The Meghal flows again....

A group of villagers has revived a dried up river by building checkdams. River Meghal in Junagadh district dried up 15 years ago but this year, thanks to the effort of villagers, it overflowed after the very first spell of rain.
Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) helped the villagers build as many as 1,100 structures, including 54 check dams, along the 70 km length of the river. The cost of the project -it involved labour by 6,500 villagers from early 2000 to 2012 -came to Rs 7 crore.
The Mehgal has now turned into something of a `perennial river' and has boosted farm output and prosperity of villages along its length. Check dams at strategic points ensure that water is available in the river throughout the year.
Sonigbhai Dhandhiya, a farmer from Nani Dhanej, now grows three crops a year. Earlier, he had to be content with only one during the monsoon. Dhandhiya has been able to renovate his house.
Apurva Oza of AKRSP said they had used a three-pronged approach for the Meghal River Basin Project. “Massive community participation, construction of check dams and use of traditional rain water harvesting measures revived the river,“ he said.
Meghal originates in Kanada Dungur of Mendarda taluka in Junagadh district, and flows into the Arabian Sea at Chorwad. Despite its short length, it is very important for people of Maliya, Mendarda, Keshod and Mangrol talukas. Villagers say that earlier it was called Lokmata (Mother Goddess). The revival of the river has ensured that 54 villages in the four talukas -and nearly 5,000 hectares of land -will not face water scarcity. Ramesh Makwana, officer at AKRSP at Gadu, said they wanted ensure that no water, which was stopped from flowing into the sea, was wasted. “Apart from water management committees comprising local villagers, there is an overall Meghal Core Group. It has also promoted use of drip irrigation and sprinklers,“ said Makwana. Of the 6,500 beneficiaries of the project, 5,100 have already adopted drip irrigation and sprinklers. It was also decided to widen and deepen the river before building check dams as it was necessary to avoid flooding. The farmers stood to lose land if the river was widened. But when they were told about the benefits, they agreed to give part of their land. The river stream in Bhadhedadi and Gabardi is now wider by 5-10 feet and deeper by around 35 feet and has saved farms from flooding.