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ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE AND BIODIVERSITY ‘A small visionary step ahead of world Climate Change Alarm” |
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PANORAMA gives a map pictorial view of terrain transformation by three water bodies created by Sainiksangh across 50 hecs of arid and drought ridden region of Yamuna Ravines over a period from 1999 to 2014 (thumbnail image placed at their location). |
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WATER AND ENVIRONMENT ‘Why strangely should we have focussed on water? Because of a poignant situation in a village where an old military widow begged that she be shot rather solicited for her vote in elections ; since there was no drinking water as village wells go dry during summers and her pleas go unheeded by all over the years ‘As conveyed to Maj Gen APS Chauhan on his visit to her village in 1996. Water and environment therefore became central to our activity. Learning by experimentation and taking risk since we had no knowhow in this field . Yet this impacts entire gamut of our objectives taken holistically. The survival and welfare of veterans / serving and their communities in remote areas and arid ravines the habitat of our communities. Water for drinking, cattle fodder, grazing fields, forests and fauna without which a rural habitat is incomplete. Water being most important in this structure without which building blocks of community well being such as health, hygiene, income generation and education are illusionary Unless these basics are met and conditions for depleting returns from agriculture not reversed, flight to cities from villages the granary of soldiering cannot be stemmed. Environment is closely linked to military activities and in many armies a General Staff subject (eg Soviet /Russian armies) since this is impacted by field exercises and war which are environment destructive. Measures such as post exercise tree planting, adopting areas for forestry and greening of military habitat management of field firing ranges are integral to peacetime activity to promote environment consciousness. Water Being at core of looming crisis and key to food security, we experimented with rainwater harvesting since ravine terrain is ideally suited for such measures though irrigation authorities felt otherwise on account of soil being totally silt. Yet blocking gullies by check dams if successful could arrest monsoon run off and create seasonal water bodies to recharge subsoil water level. We pulled this off applying military engineering gutsiness but after a herculean effort against many odds technical, no resources nor organisation just commitment to community and sense for improvisation. Not to say having to face bureaucratic apathy bordering putting spanner in the works and rigid attitudes. Notwithstanding, the three villages we tackled are today assured of water security for times to come with subsoil level up by minimum 3 ft income generation enhanced with savings in preparing land for tilling, dead wells rejuvenated, soil cover restored, fallow land reclaimed, eco degradation reversed with transformation of terrain providing a carbon sink The first check dam in the region was completed 2003. We named these as Swasti series (Sanskrit for well being ) Swasti I , II &IV with run off into Yamuna R. Network of check dams of this nature in wastelands of ravines can usher great socio economic benefits for marginalised communities. By creating pasture land with return of milk cattle which have vanished in this once milk producing region, introducing horticulture and apiculture for which there s great scope and resuscitate fauna and flora for which this belt was once known. Template Phase I Organisation and Resources Organisation. (a) Establishment of a nerve centre as a Node to function as IWAC – Integrated Watershed Data and Action Cell A district level Nerve Centre for Executing, Monitoring Controlling Watershed Projects, their evaluation, collection and dissemination of data, holding records and project histories, interact and liaise with communities, pradhans and administration. Functions under directions of League Headquarter at Delhi. Normally at the district town for ease of communications. A trained hand picked up from community and groomed or a veteran is put in charge of node as field coordinator (FC) (kshetra prabandhak). IWAC alo performs the functions of a veterans cell also. IWAC concept has been tried and tested and is functional at Node Etawah (UP). Below typical node |
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Above our FC Kalyan Singh on on way to Silayata in 2002 (Swasti I ) 16 kms from node. Today he has a m/c. Note A Node can be mobile if mounted on a light weight vehicle as a command post. (b) Task Force. Based on volunteers from community for manual labour and local tradesmen. No contract labour. 2. Resources Manpower For manual work manpower was contributed by same village. Manual work remunerated at daily wages rates. Machine Power We had no funds for hiring machine for earthmoving. Solicited army’s help for this cause overlapping ex servicemen welfare with that of their communities and ecology. A dozer team was put at our disposal for each check dam a unique partnership perhaps for the first time to our knowledge. Supervisors Experienced veterans mainly NCOs. Technical Staff Nil Veterans were trained on job in rudiments of application of check dam design. Designs were made at Headoffice no outside engineers were involved. Funds Held Nil We sought grants from responsive agencies. None came to support us even on such national mission. Till UNDP/UNEP took note with a paltry grant to provide one third of the cost after justifying the schemes and executing an MoU. Phase 2 Preparing base line and organising community meetings to spread awareness on watershed measures environment and ecology subjects totally new to them, organise task force. Left: Meetings held in 1999 in village Silayata AVM Sahni invitee and Maj Gen APS Chauhan. Phase 3Mobilisation Community participation was central to structuring task forces. Community can be mobilised only by instilling self-help culture in spirit of collective good not too popular now even in rural environment seeped in divisions the traditional concept of united cohesive panchayat matter of past now riddled with multiparty politics. Traditional society broken down very insecure susceptible to hear say and extraneous influences. Any new idea is not easily accepted. Discipline and frugality, example setting were key to delivering results. We were fortunate that a good chunk of population is ex servicemen whose discipline and better education provided for leadership nucleus to mobilise community support when no one had seen a check dam much less made one themselves. They waited for results before being fully convinced which came with impounding of first monsoon run off (Swasti I). Now even adjoining villages started clamouring for their own on same model (Swasti II and Swasti IV). The self help groups suggested for such mission are explained below : - ( these committees may change with nature of mission) : - (a) Water Resources Committee- (Jal Samiti) Headed by Pradhan with at least one-woman member. Management tube wells, wells during construction. (b) Work Force Committee – ( Shram Samiti) Headed by a Veteran leader with one woman volunteer member. (c) Monitoring Committee (Dekh Rekh Samiti) Headed by Pradhan. (d) Technical Committee (Taknini Samiti) if and when required. |
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Transformation of Terrain |
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Above view of terrain. Note yellow flag on right and one beyond (not too visible) marking centre line (CL) of check dam (Swasti IV location) across gully below. Shown as once open sheesham forest in 1902 military survery mps today these ravines are shorn of any tree cver but for thorny Julyflora brushwood which has driven away all wild life. Contours are between 120 to 150 metres gullies, generally oriented east west. Misty winters with temperatures down to 2deg C summers hot 40deg C. Monsoon run off from 60-hectare catchments draining into Yamuna R. |
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Glimpse of Activity at Swasti I location Village Silaiyata |
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Below Left Maj Gen APS chauhan on visit to his field office under bamboo shade discussing details with task force leader Hav M ManSingh of Guards and N/Sub Mathura Singh of Rajputs (01.02.1998) |
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Above Centre VP inspecting brick masonary core wall. Right core wall closed by bund on both sides. Below Impact Second Monsoon |
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Special Mention By UNDP by Mail to Maj Gen APS Chauhan |
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पूर्व सैनिकों का देश निर्माण मन्च |
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All India Ex Soldiers League |
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INDIAN MILITARY VETERANS |
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सत्य मेव जयते |
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सारे जहॉ से अच्छा हिन्दुस्तान हमारा |
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