We are well aware of the most awaited and much-discussed national river interlinking project,While Our government’s still in dilemma over the implementation from long time ago which was supposed to get granted during the NDA’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee Regime. May be our government’s have fallen back over its implementation. But the idea of interlinking water bodies has impressed a farmer in Satara district of Maharashtra.

According to the reports , Taking a cue from the much-discussed national river interlinking project, which proved a non-starter, a farmer in Satara district has managed to successfully connect the wells in his own village. Jotiram Pawar’s project has brought about 150 acres of dry farmland in Dhavadshi village under irrigation and helped create a water bank to ensure perennial supply for farmlands.

“I had been reading about the river-interlinking project for years,” said Pawar, who studied till Class X and is in his 40s now. “One day while I was working in my field, the idea to interlink wells struck me. I thought if the government was not doing anything, we should try something on our own. So, why not interlink wells in the village and create a common water bank for everyone to use?” He found support from Satara-based dental surgeon Avinash Pol, who set out to convince other farmers to join the project. Pol said they began in 2010.”The model was simple: connect the target wells with pipelines and lift the water using electric motors,” he said.

Initially, it was difficult to convince farmers to share their water with others. Those having wells were not ready to share it with others who were dependent on rain.A series of meetings were conducted and Pawar was the first to offer his well for the project. Soon, many others joined them. “The project cost Rs 7 lakh and about 11,000 ft of pipeline has been laid to complete the network,” said Pol.”Farmers shared the cost of the project without government aid. More farmers are now joining the project while some still continue to oppose it.Farmers share water at nominal charges. During summer, when wells go dry, sharing helps keep the crops alive. We’re also constructing bunds so the groundwater table remains good.” Today , this village with a population of 2,000, has become an inspiration for farmers from nearby areas.