Pals pool in money, make an ‘oasis' of barren village on Dalma foothills
Jamshedpur: In 2019, two friends—John Junul Soy (54) and Sukumar Kumar (51) were on a pleasure trip to Katjol village, located at the foothills of Dalma sanctuary on the city outskirts around NH-33.
While they were charmed by the scenic greens and the vicinity, they learnt about the water woes faced by local villagers, spotting women carrying pots on their heads from far off place.
The two decided to create a water body. Six years later, the pond, which spreads over 21 bighas is not just a place for nature lovers to unwind in calmness but has also come as a boon for the inhabitants and local flora and fauna. Talking to TOI, Soy said, "The villagers were experiencing problems sourcing water for household needs, and the land remained uncultivated due to the want of any irrigation source."
A resident of Jawaharnagar in Mango, Soy runs a nursery and is also an avid environment lover. His friend, Sukumar, a Sonari resident, is also a keen angler. "We began interacting with the locals without a plan. Initially, some had apprehensions but slowly we decided to do it through community participation to induce sense of ownership among all," he said, adding that Rs 75 lakh, raised through donations was invested to construct the pond.
"It took four years for the pond to come up," said Kumar. He added, "The interesting aspect is that that we did not fell the six big sal and palash trees to make way for the water body. In fact, we constructed a platform around the trees so that they can stand amid the pond. It looks beautiful today."
The pond holds the rainwater which flows down from the Dalma Hills during heavy rains. "The village, which houses 170 families, now has water for daily chores," he said, adding that it also opened source of income for locals through fishing. "The pond has also encouraged the villagers to cultivate crops, and animals such as monkeys and peacocks quench their thirst at the pond," said Soy. Once struggling for water, locals now have taken up poultry, pig and fish farming and planting fruit bearing trees.
"The land was leased to the duo for the pond. Today, the pond has impacted the lives in a positive way," Anand Singh, gram Pradhan of Katjol village, said.
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