Here are the pictures of the Vitabhojdari village (Dist.:Ahmednagar,Maharashtra) before the rains and after the rains, the effect of the efforts being visible from the growth of vegetation.
CCT i.e. the Continuous Contour Trenching, is a method of making trenches along the hill slopes, on plain terrains as well as the mountain terrain; thus possibly covering every type of terrain in India except the cold deserts and the hot deserts. This particular method involves making trenches of a particular width and depth and then marked with a special instrument called the Contour Marker.
The Contour Marker is a shaft-like instrument measuring 1 -1.5 meters in length with marking along its length and a tube filled with water, attached to it. This water helps in knowing the equal height areas for it to be marked on the ground. On the onset of monsoon the trenches are planted with indigenous variety of plants which hold up water and soil. Thus, the permanent structure like a tree crown is seen on the hills which harvest the rains every monsoon.
The CCT technique has been founded by Dr. Dhonde, a lecturer at Mahatma Phule Agricultural College, Pune who has executed a similar miracle in Nigeria over an area of 10,000 hectares.
The idea behind this noble and unique method is as simple as the person himself-
“Water that is running, make it to walk,
Water that is walking, make it stop,
Water that has stopped, allow it to be absorbed”
The once dry and arid regions that had no supply of drinking water for months together and had people migrating out in search of work, are now witness to people coming back due to the lush green and water field wells assuring them a secured future in their very own lands.
This change was possible due to the efforts of Mr.Vasant Takalkar, who in this 37 years of service as a professional forester has made this unbelievable change in Solapur, Ahmednagar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Pune and some other rural areas of Maharashtra. The number of district is only increasing with his present work in Amravati and Akola districts of Maharashtra. The total area of his work ranges above 37,000 hectares and in excess of 46,000 km running length of CCT.
According to his calculations, for a family of three person and with three animals in a village, the average water requirement is around 1,30,000 liters of water per year, without agricultural use; i.e. approximately 13 tankers of water. Considering that Maharashtra receives 600-650 mm of rainfall on an average, with 35-40 rainy days on an average, it receives approximately 510 tankers of water. Of which, if we consider 275 tankers of water for direct use (considering the water losses through infiltration, run-off, etc.), we get ample amount of rainfall to last for a whole year.
In conditions where Maharashtra has 70-75% of agriculture dependent on rainfall, this CCT technique will certainly prove fruitful for Maharashtra as well as the whole of the India. Following is a picture of the Vard village of Chopda taluk, from the Jalgaon district of Maharshtra, where the tribal ladies are beaming with pride over their water filled wells and their crop filled lands even in mid-summers.
In spite of being faced with stiff opposition from his colleagues, workers and the local people, Mr Takalkar with a distant vision stood by his work to give the drought hit region a new hope to life. Mr Takalkar had a multifaceted experience spanning over 4 decades in forest management – covering all aspects such as management of natural forests, exploitation, depot management including grading of timber transport, sales etc. He was also responsible for forestation on a massive scale, soil and water conservation, nursery raising, maintenance of plantations, and developing support functions required for the same including training and administration of dedicated forest staff as well as casual labor.
He accomplished forestation, and soil and moisture conservation activities through his technique of CCT, generating an employment of 5 million man days for transient/casual labor, indirectly aiding the State Government achieve its targets. He was the first conservator to achieve an average plant survival rate of 95% by adopting innovative techniques, as against the observed average of 60 – 65% in the same climatic zone.
Undertaking forestation activities on inclinations (hill slopes) up to 80% as against recommended 33% inclinations; thereby establishing new benchmarks for forestation in a given terrain. He was also instrumental in the formation of Joint Forests Management Committees in 841 villages in and around forests in Dhule Forest circle for participatory management.
Although awarded with Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Award for the year 2003, Shankarrao Kirloskar Shatabdi Smriti Samiti and many others, this man still remains down to earth and works with the students of Solapur university, Pune university and presently works as a full time consultant for Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited, by empowering the youth with this unique technique.
To honor the immense contributions by Mr Takalkar, the Government of Maharashtra has named his CCT technique as the “Takalkar Pattern”.
Mr Vasant Takalkar can be reached at:
E Mail: vasantt@mkcl.org; takalkarvasant@gmail.com
Address
1195/2-C, Mukund Apartments, Shivajinagar, Pune (Maharashtra) – 411005
Phone: 02025535719 ( R), 020-25661317 /18 ( O ), Cell: +91 98226 35411
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