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With the message, ‘Save water, save life’, the Changanassery Social Service Society undertook a massive water management programme that was meant to create 2 lakh rainwater traps in the soil.  And at the end of the exercise, the organizers could achieve a target of 1.5 lakhs without providing any subsidy or reward of any sort.  All the water holes had been made by the landowners in their own land, based on the awareness programme run by the organization.

What the organization did was illustrate the scientific aspect of ground water recharge, and provide the leadership and coordination for motivating the people.  In all the areas from Kottayam to Thiruvananthapuram, women were in the forefront to dig the ditches to trap water.  For they were the ones who had to suffer the most due to dwindling resources of drinking water, and often had to trek miles to get a pot full of water.  These women certify that already there is improvement in the water level of their wells.  And next year, it wouldn’t be necessary to irrigate the crops, they claim confidently based on the rising level of the water in the ground.

Fr.Varghese Kalayil of St.Joseph Church, Vaypoor himself showed the way for the other believers.  Spending Rs.20000, he constructed a number of water traps in the 8-acre land of the church.

Long before the recent mass programme, for the last 10 years or so, Varghese of Murikkananikkal, Mundathanam had been constructing water traps in his land.  A recipient of best farmer award on a number of occasions, his 3 wells yield plenty of water while the neighbouring wells are dry during summer.

While accepting the manna from heaven in the water traps constructed by themselves, the programme has awakened the people to the dictum that self help is the best help.

Women at work in their land to trap rain water

Courtesy: Staff Reporter (text), K.R.Anil Kumar (photo), Karshakan, December 2003

Contributed by: Administrator

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