Website Review: http://www.wotr.org
http://www.wotr.org
The concept of water harvesting is catching like wild fire across the length and breadth of the nation. For those interested in knowing more about the concept and how to implement it, this is the right site. Watershed Organisation Trust (wotr) based in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, helps rural communities and ngos, towards initiating and sustaining water conservation.
The website explains in detail the philosophy and practice of watershed development and the beneficial effects such structures have on rural communities and landscapes. The examples provided on the site make it hard to ignore the organisation's claims. The impact data of Mendhwan, Sherikoldara and Darewadi watersheds, all in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra, tell rousing tales of plenty and prosperity. For instance, increase in biomass has swelled fodder supply by 50 per cent to 400 per cent in most of the project villages.
wotr, instituted under the auspices of the Indo-German Watershed Development Programme, provides help in all conceivable areas related to watershed management and self-help promotion, including technical aid, women empowerment, micro-credit and information technology. The organisation houses its own training centre at Darewadi village, which was once completely barren but is today a transformed place thanks to watershed development. The training centre is open to village communities and institutions for utilisation. The website also provides a list of sister sites for those thirsty for more information on water conservation.