The Story of Dhun:
This dry and dusty piece of 500-acres of land on the outskirts of Jaipur once hardly had 30 trees on it. But today, the same land has over 120 species of birds, 70 species of native trees and thousands of animals. This land in the Phagi district once had plenty of life in it. But a devastating flood ruined the topsoil and left the land to die and be part of the desert.
The fate of the land changed when Manavendra Singh Shekhawat, a hotelier from Jaipur saw the land back in 2013. Instead of selling the land in parts, Manavendra aspired to do something different with the land, to create an alternative ecosystem to live in, to build a unique business model while keeping the land away from the unscientific and destructive practices. And the first step for his dream project was to bring water to this dry land and using traditional water harvesting practices the land today has more than 8 waterbodies in it.
The water also has completely transformed the life and economy of the neighbouring villages as well. With the water feeding the land and with 100s of trees and buzzing wildlife, Manavendra is now stepping on to build an alternate living space here.
Look out for part 2, where we will show you how Manvendra along with the community converted this barren land into a lush green forest.
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In arid and dry landscape of Rajasthan this village stands out like a green oasis. Lapodiya, with little over 300 households is a drought- proof village two hours away from Jaipur. What makes it so special is the fact that it has been able to revive the traditional water harvesting structures to harvest water. Laxman Singh is the man behind this mission. Is it possible to revive a village economy using rainwater harvesting? Yes! Lapodiya shows the way.
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An enterprising charitable trust funded by a British family business making an impact at home and abroad
Using the Chauka System to Harvest Water in Rajasthan
Last year we provided funds to Water Harvest to create films to raise awareness of WaterHarvest’s mission by bringing what they do to life. We were delighted to find out that since the films were published, WaterHarvest has seen a significant increase in donations that are helping them continue their vital work. Working with the Matthew Good Foundation to create these films was included in Water Harvest’s annual report as one of the charity’s highlights.
Following on from the success of the first two films, we were pleased to support Water Harvest in producing a third film. This time we funded a film that describes one of the charity’s methods for harvesting rainwater, the Chauka system.
The Chauka system is a method for harvesting rainwater, typically used in arid areas that are subject to monsoon rains. Collectively, the low-height bunds work together like sponges, collecting the erratic, unpredictable rains and helping them meander down the natural, gentle slope of the land.
Read more
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Catching And Storing Rainwater
WaterHarvest is a UK not for profit organization working with rural communities in India to help them to build structures to catch and store rainwater, giving them clean water at home all year round.
We sharing our knowledge and experience work with remote, vulnerable communities and help them to adapt our work to suit their own environment and needs. This approach ensures that our programmes create sustainable sources of clean water all year round.
We’re a small, agile, innovative organization using the latest technologies and thinking to deliver cost-effective programmes that create long-term value and impact for the communities that we serve.
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Other
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It’s known for its waterfalls, the elegant Jain temples of Parasnath Hill and the elephants and tigers of Betla National Park. The state capital of Ranchi is a gateway to the park. It features the 17th-century Jagannath Temple, a Hindu shrine and the Jharkhand War Memorial. Tagore Hill is a monument honoring Nobel Prize-winning author Rabindranath Tagor
