Page 7 - Reliance Foundation - The Change Maker - Issue 45

The ChangeMaker 7

Bringing farming communities together in

Rajkot to brave climate challenges

Farmers in a cluster of six villages in
I Gujarat’s Rajkot district are enhancing
their climate resilience and incomes
through a series of water related
initiatives by Reliance Foundation. These
efforts helped increase their water
harvesting capacity by 4.04 lakh cubic
metres and provided irrigation for crops
in kharif, support a second crop during
Rabi as well as growing green fodder for
livestock.
Keri, a seasonal river, irrigates these
villages. Farming has not been easy in
these villages due to undulating terrain
and disturbing changes in rainfall
patterns, such as unexpected excess
or inadequate rains. Also, many water
harvesting structures on the Keri River
needed to be revamped when Reliance
Foundation started working along
with SAVARAJ, a non-governmental
organisation.
In each village, Reliance Foundation
encouraged communities to develop
a common resource management its seasonal rainfall by the end of July. during June 2022, with financial support
plan and budget its water use. Water By developing or reviving water from the Gram Panchayat. The dam
harvesting interventions and common infrastructure in the village, Reliance helped increase water availability in
land development were then planned. Foundation helped ensure critical the first year after it was made. It then
These initiatives in Rajkot are part irrigation to the fields of 122 farmers filled with rainwater during June and July
of the larger Rural Transformation during August 2023. The Khodiyar earthen months in 2023, but received little inflow
programmes of the Foundation across dam is one of the initiatives that was taken during August and September. However,
four districts in Gujarat, which is up in the village on the Keri river. it helped recharge farmers’ wells and
positively impacting the water situation “The rocky and sloppy terrain does provided crucial irrigation to prevent
across 735 villages in the state. not allow water to remain in the upper crop loss for farmers like Dineshbhai.
reaches of the village. During August “We were able to irrigate the fields
How Hathasani village braved its 2023, we hardly received any rain for 55 during critical stages of crop growth
harshest-ever August days and this was a crucial time for both owing to water availability through the
When 40-year-old Dekani Dineshbhai cotton and groundnut. If it were not for Khodiyar dam. This helped us secure
Meghabhai joined other farmers in the Khodiyar dam, I would have lost cotton harvests of 4 to 5 quintals per
Hathsani village of Rajkot to construct most of my crop,” said Dineshbhai. He acre and 5 to 7 quintals per acre in
the Khodiyar earthen dam in June 2022, and 24 other farmers were able to save groundnut,” Dineshbhai added.
he realised how vital the structure was their crop, thanks to the dam which has
only in August 2023, when Gujarat a water harvesting capacity of over 4.7 Through its water related interventions,
witnessed its driest ever August. The crore liters. Reliance Foundation works to support
India Meteorological Department With Reliance Foundation providing national priorities and global sustainable
recorded 6.1 mm rainfall during August comprehensive support in site selection, development goals, such as SDG 6: Water
2023 in Saurashtra and Kachchh community engagement, construction and Sanitation for All, to ensure inclusive
regions, about 96% deficit for the month, and project implementation, the village development for all – with the underlying
although the region had received all of constructed the dam in just 21 days principle of ‘We Care’.