Tarun Bharat Sangh (Young India Association) is a voluntary organization set up in 1975 to provide relief to the victims of a major disaster. Authorities were dead against the organization, as it by-passed all bureaucratic channels and dealt with the
people directly.
Before they lost rights over their common lands and forests, the people of the region had a rich tradition of building
johads, small earthen check-dams which capture and conserve rainwater. Tarun Bharat Sangh has built 3,000 water harvesting structures in 650
villages of Alwar district. Now, prosperity is returning, and the
rivers of the region have started flowing perennially after decades of drought. More water means
better crops for the people; better soil conditions and people do not have to migrate for employment.
TBS started mobilizing
villagers for reconstruction and for ecological restoration. The TBS success story was spread by word of mouth. The neighboring villages immediately agreed to work with them. TBS emphasized three aspects:
- Johads should be built to catch water.
- As the catchment area was totally degraded, the forest had to be protected to halt soil erosion.
- There should be a consensus within the community on the works to be taken up.
TBS always had to fight the state
government, and the forest department opposed them as well. The conflict revolved around the ownership of common lands over which johads are built, and the resources generated by these structures. But this did not deter the volunteers, as they had gained the support of the villagers.
The joint efforts of the villages and TBS have regenerated 6,500 sq km of land in 650 villages. The Aravalli hills are getting green again. Villagers now protect forests and there is a ban on stray grazing. Water tables are constantly rising, and farmers are again restoring wells that had gone dry earlier. The johads have recharged the natural drainage of the river. Many rivers have become perennial, and 250 villages on the banks of these rivers have surplus water.
The economic condition of the villagers has also improved, as agriculture has become self-sustaining. And milk production has gone up by ten times. In other words, the overall quality of life has improved. The TBS has also established 25 schools; children can attend these after finishing their household work.
This change could become possible because the general assembly of eight villages decided to take control of their own development, and not to depend on the government any more. As such, the government did not exist there, so they unanimously decided to work for themselves under the guidance and support of the Tarun Bharat Sangh.
With water came the hope of a better life. Migration to towns and cities has stopped now. Villagers cultivate their own lands, and the yield has more than doubled. The bond among the villagers has also grown stronger as a result. And the apathy of the bureaucracy notwithstanding, the people of Alwar have done all the hard work themselves…
More summaries about the Article: Waters of life