The development and evolution of a generation and the area of living depends on the people and resources. Water is one of the most important parameters of living. In the Nosal village, by continuous efforts of the organization, people were willing to take steps for further development of their area.
Water was absent for the past 85 years in the Nosal Village consisting of 400 families. People had to go to other villages for water costing up to Rs.1000-1500/family. There was no engineer to construct proper water systems, thus Manthan asked about experiences and traditional methods of storing water from the people. Rainwater flowed directly into Sambhar Lake and became salty. People shared how much water could be stored at a particular place and where it would be suitable. Manthan accordingly constructed a watershed in the village. Villagers built the water pockets and current systems to store water and improve its quality. The underground water level then increased. After months of effort, the water improved to better quality for drinking and irrigation purposes. The women of the Nosal Village suggested having proper water supply in their village. They organized meetings in every neighborhood and later with the gram panchayat. They proposed to make a watershed and tube-wells to have water quite easily and quickly. The gram panchayat took responsibility for the borewell and electricity arrangements. Their ideas were supported by the people, and Manthan came forward to turn it into reality.
Tube-wells connecting the watershed were build. It was then easier for people to get water from here. Few farmers with tube-wells in their farms sold around 20 water tankers to different villages. There was enough proper water for the cattle and animals to feed on. The women also suggested that every family must contribute to the pipeline system so that every house can have a direct water connection at their homes. Every household gave its contribution and a water pipe system was built for every home. Eventually, the water supply later costs only up to Rs.150-200 per family. The money collected every month also gets used in the maintenance of the water system.
Manthan’s water project has been in the run for the past 20 years. It built watersheds and implemented water regulation and harvesting systems in various villages and had an impact on around 50-60 villages. In the current date, Nosal Village has the highest total storage capacity of 252,792,674 liters of water. Apart from the watershed and its harvesting system, every house was made capable of harvesting the rainwater and turning it to be able to drink. Not only the drinking water was available to people, but irrigation and agriculture flourished, and cattle could use enough water too. It used to be the barren area, from where people used to migrate from since they didn’t have water to work and reside with its help. Now it has become the greatest source for people to live and grow happily. The problems being faced from the past 60-80 years are no more obstructing the people to carry on with their lives.