Harsing (Darjeeling),
April 7: As Darjeeling continues to reel from a severe water
crisis, the initiative taken by villagers of nearby Harsing-Dabaipani
to solve their water woes is being seen as a model that could
help the Queen of the Hills solve its problem.
A cluster of 15 villages, situated around
16 km from Darjeeling have joined hands and taken a unique
step in water management. The villagers have tapped water
from all available sources in the area and arranged for storage
in a common reservoirs. They have also put in place a distribution
system, which ensures that all the 480 households in the area
gets sufficient water.
Before the project was taken up, only a
handful of people could access and use the water sources.
Now, with technical expertise provided by Darjeeling Ladenla
Road Prerna, every village has managed to take care of its
water requirement.
For all the 15 hamlets, a water source was
identified. The water drawn from these sources was then accumulated
in a number of small reservoirs. A network of seventeen reserve
tanks, 65 sub-tanks and 32 filtration tanks were used to supply
water to these villages from the 34 catchment areas in the
vicinity of the hamlets. In order to ensure that no misuse
of water occurs, the residents of the villages have been barred
from collecting water from the original source.Roshan Rai,
the office co-ordinator of the project, said: "The idea
was to tap the water available in the area and decentralise
the distribution system, making villagers responsible for
maintenance of the system."
Binod Chhetri, a resident of Village 11
said: "There was a catchment area in the forest which
was never used before. Now it is being put to use for uninterrupted
water supply. Whenever there is a malfunction orleak, the
villagers come together and restore the lines."
The success of the water harvesting project
has not only solved a serious problem the hamlets were facing,
but has also given villagers the confidence to find solutions
without help from the authorities. Residents of the area believe
that a large centralised reservoir would not have been the
right solution to their problems as it would be impossible
for them to operate and maintain it on their own.
Talking about the success of the project
and the manner in which it has changed the lives of the villagers,
Mira Karki of Dara Gaon said: "The problem has been solved
once and for all as earlier a water source would be the property
of one household. Now everyone shares the water available.
The system is easy to maintain at minimum cost. It feels good,
because we do not have to depend on others to provide us with
water. Anxiety over water, which used to be a part and parcel
of our lives, has now vanished."
The cost of the project was Rs 33 lakh.
The Harsing-Dabaipani success story is now being held up as
a model that could solve Darjeeling's water problem. There
are eight water sources in the town that can be harnessed
through a decentralised distribution system.
Courtesy
The Telegraph |
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