Over 1,000 students to study water resources in Maharashtra

The project will be initiated by Dr Dhananjayrao Gadgil Centre for Sustainable Village Development, a centre of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in association with city-based NGO Sahaj Jalbodh Abhiyan

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Students will assess the water resources in the villages like rivers, lakes, groundwater, or any other resources, and a detailed report will be prepared on the same. (HT PHOTO)

To prepare a water management plan for villages in Maharashtra, ‘Jal Arakhada Nirman’ or the water draft creation initiative will be undertaken in the state. In this unique project, over 1,000 students will be participating in both online and offline modes to receive training. These students will later participate in a field project to assess the water resources in 160 villages across Maharashtra.

The project will be initiated by Dr Dhananjayrao Gadgil Centre for Sustainable Village Development, a centre of the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in association with city-based NGO Sahaj Jalbodh Abhiyan. This project will be formally inaugurated on Saturday, September 9 at the new seminar hall in the GokhIe Institute.

Speaking about the initiative, Kailas Bawale, project coordinator said, “The Central government has initiated a scheme known as Knowledge-College-Villages. This scheme aims to involve college students in the development of sustainable villages. As a part of this initiative, all the universities are urged to participate in 7 key work sectors based on the sustainable development goal decided by the United Nations. Out of these key 7 sectors, our centre has priorities working in the water sector and for this, we have communicated with colleges as well as the NGO for technical assistance.”

Colleges from 3 regions including Mumbai, Aurangabad, and Vidarbha were contacted and asked to participate in this project. It has received a good response from the colleges and more than 1,000 students have registered to be part of this initiative. In the first training session, Bawale informed.

“Once the students finish their training session which is just a day training program, they will be sent to the fields in a group of 10. They will assess the water resources in the villages like rivers, lakes, groundwater, or any other resources, and a detailed report will be prepared on the same, based on which a management draft will be prepared for each village,” he added.

Upendra Dhonde, founder of the Sahaj Jalbodh Abhiyan movement, said, “In the first phase of the project, we have identified 160 villages that were adopted by the 32 colleges in Maharashtra. To prepare a water management draft for the water resources available in these villages, our team will provide technical training and assistance to the students participating in this program. For this, the NGO has appointed 32 coordinators, one for each college.”