Latur, Sep 7 (PTI) A seven-village water conservation initiative in Maharashtra’s Latur district is emerging as a potential model for the rest of the state, Padma Shri awardee and social worker Popatrao Pawar has said, emphasising that water conservation must be followed by its judicious use.
Speaking to villagers at Kawali after inspecting water conservation projects under the ‘Jal Samruddha Ausa’ campaign, Pawar cautioned farmers against growing water-intensive crops and indiscriminately drilling borewells.
“After 35 years of working in water conservation and rural development, I have realised that water will be one of the biggest challenges in the future. Merely arresting and recharging water is not enough; the available water must subsequently be used carefully. This is the real path to sustainable development,” he said.
He noted that nearly 10 km of stream-deepening and widening work had been completed across the villages of Tambarwadi, Fattepur, Kawali, Davatpur, Hipparga, Mahadevwadi and Pardhewadi and described the initiative as a potentially replicable effort.
He said active participation by both the government machinery and political leadership would be necessary to develop the villages as models for the state.
“If the available water is not managed properly, these villages could once again be forced to depend on tankers,” he said, citing Hiware Bazar as an example of how water conservation combined with prudent water use can transform a village.
Talking about the Jal Yukta Shivar campaign launched in 2014, Pawar said sustained institutional support was essential to take water conservation efforts to the next level.
Principal Secretary Dr Chandrakant Pulkundwar said the state government has been implementing several schemes aimed at improving the quality of life in rural areas.
He urged citizens to understand these schemes, know their entitlements and ensure that government programmes were implemented effectively at the village level.
Collector Dr Bharat Bastewad said the district administration was extending full support to the water conservation initiative in Ausa.
He said awareness was also being created about activities such as sericulture, which can provide higher returns with relatively lower water requirements.
The administration was working towards developing the seven villages under the Jal Samruddha Ausa campaign as model villages for the state, he said. PTI COR ARU
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