India's Water Revolution #2: The Biggest Permaculture Project on Earth! with the Paani Foundation

Summary

The script documents the transformative journey of the Paani Foundation in India, focusing on the village of Velu, which won the first 'Water Cup' competition in 2016. Through innovative water harvesting structures, Velu successfully recharged its groundwater, overcoming drought and establishing water resilience. The Paani Foundation's work extends beyond water management, integrating permaculture principles to foster ecological, economic, and social prosperity. The 'Prosperous Village' Competition aims to deepen this holistic approach, promoting soil and water conservation, forest restoration, and community prosperity.

Takeaways

• 🌊 The Paani Foundation's Water Cup Competition encourages villages to install water harvesting structures to recharge groundwater during the monsoon season.
• 🏆 Velu village won the first Water Cup in 2016 and has continued to work on their groundwater recharge projects, serving as a model for other villages.
• 🌧️ Maharashtra's arid regions receive most of their annual rainfall in just three months, necessitating efficient water management for the dry season.
• 🚰 Hand-dug wells are crucial for supplying water to villages when other sources dry up, highlighting the importance of maintaining groundwater levels.
• 💧 The focus of the Water Cup Competition is on building structures that allow monsoon rains to soak into the ground and replenish groundwater resources.
• 🛠️ Velu village developed an innovative design for recharging groundwater by using an underground pipeline to divert water from a large reservoir to percolation tanks.
• 🌳 The project in Velu has not only improved water availability but also positively impacted the local ecosystem, bringing back the sounds of animals and birds.
• 🌱 The Paani Foundation's work aligns with permaculture principles, although they do not explicitly use the term, focusing on holistic landscape systems.
• 🏘️ The 'Prosperous Village' Competition is the next phase, challenging villages to further develop in areas of soil conservation, water management, and economic prosperity.
• 🌿 The competition evaluates villages on six main topics, including soil and water conservation, tree cover, and income generation for families.
• 🌍 The Paani Foundation's impact is vast, with 550 billion liters of water storage created and 51,000 people trained in watershed restoration in just four years.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of the Paani Foundation's Water Cup Competition?

The primary purpose of the Paani Foundation's Water Cup Competition is to encourage villages to install the most amount of water harvesting structures in a 45-day period, with the goal of recharging groundwater resources and combating drought.

Why is the village of Velu significant in the context of the Water Cup Competition?

Velu is significant because it was the first place winner of the very first water cup competition held in 2016, and it has continued to work on its groundwater recharge projects even years after the victory.

What is the average annual rainfall in the village of Velu, and how does this affect the village's water supply?

The village of Velu receives around 250-300 mm (8-12 inches) of rainfall per year. This limited rainfall means that all the water needed for drinking and farming must be collected during a short period and must last through the long, dry season.

How do villagers typically obtain water when natural sources like creeks and ponds have dried up?

When natural water sources dry up, villagers typically obtain water by pumping from hand-dug wells, which tap into the groundwater, essential for their survival and farming activities.

What is the role of the percolation tank in Velu's water management system?

The percolation tank in Velu is designed to percolate water after the rainy season, thereby increasing the groundwater table. However, if built on a rocky area, it may not be effective in soaking water into the ground.

What innovative solution did the villagers of Velu come up with to address the ineffectiveness of their percolation tank?

The villagers of Velu raised the level of the spillway, allowing the water level in the reservoir to rise. This enabled the water to flow through a gate on the other side of the reservoir into an underground pipeline, which then distributed the water to other percolation tanks to fill them up and recharge the groundwater.

How does the improved water management system benefit not only Velu but also the downstream villages?

The improved water management system allows water to seep slowly underground, making it available for Velu and the downstream villages throughout the year. This helps in creating a stable water supply for multiple communities.

What is the 'Prosperous Village' Competition, and how does it build upon the success of the Water Cup Competition?

The 'Prosperous Village' Competition is the next phase of the Paani Foundation's work, open only to the villages that solved their water issues during the first competition. It focuses on six main topics including soil and water conservation, water management, soil quality restoration, tree cover increase, grassland creation, and income generation for families, aiming to promote holistic village development.

How does the Paani Foundation's work align with the principles of permaculture, even though they do not use the term?

The Paani Foundation's work aligns with permaculture principles by focusing on water management as the foundation for building thriving ecosystems, biodiverse agriculture, and prosperous communities. Their holistic approach to ecological, economic, and social prosperity reflects the core tenets of permaculture.

What impact has the Paani Foundation had on water storage capacity and community training in the past four years?

In the past four years, the Paani Foundation has created 550 billion litres of water storage capacity and trained 51,000 people in watershed restoration, significantly contributing to water security and community empowerment.

What is the next destination for the 'India’s Water Revolution' series, and what can viewers expect to learn?

The next destination for the 'India’s Water Revolution' series is the State of West Bengal, where viewers can expect to learn about water harvesting projects in remote tribal villages and the work being done on marginal lands by marginalized communities.

Outlines

00:00

🌧️ Groundwater Recharge Success in Velu Village

The first paragraph introduces the Paani Foundation's mission and the Water Cup Competition, highlighting the village of Velu in Maharashtra as a prime example of successful water management. Velu, the winner of the first competition in 2016, has continued to develop its groundwater recharge projects despite the region's arid conditions and limited annual rainfall. The village's reliance on monsoons for water supply and the critical need to recharge groundwater during this short period are emphasized. The narrative details the innovative water harvesting structures, including a percolation tank built on a rocky area that initially failed to recharge groundwater. The villagers' subsequent realization to raise the spillway level, redirecting water flow through an underground pipeline to other percolation tanks, successfully increased the groundwater table and transformed Velu into a model for water resilience.

05:01

🌿 Permaculture Principles in Velu's Water Management

The second paragraph delves into the transformative impact of the Paani Foundation's work, which, while not explicitly labeled as permaculture, embodies its core principles. It describes how Velu village and over a thousand others in Maharashtra have resolved their water scarcity issues through sustainable groundwater recharge systems. The 'Prosperous Village' Competition is introduced as the next phase, focusing on six key areas including soil and water conservation, water management, soil health, tree cover, grassland restoration, and income generation for families. This holistic approach not only benefits the human community but also enhances habitat, biodiversity, and ecosystem health, illustrating a permaculture design that considers social, economic, and environmental factors for long-term prosperity.

10:07

🚀 Paani Foundation's Vision for a Water-Secure India

In the final paragraph, Aamir Khan, a prominent figure associated with the Paani Foundation, passionately calls for action against drought, framing the Foundation's work as the world's largest permaculture project. The script invites viewers to follow the journey across India, with a forthcoming episode focusing on West Bengal's tribal villages, where water harvesting projects are being implemented on marginal lands by marginalized communities. The Paani Foundation's achievements are highlighted, with the creation of 550 billion liters of water storage capacity and the training of 51,000 individuals in watershed restoration, showcasing a scalable and replicable model for water security.

Keywords

💡Watershed Treatment

Watershed treatment refers to the management of an area of land that drains all the streams and rivers flowing into a body of water, such as a lake or reservoir. In the context of the video, watershed treatment is used to slow down the water flow, which helps in reducing erosion and increasing the infiltration of water into the ground, thus recharging the groundwater. The script mentions that due to watershed treatment, the speed of water flow is reduced, which is a key strategy in water conservation and management.

💡Paani Foundation

The Paani Foundation is an organization that is central to the video's narrative. It is involved in promoting water conservation and management practices in rural India. The foundation organizes a competition among villages to install water harvesting structures, which is a testament to its commitment to sustainable water use. The script describes the Paani Foundation's Chief Advisor, Dr. Avinash Pol, and their initiatives in the village of Velu, highlighting the foundation's role in addressing water scarcity issues.

💡Groundwater Recharge

Groundwater recharge is the process of replenishing depleted groundwater sources through artificial or natural means. In the video, the focus is on increasing groundwater resources by constructing water harvesting structures that capture monsoon rains and allow the water to seep into the ground. The script explains how Velu village has successfully implemented these structures, leading to a significant increase in their groundwater table and ensuring a sustainable water supply.

💡Monsoon

Monsoon refers to a seasonal wind in South Asia, typically bringing heavy rainfall. The video script describes how regions like Maharashtra receive the majority of their annual rainfall during the monsoon season, which lasts for about three months. This concentrated rainfall is crucial for the water harvesting efforts described, as it provides the water needed to recharge the groundwater for the dry months ahead.

💡Hand-Dug Wells

Hand-dug wells are a traditional method of accessing groundwater, created by digging into the ground by hand or with simple tools. In the context of the video, hand-dug wells are the primary source of water for the villagers when other water sources like creeks and ponds dry up. The script mentions that when wells run dry, villagers face severe water scarcity, emphasizing the importance of effective water management.

💡Percolation Tank

A percolation tank is a structure designed to allow water to seep into the ground, thereby recharging the groundwater. In the video, the script discusses the importance of percolation tanks in Velu village, explaining how they were initially ineffective due to being built on rocky ground. However, by raising the spillway, the villagers were able to redirect water into the percolation tanks, which then helped to increase the groundwater table.

💡Waste Weir

A waste weir, as mentioned in the script, is a structure that allows excess water to flow out of a reservoir or tank. In the context of the video, the term is used to describe the original design flaw in the percolation tank, where water was not being effectively used to recharge the groundwater but was instead wasted by flowing out. The villagers' innovative solution was to raise the waste weir, allowing water to be redirected into an underground pipeline.

💡Prosperous Village Competition

The Prosperous Village Competition is an initiative by the Paani Foundation that builds on the success of the Water Cup Competition. It is a two-year competition open to villages that have solved their water issues, focusing on broader aspects of village development, including soil and water conservation, water management, soil health, tree cover, grasslands, and income generation. The script highlights this competition as the next phase in the Paani Foundation's work, aiming to create holistic village development.

💡Permaculture

Permaculture is a system of agricultural and social design principles that aim to create sustainable and self-sufficient communities by working with, and mimicking, the patterns and features observed in natural ecosystems. Although the Paani Foundation does not explicitly use the term, the script describes their work as embodying the principles of permaculture. The foundation's focus on water management as the foundation for building thriving ecosystems, biodiverse agriculture, and prosperous communities aligns with permaculture's holistic approach.

💡Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a community of living organisms, such as plants, animals, and microorganisms, interacting with each other and their physical environment. The video script discusses how the water conservation efforts in Velu village have not only benefited the human community but also the local ecosystem. The script mentions the return of animal and bird sounds, indicating a healthier and more diverse ecosystem due to the preservation of forest land and improved water management.

💡Aquifer

An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be extracted. In the video, the script highlights the Paani Foundation's success in recharging aquifers across thousands of villages, which has significantly increased water storage capacity and contributed to the overall water security of these communities.

Highlights

The Paani Foundation's competition encourages villages to install water harvesting structures, with Velu winning the first 'Water Cup' in 2016.

Velu, in Maharashtra, receives only 250-300 mm of rainfall annually, making groundwater essential for survival.

The village's innovative approach to groundwater recharge involves the use of percolation tanks and a 'waste weir'.

Despite a large watershed, the initial percolation tank was ineffective due to its construction on bedrock.

Velu's villagers adapted by raising the spillway to redirect water to other percolation tanks, effectively recharging groundwater.

The project's success has led to all percolation tanks being filled, recharging wells and bore wells, and supporting the local ecosystem.

Over 1000 villages in Maharashtra have solved their water problems through stable groundwater recharging systems.

The Paani Foundation moves beyond water management to holistically address ecological, economic, and social prosperity.

The 'Prosperous Village' Competition focuses on six main topics including soil conservation, water management, and income generation.

The competition requires extensive cooperation and coordination across the village for holistic landscape management.

The Paani Foundation's work is considered the largest permaculture project on Earth, despite not using the term.

In four years, the foundation has created 550 billion liters of water storage capacity and trained 51,000 people.

The project's impact extends to habitat improvement, species diversity, and overall ecosystem health.

The Paani Foundation's approach to water management is a critical step towards sustainable development in arid regions.

The next phase of the foundation's work involves a deeper engagement with villages to ensure long-term prosperity.

The foundation's holistic approach to water and soil management has transformed drylands into thriving ecosystems.

The 'Water Cup' competition is just the beginning, with the 'Prosperous Village' Competition aiming for even greater achievements.

Transcripts

Couple of years

There is no waterfall we see

Because of the watershed treatment

Slow. It reduces the speed.

In the last episode, we took a journey with the Paani Foundation

and learned about their competition between thousands of villages

to see who can install the most amount of water harvesting structures in a 45 day period.

In this episode, we journey again with the Paani Foundation’s Chief Advisor, Dr. Avinash Pol

to the village of Velu, located in an arid area of the state of Maharashtra, that receives around 250-300 mm (8-12”) of rainfall per year.

Velu was the first place winner of the very first water cup competition held in 2016.

Velu! (announcement of winner)

(celebrations)

This was a huge deal for them.

And when I visited more than three years after their victory, they were continuing to work on their groundwater recharge projects.

This part of India receives nearly all of its rainfall during the 3 month monsoons.

They can then be dry for the entire 9 months remaining in the year.

So all of the water they have for drinking and farming comes in a short period of time,

and needs to last all the way through the long, dry season.

Once creeks and ponds have dried up after the rains, people are mostly getting water for their homes and crops by pumping from hand-dug wells.

This groundwater is the life blood of the village.

When wells run dry, villagers have to import water in tanker trucks or migrate away in search of work until the monsoons come again.

This is why recharging groundwater is the focus of the Water Cup Competition.

When water harvesting structures are built that soak the monsoon rains into the ground, groundwater resources increase very quickly,

and this is what has happened in the village of Velu, since they won the competition in 2016.

We travelled over bumpy roads to Velu village to see the unique design they have developed for recharging the groundwater table.

We arrived at the village, where we were met by a gang of older men on motorcycles who would take us throughout the watershed to see their work.

So right now we are in the Village Velu

which is in Koregaon taluka, in district Satara of Maharashtra.

This is one of the innovative projects.

On the back side of me, you can watch a percolation tank

The purpose of the percolation tank is

to percolate the water,

after the rainy season.

And it starts to increase the groundwater table.

But, but,

due to the improper site...

This percolation tank is made on a rocky area.

That's why the water does not percolate into the ground

In the rainy season, the water goes from this area (gesturing)

This is called the "waste weir".

And it reaches to the river, at least for four months.

And this water will remain for the full year,

because it is on the rocky base.

So although this reservoir has a large watershed of over 1,100 acres,

it was built over bedrock and was not soaking any water into the groundwater table.

Even though lots of rain would runoff during the monsoon season,

the water would just spill through the reservoir and flow on down the stream,

and out of the village, without recharging the groundwater table.

Meanwhile, as the village was drying up, 4 water percolation tanks, just up from the village, sat mostly empty.

These tanks were built originally to fill with rains and recharge the groundwater in the village,

but they have much smaller areas of land draining into them,

and had not filled during the last 25 years of relative drought.

The villagers realized that if they raised the level of the spillway,

what Dr. Pol referred to as a waste weir,

then the water level in the whole reservoir would rise,

and instead of all the water gushing through the spillway,

they could get the water to flow through a gate on the other side of the reservoir.

This gate then puts the water into an underground pipeline,

that flows by gravity using no electricity,

and the water is moved across the land, to the other 4 percolation tanks to fill them up.

From the tanks, the water soaks into the groundwater table,

and is stored in the ground for village and farm use.

So instead of a huge amount of water being lost out of the village quickly, as surface flow, during the rainy season,

it now seeps slowly underground, making it available not only for Velu,

but for the many villages downstream of Velu as well.

Due to this project,

all percolation tanks are now filled with full of water,

which increases the level of groundwater.

All the wells get recharged.

All the bore wells get recharged

And another important thing is that

you can hear a voice of the...

you can hear a voice of the animals.

Birds.

You can hear!

This voice, which is not heard a few years back,

because, totally, it is a dryland

Now, from a couple of years,

we preserve all this forest land.

And that's why the ecosystem also, is now changing.

Velu village is a really advanced example of the work of the Paani Foundation.

They have solved their water problems.

And of the thousands of villages that competed in the Water Cup Competition in the last 4 years,

over 1000 of those villages in the state of Maharashtra can say the same:

they have completely and permanently solved their water problems with a stable system for recharging groundwater.

They have established water resilience and defeated drought.

So what’s next?!

The Paani Foundation doesn’t use the word Permaculture to describe what they do, but their work is permaculture to its core.

From the permaculture perspective, water management structures serve as the bones of a landscape system,

and built on top of those bones, we find the body of organic soil, forests, thriving ecosystems, biodiverse agriculture, and prosperous communities.

Water is not the end of the design, it is the beginning.

The "Water Cup" competition is just the first step.

And now the Paani Foundation has moved on to the next phase of their work: the 'Prosperous Village' Competition.

This next phase of the competition is only open to the 1,000 villages that completely solved their water issues during the first competition.

The duration of this next competition is 2 years, and it goes in depth into these 6 main topics that the villages are judged on:

1) Soil and water conservation

2) Water management and budgeting

3) Restoring soil quality and health

4) Increasing tree cover and growing forests

5) Creating protected grasslands of nutritious and palatable grasses

6) Creating the basis for every family to increase their income

So imagine, for a moment, what type of cooperation and coordination it takes for a village to achieve all these goals over the entire landscape that it governs, and to win the competition.

Water and soil management on every farm and common land,

tree planting and forest establishment on private and community lands,

and having every single family in the village prosper from these developments.

These people need to truly reckon with social, economic, political, and physical realities,

in a wholistic design for their village, in order to accomplish this.

And as we’ve seen, the benefits are not just for the people,

but habitat, species diversity, and ecosystem health are also increased.

That, right there, is permaculture at its core!

The Paani Foundation has had thousands of villages recharging their aquifers,

and now, over 1000 villages working in a holistic manner on their ecological, economic, and social prosperity.

So far we’ve looked at just 2 of these villages, Garavadi and Velu, and the scale of the land that they have improved.

So imagine these projects we have seen, multiplied thousands of times.

In just 4 years the Paani Foundation has created 550 billion litres of water storage capacity

and trained 51,000 people in watershed restoration.

(Aamir Khan): It steals our food, it steals our water

Let's shoot the drought!

It steals our food, it steals our water

Let's shoot the drought!

It steals our food, it steals our water

Let's shoot the drought!

They don’t use the word 'Permaculture' to describe what they do, but I’m naming the work of the Paani Foundation as the biggest permaculture project on Earth.

Please make sure to subscribe and join us for our next episode of India’s Water Revolution,

where we travel across India, to the State of West Bengal,

where we tour the water harvesting projects in remote tribal villages,

where good work is being done on the most marginal lands by the most marginalized people.