With average annual rainfall of 2500 mm, Shahapur Taluka of Thane District receives plenty of rainfall between June and September. Dams like Tansa, Bhatsa and Vaitarna situated in the hills of Shahapur Taluka quench thirst of millions of Mumbaites living more than 100 kilometers away. Ironically the residents of several villages in the vicinity of these dams go thirsty from February onwards. Many villages have to be supplied water by tankers in months of April & May. The tribal villages of Shahapur Taluka which are located in the Sahyadri mountain range fall into this category. Women from these villages have to walk long distances in the blazing sun on mountainous paths, at times exceeding four kilometers, to fetch water.

Due to topographical conditions the rainwater runs off quickly and only small amount of water gets absorbed in the ground. The impervious bedrock and poor water-holding capacity of the soil are the main factors, which are responsible for the low availability of ground water. Soil erosion caused by indiscriminate felling of trees and unrestrained grazing has further aggravated the situation. It is almost 60 years since independence but lack of effective application of appropriate techniques on the part of government planners and execution agencies have made certain that there is no improvement in the quality of life of poor tribal communities.

Many villagers from this area approached Bridge Trust for intervention which will ensure year round availability of water near their villages. In order to mitigate acute scarcity of water, along with BPCL (Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited), Bridge Trust decided to launch a project involving rainwater harvesting by stopping the run-off in some of these villages. The project was called ‘Boond’. The Bridge Trust obtained expert advice from Natural Solutions, a consultancy service pioneering in rural rain water harvesting projects. The Natural Solutions suggested appropriate techniques and best locations for various structures to mitigate water scarcity in 5 tribal villages and a social development centre supported by BPCL near Karjat.

Project “Boond” started in March 2006 with financial assistance from Oil Industry Development Board (OIDB)-Drought Relief Trust, New Delhi through BPCL. After successful completion of the first phase of Boond in just three months time, the BPCL requested Bridge trust to undertake second phase of Boond in three more villages.

Boond I

‘Boond I’ involved implementing appropriate rain water harvesting techniques in 2 tribal villages Kothala, Charanwadi and a social development centre supported by BPCL near Karjat. Reaching material to the appropriate sites and getting participation of the villagers were the tough tasks in implementation of project, in just three months. Yet, with the hardworking ground staff and guidance from Natural Solutions, Bridge Trust succeeded in completing the following tasks in record time.

• Cordoning off 32 springs
• Repairs of 7 open wells
• Recharge of one bore well
• Construction of one KT weir dam
• Construction of 2 gabions

The project involved almost remaking of one bund. This bund was made by some government agency about 6 years ago. Due to improper construction quality and material, it never held water even during rainy season. It was repaired twice in this time span and yet the 15 ft bund could not hold more than 4 ft water even at the peak of rainy season. As can be seen below, after completion of the work by the Bridge Trust under Boond project, the bund got completely filled for the first time and it kept over flowing till the end of November.

Social Development Centre at Pinglaj near Karjat experienced water scarcity during dry season. It had no water source hence, a roof top rain water harvesting project was conceptualized and implemented.

Boond II

After successful completion of ‘Boond I’ the second phase was started in September 2006 in 3 more tribal villages suffering from acute scarcity of water. The project is currently under implementation in Khor, Amberje and Mahuli with major initiative coming from the villagers. By May 2007 Bridge Trust will complete the following tasks in these villages with the help of the villagers.

• Repairs and leak proofing of existing bunds
• Repairs of open wells
• Construction of underground bunds
• Construction of KT weir dams
• De-silting and seepage control of ponds
• Repairs and recharge of bore wells
• Construction of 3 gabions
• Installation of a pumping system and repairs of existing pipeline

In village Khor, dramatic improvement in water situation has already been seen. The village women who had to scout far and wide for water are now getting water, even during summer, in their own village wells.