JAL BHAGIRATHI FOUNDATION, JAIPUR
Jal Bhagirathi Foundation is a trust committed to the principle of participatory management, where the work belongs to the community with the role of JBF being limited to that of a catalyst and facilitator.The project in the Marwar region is a Natural Resource Management Project with special emphasis at building the capacities of backward rural communities for management of critical water resources. While the project seeks to support traditional institutions of managing common property resources, it seeks to decrease biotic pressure on the fragile eco-system. The project will provide drought relief to a region extremely distressed with repeated droughts and also focus on community driven solutions for long term drought proofing of the Project Area. The methodology for implementation of projects as adopted by JBF is as follows. Firstly, public meetings and padyatras (walks) through villages and local workshops are organized in the target area. As a result of these initiatives, the village community is mobilized to form a Jal Sabha or user association of all those who are willing to participate in the proposed work. This is followed by the election of office bearers who act on behalf of all the members of the Jal Sabha and undertake the execution of the work and mobilization of community resources. The Jal Sabha then designs the water harvesting structure and decides on the form of the village contribution for the work. The Jal Sabha also forms a woman's group to ensure women's participation in the decisions and also to create women's platform for community activity. Community resources are mobilized in the form of labor, material and cash towards the development of the community water harvesting/recharge structures. All the structures under this initiative are need-based with the active participation of the community in all stages of construction: from identification of the site to the design of the structure and by a contribution of one-fourth of the cost of their construction through 'shramdaan', material or cash. Community management will ensure equal distribution of the resources and their benefits.
http://www.jalbhagirathi.org