The idea was that Paani Foundation would train several hundred villagers from three talukas on watershed development. These villagers would then participate in the Satyamev Jayate Water Cup in April. The 45-day long competition would involve ‘shramdan,’ or ‘voluntary labour,’ in building important structures and thus, water storage capacities. Cash prizes were also announced for the winners.
Initially, the villagers were not aware about the concept of Shramdan: ‘We have nothing of that sort happening here,’ they would say. The same people eventually came together, armed with shovels and pickaxes, to participate in the movement; and a revolutionary model of development was born.
The competition has brought about a sea change in the lives of countless individuals.
Take, for instance, the Ambajogai Taluka of Beed District. In the 45 days marked for the competition, 4,203 villagers from 34 villages completed watershed work worth more than Rs. 1 crore, by working for two hours on average.
With the per day rate for physical labour being Rs. 191, this total amount comes close to more than Rs. 91 lakhs, even if we take into consideration 1/4th of the work day. This was simply unparalleled.
The people’s movement got tremendous support from government and non-government bodies alike, such as the Samast Mahajan Group, Jnana Prabodhini and the Jalayukt Shivar Abhiyan. Helping hands found their way to the villages from various directions.
During the course of the competition, physical structures worth Rs. 13 crore were constructed through donations in just Ambajogai taluka; these have helped in creating a water storage capacity of crores of litres.With structures for water conservation being built from scratch and a rising awareness about watershed development, the villages of Radi Tanda, Khapartone, Patoda, Kumbephal, Kolkanadi and Shepwadi have seen a metamorphosis that will now last for decades. More important, however, is the fact that the movement has drawn people from across the board, of different ages and social standing, and has now empowered them to believe in themselves and in their power to solve their own problems.
During the Water Cup, no incidents of farmer suicide were reported in the district of Beed. Many villagers also had top government officials come to their villages and participate in manual labour, a practically unheard of scenario before.
Women who had once united against alcoholism, came back together for the cause of water conservation, while the men put aside their quarrels and differences. The local police even noted a reduction in crime rate during the days of the competition.
The result? The participating talukas got their reward in front of their eyes even before the competition named a winner on the 15th August at a grand awards ceremony.
Thousands of watershed structures blossomed across the village landscape, creating an annual water storage capacity of 1,368 crore litres, an equivalent of 13,68,000 tankers of water, with a market value of Rs. 272 crores.