia’s argost ‘youth ed organisation working to conserve water. Wi support rom 30 the National Restaurant Associaton of India, 500,000 estabstments across the county now paricate nhs movement. Why Waste? Is also the sole knowledge pariner for CNN's Mission Paani (water). The NGO was named Water Heroes’ by inda's Water Mins. CGarvita herst iste recpient of several prestigious awards, including “The Diana Award, conferred in memory of Diana, Princes of Wales and her belle hal young people have the power fo change the word GGarvte's opinions ae highly regarded. She was on the board cf the CChangemaling Centro ate Uriverly of San Diego and was part ofthe Stale of Youth based in New York. She also helped launch Lead Young inna wih Ashoka Innovators or he publ, which Is the work's largest network of sotalentrepreneurs ‘The &GiassHaFul campaign helps solve the global water cis wit a postive look al he metaphor of half emply. Let's see the Glas” Garila suggests. Such a simple idea, but what ‘huge bene or lof hua! Garvita Guinati Founder Wy Waste? Kamat ganvta@wnywasteo $91 9538756040 whywastey Green Aquifers +

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