SEHGAL FOUNDATION
Introduction
Sehgal Foundation works on integrated and sustainable village development in Mewat region of Haryana. This goal is implemented through four programs (1) Water Management (2) Income Enhancement (3) Family Life Education (4) Rural Health, and the support services of Infrastructure Building and Communications. The approach is participatory and programs are organized around ‘Village Level Institutions’ and ‘Village Champions’.
The factors responsible for sustainability of any rural development project are - motivational, financial, organizational and technical.
Mewat is a region which falls partially in Haryana and in Rajasthan, with the Aravali hill range across it. Aravalis are the oldest hill range in India and have become mostly deunuded. The soil cover on the hills has been eroded and flora is found only in small patches, the rest being barren rock. During summer, dust storms from Rajasthan desert hit the Aravali hills resulting in sand dunes at the foot hills, which also adversely affect the flora. Underground sweet water is found only in the foothills of the Aravalis, otherwise it is mostly brackish.
Mewat takes its name from Meos, a muslim peasant caste that converted from Hinduism to Islam, however they preserve many Hindu customs. Agriculture and wage labour (30 % of population) is the dominant occupation. As many as 40 % households are landless and 40% have marginal land holdings. The agriculture is primarily rain fed with mustard and pearl millet being the main crops. Mostly only one crop a year can be cultivated, due to water constraints, and a second crop is possible only if there are timely rains. The social indicators of Mewat are low, sex ratio being 865, literacy 19% with women literacy much lower, household size 8.4, age at marriage is 14 years for girls and 17 years for boys. The reproductive health of women is poor, there is low awareness regarding preventive health care and a high reliance on untrained health providers. Women are treated as unrecognized labor both in fields and domestically.
In Mewat region of Haryana, India, availability and quality of water is of primary concern. A tailor made, integrated water management plan is needed for each village, with the first step being the study of topography, water flow, soil characteristics and traditional knowledge. Subsequently, high impact interventions can be chosen. Sustainability of interventions is also a function of equity, as a critical mass of people will come together if all are going to be benefited.
In Ghaghas the quantity of available ground water was inadequate and fast depleting, its quality too was poor with high content of nitrates and fluorides . Since the ground water of Ghaghas is an important water source for several neighboring villages, they are also adversely affected. This scenario is now improved with the interventions.
As in many villages of India, here too the domestic waste water flows into the streets, creating dirty puddles which are a breeding ground for pathogens and their carriers. This water is a medium by which the ground water gets contaminated due to open defecation, open composting and excessive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the agriculture.
To address the high nitrate and fluoride contents found in the drinking water, it was decided to work on the quality of the water at the source itself rather than use other solutions like filters or water treatments . The logic adopted was to dilute the ground water with rain water, so that the nitrate and fluoride concentration would reduce to acceptable standards and at the same time the ground water would be replenished.
In Ghaghas, a check dam was built at a location upstream so that the runoff water from the Aravali hills is not allowed to enter the village and get contaminated (Figure 1 and 2). A ridge to valley approach (Figure 3), was adopted by building gully plugs to slow down the speed of water, thereby reducing soil erosion and the silt load entering the dam. Other options, including diverting natural streams to recharging wells or injecting wells (Figures 4 and 5) are also an efficient way to add to ground water. Even dry wells are structurally well connected to the underground water table, while much more effort is required to find other parts of the village where soil has good percolating ability right upto the water table.
Safe disposal of domestic waste water is addressed through soak pits, which are simple and cheap drainage structures facilitating the disposal, filtration and percolation of wastewater into the ground
Contact us
For general questions, please contact our head office:
Head Office
Plot No.34, Sector 44, Institutional Area
Gurgaon, Haryana - 122002
INDIA
Tel : +91-124-4744100
Fax : +91-124-4744123
Email : smsf@smsfoundation.org
Website : www.smsfoundation.org
Registered Office:
6346 Sector C6,
Vasant Kunj
New Delhi -110070
INDIA
Branch Offices
Nagina, Haryana
16 MDA Housing Board Colony,
Nagina - 122108
Gurgaon District, Haryana
INDIA
Tel : +91 1268 273 448
Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
Room numbers 26, 27, 28 in Building 212
ICRISAT, Patancheru- 502 324
Andhra Pradesh
INDIA
Tel : +91 40 2329 6161 - +91 40 2329 2320
Fax : +91 40 2324 1239
Email : m.d.gupta@cgiar.org
SEHGAL FAMILY FOUNDATION
100 Court Ave., STE 211
Des Moines, IA 50309-2256 USA
Tel: + 1 515 288 0010
Fax.: + 1 515-288-4501
Email: r.clutter@smsfoundation.org