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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