Rejuvenated reservoir changes livelihood & rural economy of Jharkhand's Jitkundi panchayat

Giridih (Jharkhand) [India], March 23 : Approximately 25 kilometres from Giridih district headquarters, there is a large rejuvenated reservoir in Jitkundi panchayat. This reservoir has brought new hope to livelihood and new dimensions to the rural economy, which heavily relies on agriculture and groundwater resources.
Spread over 15 acres, called 'Ohdar Bandh' by locals, the reservoir provides ease of irrigation, small scale businesses like fish farming and running temporary kilns, making local dwellers' lives relatively comfortable.

Itwari Hembrom, head of the Jitkundi Panchayat, said, "We have benefited a lot. Now, we do fish farming on a large scale. Moreover, irrigation for hundreds of acres has become possible. It has become a great, useful resource for agriculture. I guess irrigation to approximately five hundred acres is done by this reservoir."
Built in 2023 as part of NITI Aayog Rejuvenation Window-II, the reservoir is one of 5,132 water bodies that are proposed to be rejuvenated in the district. Meticulously planned and built using CLART, a Geographic Information System (GIS) tool that helps to plan soil and water conservation, the structure helps trap rainwater in the reservoir during the monsoon.
Before its rejuvenation, local people were in a miserable situation due to an extreme water crunch leading to several hardships.
"Before the rejuvenation, the water level was very low, filled with waterborne insects... life was very hard. We always wished for its rejuvenation. Now that it has been done, life is very easy," said a local, Randhir Kumar Dubey.
The reservoir proves to be instrumental in bringing people together, agreeing on cooperation and shared benefit, which is not very common. Taking advantage of the huge volume of water, locals do fisheries, and the yield from this is used for village and panchayat welfare.
The maintenance of the reservoir is done through a unique concept called Pani Panchayat. Pani Panchayat is a system in which local villagers form a governing body for the maintenance.
"Pani Panchayat concept has been brought here for the maintenance in which gram sabha (local people) form a committee having Secretaries and members. These are responsible for the maintenance... local administration helps them run the committee," said Mahboob Alam, Block Program Officer (MGNREGA).
The district administration undertook the project to address significant water-related challenges, and it became instrumental in addressing these critical issues, which impact farmers' livelihoods and the overall well-being of the community.