‘Water is an invaluable gift of nature, so save every drop of it for the future’. The forest department has found a rare way to make the dry earth greener by increasing the underground water level using rain water.
The forest department has invented a unique technique using mud and stone check dams to save every drop of rain water. The department claims that this technique will enable the seepage of water from the soil through the check dam and assist in water recharge thus increasing the vegetation cover of the land by maintaining moisture in the soil.
In ancient times, the rains were greeted enthusiastically. When water reaches inside the earth it creates a repository of underground water. We are extracting water from this treasure, but not putting anything back in it. Rain water gives an opportunity to store the water underground. Ever since the water has reached home through pipelines, the connectivity of the people has been cut off from traditional water sources. Since the water has reached home through pipelines, the connectivity of the people has been cut off from traditional water sources. The forest department has made an innovative effort to save the water by preparing mud checkdams near nullahs thus helping in soil conservation. The rain water goes through this check dams made of mud and stone which seeps into the soil thus recharging the aquifers.
Narendranagar Forest Division has succeeded in building these mud stone check dams in low-slope drain areas in the Shivalik Biodiversity Park. The SDO Manmohan Singh Bisht said that the mud stone check dams have been filled with mud and stones with a stone of 2 feet size. 70% of the soil and 30% of the gravel and stone have been used.
The gravel stone-rich soil is used to fill the mud stone check dams. The slope arrangement is made on both sides of the dam and due to large quantities of soil in such check dams, the rainwater seeps within the ground. The ground water recharge will continue to have moisture in the surrounding soil which will also benefit the environment retaining water and moisture. The technique is cost effective and will prove to be more effective in the low-slope drain areas in plain areas.
“Mud stone check dams have been built as models in the biodiversity park. Such check dams are also being constructed in the restoration scheme of river Hewal. This is a successful experiment in water conservation and moisture conservation” said Dharam Singh Meena, DFO Narendranagar Forest Division
Thursday, 21 January 2021 | PNS | New Tehri
