Page 52 - Mann ki Baat (English)

big changes become possible
only when public participation
and local initiatives join hands.
Keeping this objective in mind,
I started "Pani Bowo, Pani Ugao"
campaign in 2012 in the hilly
areas of Uttarakhand. My aim
was to hold the water on the farm
land itself so that the ground
water level increases. The main
idea behind this campaign is
to sow every drop of rain water,
considering the same as a seed.
Under this campaign, small
water tanks are raised on the dry
and barren agriculture land to
collect rain water . Many water
sources in hilly areas which had
gone dry got a fresh lease of life
through these tiny tanks built
on dry farm land. Thousands of
such small tanks, called "Khaav"
in regional language, have so far
been built there. Riskun River had
almost dried at one time and
had turned into a seasonal river
in 2005 but now it has started
flowing again. This is the proof

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