Anandana, the Coca-Cola India Foundation, has partnered with Rajputana Society of Natural History (RSNH), Bharatpur, to successfully completed the development of rain-water harvesting structures for the Sukhhad river in Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh. The project, which is aimed at creating a sustainable model, project will provide water for drinking and agriculture to the local community, which has so far been forced to migrate in search of food and livelihood. Accomplished despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, it has benefited 1400-plus households, comprising over 8500 people – which is about 93 per cent of the indigenous population in the villages of Sejgaon, Rajawat, Palwat, Talwat, Titi and Kharpai. The harvesting of more than a billion litres of rainwater has also brought 95 hectares of land under irrigation and provided employment to the local people.
With rain-fed agriculture being their main source of livelihood, the communities living in Alirajpur district have been struggling for years because of an acute water crisis and are known for migrating en masse to work as farm labourers in other areas. The prolonged water scarcity, coupled with lack of proper planning and facilities for water conservation, has forced them to trek long distances to fetch it - making cultivation economically unviable.
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The river rejuvenates
