RAIPUR: Village Parstarai, once afflicted by severe water scarcity in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district, has emerged as an exemplar of water conservation and crop cycle transformation, embodying the vision under the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan’.A few years ago, Parstarai grappled with drought and a severe water shortage. The groundwater levels in the region had significantly declined and the crisis led to routine crop failures resulting in a significant drop in farmers’ incomes.To combat the existing challenge, the village chief Parmanand Adil and local community leaders initiated the ‘Jal Jagr’ campaign in their habitat. Efforts were made to conserve rainwater through the construction of soak pits and rainwater harvesting practices in every household. Water conservation measures were also introduced in public places and even in the schools of the village.”The awareness was created to recognise the importance of water conservation among the villagers. The move gradually led to a notable increase in groundwater levels with the installation of rainwater harvesting systems and soak pits in Parstarai”, said officials associated with the State Ground Water Survey.With water conservation practices adopted, the farmers of the village also switched from water-intensive paddy crops to drought-resistant crops thereby transforming their crop cycle.Now the local agrarian community cultivate pulses, oilseeds, chickpeas, mustard, moong and urad among others.“Instead of relying only on paddy, we now grow crops that require less water. This has helped in our efforts aimed to conserve water and also boosted our income,” says Ramnarayan Sahu, a local farmer.Impressed with the achievement of the villagers, the state government has decided to observe it as ‘Jal Jagr Mahotsav’ to be held in Dhamtari on October 5-6.“The festival will spread a strong message on the village’s water conservation model across the nation and will provide a platform for extensive discussions and awareness campaigns. The Parstarai’s success story on water conservation will be presented as a village model to global inspiration”, said the chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai.In addition to water conservation, Parstarai has incorporated environmental protection into its traditions. A unique initiative has been launched in the village where a fruit-bearing tree is planted for every daughter and daughter-in-law. The practice promotes both environmental protection and social consciousness.
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