Jal Sahelis are the Best Option for Water Conservation

A few days ago, while surfing UNICEF's website, I came across an interesting report. It highlighted how 'Jal Sahelis' in Rajasthan are restoring ponds. The report also mentioned that UNICEF, in collaboration with the Government of India, is making numerous efforts for water conservation. However, the word that particularly caught my attention in this report was 'Jal Saheli' (Water Companion). The moment I read this term, I was convinced that if we want to fulfill the water needs of this country with a population of 1.4 billion, while also ensuring the proper functioning of agriculture and industries, we must prepare 'Jal Sahelis' in every village. Because even if we bring in advanced technology for water conservation, it will be of no use unless we change the attitude of our people towards water. From my fieldwork experience, I have understood that women are the best when it comes to environmental conservation, not just water conservation.

However, I want to focus on the remarkable work done by 'Jal Sahelis' in various parts of India. The first example is Jaisalmer, where a pond named Sanwrai is located in a remote village. This pond serves as the water source for eleven thousand people across eight villages. On the other hand, Jaisalmer is a tourist spot, leading to numerous illegal constructions and hotels. The owners of these hotels had been illegally extracting water from Sanwrai pond through tankers for many years, resulting in a situation where local residents were deprived of drinking water. Despite numerous complaints from locals, the government system did not take any concrete steps to stop the water theft from the pond.

At this point, the women from Jaisalmer's villages emerged as 'Jal Sahelis' and confronted the water mafia. As a result, water theft in that remote area of Jaisalmer was halted. Additionally, the Jal Sahelis initiated a pond cleaning campaign to prevent the water from getting contaminated.

Another inspiring case of 'Jal Sahelis' comes from Jhansi. Due to government negligence, the Dharari river had dried up. Moreover, a massive amount of garbage was being dumped into the dry river, turning it into a huge landfill except during the monsoon season. The check dams built by the government were in a deplorable state, causing the water to flow away during the monsoon and leaving the river dry during other seasons. Similar to Jaisalmer, both the administration and the local men proved ineffective, and no one felt the necessity of the river.

Thanks to the efforts of Jhansi's 'Jal Sahelis,' the once near-dead river now supports a healthy ecosystem and biodiversity both within and around it.

On a larger scale, such incidents might seem insignificant, perhaps not even deserving of three columns in a newspaper. However, evaluating these incidents at the grassroots level reveals their immense importance in the field of water conservation and global climate change. Small efforts like these lead to significant changes, as climate change issues are often relative and not uniformly applicable to everyone. The nature of climate problems varies.

Therefore, local and grassroots actions bring about transformation. The two cases mentioned above have benefited over fifty thousand people in Jaisalmer and Jhansi combined, including thousands of animals and birds that are integral parts of our biodiversity. These incidents validate my long-held belief that no one can conserve the environment and nature better than women. Women have a direct relationship with nature and the environment, and hence, they value it more than men. This is why I believe that whenever it comes to environmental conservation, if women are given the leadership role, we will undoubtedly achieve the best results.

The end.