Nagpur, Wardha reaping benefits of water conservation scheme

'Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan', the ambitious water conservation initiative of Maharashtra government, has started to bear fruits in the Nagpur and Wardha districts, officials claim.
The flagship program of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis involves, among other things, stopping and storing the rainwater by constructing weirs across the nullahs (streams and rivulets).
Officials said the program not only leads to conservation of water and the resultant better irrigation, but is also fast transforming the surrounding areas, turning them into local picnic spots in some cases.
Active participation of locals is one of the hightlights of the program.
The agriculture department, an NGO and local villagers have joined hands for the project in Nagpur's Katol town, local MLA Ashish Deshmukh said.

Katol sub-divisional officer (SDO) Avinash Katade said the availability of water close to the farms has given a new hope to the farmers in Nagpur, Wardha and other districts of Vidarbha. No farmer suicide has been reported from the area so far, and in future too there would be no farmer suicide here, Katade asserted.
Wardha district collector Ashutosh Salil and SDO Smita Patil said the effort has raised the water levels in nearby wells. Good storage in the nullah has also resulted in groundwater recharge and the water in the wells now lasts for four-five hours.
"We are aiming to bring more villages under the scheme next year," Salil added.