Does your village still have the same amount of water in rivers, springs or ponds as it used to be 15-20 years ago? Probably not! Because, in the modern lifestyle, we have not given any place to these water sources. This is the reason that in most areas of the country, the water crisis is clouding. But, today we are introducing you to a person from Uttarakhand who has given a new life to an old waterfall in his village. Today, through their efforts, this waterfall remains the lifeline of hundreds of families.
This story is about Jagdish Chandra Kuniyal, a resident of Sirkot village in Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand. Along with their fields and tea gardens, the waterfalls were also saved. This waterfall surrounded by greenery, not only the villagers are getting water, but also many nearby villages, it is supplying water. The locals call it Gadera.
Jagdish, 55, says that he has seen the damage to the environment, even in his area. Due to the frequent cutting of trees, the forests began to shrink and this directly affected the groundwater level. As the groundwater level decreased, such natural springs also began to dry up.
Businesslend Speaking to him, he said, “In the early 1990s, I felt that I should do something now. I was heavily influenced by the Chipko movement. Therefore, I thought that the damage done by cutting trees will only be done by planting trees. Therefore, I decided that wherever the place is vacant due to cutting of trees, I will plant there. ”
Thousands of trees planted:
Having studied only till eighth grade, Jagdish started this work alone. He saw that this village in his village was constantly drying up and the only way to save it was to plant as many trees as possible. However, the task was not easy.
Says Jagdish, “I tried to plant trees till the year 2000, but very few of them survived. Because, I used to plant saplings and animals would eat them or sometimes even children would break them in sports and games. People of the village also used to make fun of me, saying that you will not benefit from planting trees here and there. In these ten years, the donkey had almost dried up so I thought I would have to do something else. ”
Jagdish changed his course and started planting a tea plantation around this waterfall. To take care of this plantation, he also hired a laborer. This, along with taking care of the plantation, could not harm any plants. Along with this, Jagdish continued to plant more trees and also took full care of them.
Their hard work started to pay off. As the forest increased in the area, the ground water level also increased. In the year 2012, for the first time Jagdish noticed that the water that had dried up the donkey has started coming back again. When the people of the village started getting some water from this, they realized how important Jagdish’s efforts were. Subsequently, they also planted saplings in other parts of the village. In the last 30 years, he has planted around 15,000 trees in his village.
He says, “I plant hundreds of trees every year during the rainy month. Last year due to less rainfall, some trees had also dried up. ”
Jagdish has done all these works with his own money. He has little land for farming and runs a ration shop. Vinod Devaradi, a local resident of his village, says, “Now this donkey is helping not only our village but also the surrounding villages. More than 150 families of the village depend on this donkey for water. In agriculture too, it helps us a lot. This is the result of Jagdish ji’s efforts and now we all villagers are with him in this work. ”
Local resident Gopal Dutt says that in other villages too, Jagdish’s works are being discussed. His village has become a better example. Taking inspiration from this, other people are also taking this kind of initiative.
Appreciation received from the Prime Minister:
Jagdish says that some time ago, a journalist wrote about his work for the first time. From there, the Prime Minister came to know about Jagdish’s actions and praised Jagdish in his program, ‘Mann Ki Baat’. He explains about this, “I am very happy to appreciate the Prime Minister. But, I have not done any major work. Whatever I did, it is for me and my village and everyone should do such work. Our entire village is getting water today, greenery has increased everywhere in the village, what else would be better than this? ”
Jagdish, who always gives priority to environmental interest, never shies away from helping anyone. They believe that only your good works can carry you forward. By helping someone financially, you will not have any shortage, rather your self-satisfaction will increase.
He says, “I never thought that I had less resources.” I only helped people as much as I could. The result of this good work is that all four of my children are literate today. Both my sons and a daughter are doing a good job. At the same time, my younger daughter is still studying. My whole family supports me in these works. ”
Jagdish does not crave any award, he just wants to keep working for his village, environment and people.
Businesslend Salutes this spirit of Jagdish and wishes him a bright future.
If you are inspired by this story, you can contact Jagdish Chandra Kuniyal at 9627375779.
Inputs: hindi.thebetterindia.com
