Umashankar Pandey: Today, Jakhani village of Bundelkhand has tied the hope of the thirsty earth. It is known as the first water village of India. Jakhani village, 14 kilometers away from Banda district, was also facing the problem of water shortage, but when the entire Bundelkhand is dry, there is no shortage of water in Jakhani village. The water sources here are full of water. Jal Bhagidari and community initiative have an important role in achieving this goal, but the credit for making this work possible goes to farmer Umashankar Pandey, who coined the slogan of ‘Khet Pup Medh and Medh Par Ped’.
To ensure the availability of water, Umashankar Pandey first made his fields bunded, so that rain water could be stopped and to save this water, planted trees on the farm bunds, because the roots of the trees keep the soil tied, due to which The circulation of water becomes easy.
Experts say that this is not a new model, but has been running since ancient times. Earlier, farmers also used to plant amla, lemon, drumstick and guava trees by fencing the field, which were beneficial for the environment as well as water conservation, farm and farmers’ income.
Paddy started growing in Bundelkhand
Umashankar Pandey’s recipe of ram on farm and tree on ram started working and due to water conservation the ground water level also started improving. He joined hands with other farmers and the youths who were moving towards migration. Motivated for field embankment and after the success of water conservation, the drought-prone village Jakhni of Bundelkhand got ready for paddy cultivation.
Paddy crop was planted here for the first time between 2007 and 2008, which yielded 500 quintals of basmati and 300 quintals of wheat. The result of this was that the people who were leaving their barren fields and moving towards the cities, now started farming by staying in the villages.
Paddy yield of 20,000 quintals was found in Jakhani village of drought-hit Bundelkhand, after which Jakhani village came under the notice of the administration. Seeing the model of water conservation being adopted here, NITI Aayog declared it the country’s first water village.
Water conservation is being done in this village with traditional methods without any government help, which is an inspiring model for drought-prone areas. Today, Jakhni village in the midst of drought-hit Bundelkhand is flourishing with greenery.
Agriculture increased due to water conservation, migration stopped
In the report of The Better India, Bhagirath of Jakhni village and Umashankar Pandey, selected for the Padma Shri award, say that today water has opened the way for every facility in the village. The main objective of water conservation was to speed up agriculture by stopping migration.
When water was conserved, the farmers returned on their own and farming started. According to the report, today every small and big farmer of Jakhani village has agricultural equipment and tractor for farming. The women of the village are also empowering themselves by joining self-help groups.
This journey does not end here. On the lines of Jakhani, water conservation work is being done by planting trees in another village of Bundelkhand. Ugashankar Pandey, the pioneer of this model, has made the land of Jakhni happy again today.
Former GM of Banda and Dr. Hiralal, who implemented Jakhni’s model in 470 villages of Banda, has also added the story of Jakhni Jal Gram in his book Dynamic DM. Supporting the hard work of Uma Shankar Pandey behind this model, he said that being selected for the Padma Shri award is the result of Umashankar Pandey’s selfless service.
Let us tell you that NITI Aayog has also told the model of ram on Uma Shankar Pandey’s field and tree on ram as a way to overcome the water crisis, which should be adopted by the farming community in drought-affected areas. In the year 2020, Jakhni village was in limelight when PM Modi mentioned the model of Jal Gram in his Mann Ki Baat programme.
These honors have been received before Padma Shri
Bhagirath farmer Umashankar Pandey of Bundelkhand, who has recently been selected for the Padma Shri award, says that instead of always cursing the darkness, I thought it appropriate to light a lamp made of clay. That was all an ordinary farmer like me could do. Let us inform that Umashankar Pandey has been awarded many national-international level awards for changing the picture of Jakhani and providing an easy model of water conservation to the world.
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