Accepted Papers - 3.pdf - UNESCO

04. Natural Water harvesting at Solaj Mine:
The Solaj mine of the company is a very
interesting example of natural water harvesting in
the active mining pits. At Solaj, almost over 30 m.
thick layer of impervious marl underlies the top
capping of limestone (two to six meters thick).
During the rainy season, once the limestone layer
is saturated with water, the marl layer doesn’t allow
percolation of the water below. Consequently, the
water starts oozing out of the limestone, water
logging the fields, damaging the crop and ultimately
flowing away in the natural drains.
Subsequent to the mining activities of the
company at Solaj, the water started flowing from
the opened up limestone mining faces into the active
pits, eliminating water logging of the adjacent fields.
As the pits advanced, both laterally & vertically,
more amount of water started accumulating in the
pits. The company planned the working in such a
fashion that both limestone & marl could be
excavated without resorting to any dewatering of
the pits.
Large amount of water started accumulating
in the various pits at Solaj every year. Lateron, the
villagers approached the company to allow them to
draw water from the pits, using their own diesel
pumps. This resulted in better crop yield to the
adjacent farmers due to availability of water almost
round the year. This year (2006), almost 1.50 million
cubic meter of water could be collected in various
pits at Solaj. Once again a perennial water
harvesting system with no revenue expenditure. The
villagers now consider the Solaj mine as less of a
mine and more of a reservoir, contributing positive
impacts to their lives.
B. Water Resources Management by Ambuja
Cement Foundation :
Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF), a Non-
Government Foundation and community
development wing of Gujarat Ambuja Cements
Limited, formulates and implements various
community development activities. Its mission is
“to energize, involve and enable the communities
to realize their potential.” It addresses the
community land, water, forest and other issues
through a large number of interventions such as
water resources development including prevention
of salinity ingress, watershed management,
wasteland and pasture land development, farmer
419
friendly agricultural techniques, health and education
needs etc. through various innovative programs
managed by well qualified and trained dedicated and
committed staff. Amongst all the above programs,
water resources development, watershed
management and prevention of salinity ingress are
accorded highest priority.
01. Recharging BARDA BHANDARA from
Singoda river through underground pipe line :
Near the company’s port facilities at
Muldwarka, there exists a large Bhandara (tidal
regulator), meant to store huge quantity of surface
run off (capacity 4.67 MCM). However,
unfortunately there was no large source of surface
run off to this bhandara and the available facility
could not be used fully for the desired gains. In the
year 2001, ACF evaluated the possibility of bringing
in water from the only source available nearby, the
river Singoda. But the river was flowing at a distance
of 1 km. from the bhandara and apparently no way
seemed feasible to connect the river with the
bhandara as the area in between was private
agricultural lands. One of the possibilities that
emerged was to lay an underground pipeline from
the riverbank. However, it required digging up of
the agricultural land and hence, consent and
willingness of the farmers was critical. The detail
scheme was formulated and explained to the nearby
farmers of four villages, & specially to the ones
whose fields would be required to be dug up for
laying the pipeline. The perennial and long-term
advantages of the scheme were also explained. After
deliberating the issue for long, the villagers
ultimately agreed for the implementation of the
scheme.
The 600 meters long underground pipeline of
900 mm dia RCC pipe was laid from the river bank
to the bhandara through the private agricultural
fields and the line was again covered up with soil
to repair the agricultural fields. Simultaneously, a
checkdam was made across the river Singoda to
enable transfer of water from the river to the
bhandara under pressure. The entire work was
completed in less than six month’s time at a cost of
around Rs. 6 lacs. In the rainy season, the river water
filled up the bhandara, like never before. It resulted
in collection of around 4.67 MCM million cubic
meters of rainwater in the bhandara for the first time
in the monsoon of year 2002.