Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 73
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Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
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Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 74
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Code Context
            if (Configure::read('debug')) {

                trigger_error($message, E_USER_WARNING);

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    <link rel="canonical" href="https://im4change.in/<pre class="cake-error"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67ebbdc3f0744-trace').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67ebbdc3f0744-trace').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none');"><b>Notice</b> (8)</a>: Undefined variable: urlPrefix [<b>APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp</b>, line <b>8</b>]<div id="cakeErr67ebbdc3f0744-trace" class="cake-stack-trace" style="display: none;"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67ebbdc3f0744-code').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67ebbdc3f0744-code').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Code</a> <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67ebbdc3f0744-context').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67ebbdc3f0744-context').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Context</a><pre id="cakeErr67ebbdc3f0744-code" class="cake-code-dump" style="display: none;"><code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB"></span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">head</span><span style="color: #007700">&gt;
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-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;HIWARE BAZAR: &lt;/em&gt;For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its &#039;yes we can&#039; spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Change began in the early 90s when Popatrao Pawar (51) took over as the sarpanch and sensed the potential of rainwater harvesting and tree-plantation. &amp;quot;At that time, water scarcity and lack of employment were the chief concerns of villagers,&amp;quot; said Pawar, recalling that women were forced to walk over 2 km for water and farmers had to scrounge for work in neighbouring villages. He realized that he could solve both the problems at a go if he employed farmers to build water-saving assets for the village.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The gram sabha started out with a van kshetra (local plantation) initiative wherein farmers were paid through the state&#039;s employment guarantee scheme to plant saplings of lemon, custard apple and tamarind. Motivated by the success, the gram sabha then systematically involved villagers in building trenches and earthern bunds, which transformed over 1,000 hectares into a watershed of sorts. All the initiatives were funded through various government schemes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As farms began to be infused with water, community camaraderie swelled. In 1994, the villagers unanimously decided to ban private borewells, a measure that helped conserve the groundwater table. Three years later, they charted a mutually beneficial cropping pattern, banning water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and bananas.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The strategic move enabled the villagers to slowly switch from rain-fed crops such as bajra and jowar to cash crops like onions and potatoes. &amp;quot;We have a 1.5 acre farm and our annual onion yield earns us enough profit to keep us going through the year,&amp;quot; said Vimalbai Vithal (55), a farmer. while picking chana from her field.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
At a time when drought-hit villagers elsewhere are struggling to make ends meet, Hiware Bazar boasts of an annual Rs 1-crore yield of onions, a daily milk collection of 3,000 litres and two percolation tanks brimming with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Similar conservation efforts have proved successful in villages like Kadvanchi in Jalna and Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Experts believe the soil and water conservation initiatives implemented in villages like Hiware Bazar need to be replicated across drought-hit regions. A delegation of farmers from Hiware Bazar will, in fact, tour 20 parched districts in the Marathwada region from mid-March on a mission to spread water literacy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Former member of Maharashtra State Planning Board H M Desarda said the state should turn its adversity into an opportunity and pursue such participatory soil and water conservation programmes. He pointed out that there is scarcity, even in areas with normal rainfall because groundwater is not adequately recharged. &amp;quot;Indiscriminate sand mining has further depleted the water table,&amp;quot; he said, adding that the state needs to shift its priority from medium and large dams to multiple micro-watershed development and in-situ rainwater harvesting projects. &amp;quot;If the soil is kept well, it can hold up to 40% of rainwater.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
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-The Times of India

HIWARE BAZAR: For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its &#039;yes we can&#039; spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence,...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;HIWARE BAZAR: &lt;/em&gt;For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its &#039;yes we can&#039; spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It&#039;s not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Change began in the early 90s when Popatrao Pawar (51) took over as the sarpanch and sensed the potential of rainwater harvesting and tree-plantation. &amp;quot;At that time, water scarcity and lack of employment were the chief concerns of villagers,&amp;quot; said Pawar, recalling that women were forced to walk over 2 km for water and farmers had to scrounge for work in neighbouring villages. He realized that he could solve both the problems at a go if he employed farmers to build water-saving assets for the village.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The gram sabha started out with a van kshetra (local plantation) initiative wherein farmers were paid through the state&#039;s employment guarantee scheme to plant saplings of lemon, custard apple and tamarind. Motivated by the success, the gram sabha then systematically involved villagers in building trenches and earthern bunds, which transformed over 1,000 hectares into a watershed of sorts. All the initiatives were funded through various government schemes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As farms began to be infused with water, community camaraderie swelled. In 1994, the villagers unanimously decided to ban private borewells, a measure that helped conserve the groundwater table. Three years later, they charted a mutually beneficial cropping pattern, banning water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and bananas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The strategic move enabled the villagers to slowly switch from rain-fed crops such as bajra and jowar to cash crops like onions and potatoes. &amp;quot;We have a 1.5 acre farm and our annual onion yield earns us enough profit to keep us going through the year,&amp;quot; said Vimalbai Vithal (55), a farmer. while picking chana from her field.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At a time when drought-hit villagers elsewhere are struggling to make ends meet, Hiware Bazar boasts of an annual Rs 1-crore yield of onions, a daily milk collection of 3,000 litres and two percolation tanks brimming with water.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Similar conservation efforts have proved successful in villages like Kadvanchi in Jalna and Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Experts believe the soil and water conservation initiatives implemented in villages like Hiware Bazar need to be replicated across drought-hit regions. A delegation of farmers from Hiware Bazar will, in fact, tour 20 parched districts in the Marathwada region from mid-March on a mission to spread water literacy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Former member of Maharashtra State Planning Board H M Desarda said the state should turn its adversity into an opportunity and pursue such participatory soil and water conservation programmes. He pointed out that there is scarcity, even in areas with normal rainfall because groundwater is not adequately recharged. &amp;quot;Indiscriminate sand mining has further depleted the water table,&amp;quot; he said, adding that the state needs to shift its priority from medium and large dams to multiple micro-watershed development and in-situ rainwater harvesting projects. &amp;quot;If the soil is kept well, it can hold up to 40% of rainwater.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;HIWARE BAZAR: &lt;/em&gt;For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its &#039;yes we can&#039; spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Change began in the early 90s when Popatrao Pawar (51) took over as the sarpanch and sensed the potential of rainwater harvesting and tree-plantation. &amp;quot;At that time, water scarcity and lack of employment were the chief concerns of villagers,&amp;quot; said Pawar, recalling that women were forced to walk over 2 km for water and farmers had to scrounge for work in neighbouring villages. He realized that he could solve both the problems at a go if he employed farmers to build water-saving assets for the village.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The gram sabha started out with a van kshetra (local plantation) initiative wherein farmers were paid through the state&#039;s employment guarantee scheme to plant saplings of lemon, custard apple and tamarind. Motivated by the success, the gram sabha then systematically involved villagers in building trenches and earthern bunds, which transformed over 1,000 hectares into a watershed of sorts. All the initiatives were funded through various government schemes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As farms began to be infused with water, community camaraderie swelled. In 1994, the villagers unanimously decided to ban private borewells, a measure that helped conserve the groundwater table. Three years later, they charted a mutually beneficial cropping pattern, banning water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and bananas.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The strategic move enabled the villagers to slowly switch from rain-fed crops such as bajra and jowar to cash crops like onions and potatoes. &amp;quot;We have a 1.5 acre farm and our annual onion yield earns us enough profit to keep us going through the year,&amp;quot; said Vimalbai Vithal (55), a farmer. while picking chana from her field.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
At a time when drought-hit villagers elsewhere are struggling to make ends meet, Hiware Bazar boasts of an annual Rs 1-crore yield of onions, a daily milk collection of 3,000 litres and two percolation tanks brimming with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Similar conservation efforts have proved successful in villages like Kadvanchi in Jalna and Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Experts believe the soil and water conservation initiatives implemented in villages like Hiware Bazar need to be replicated across drought-hit regions. A delegation of farmers from Hiware Bazar will, in fact, tour 20 parched districts in the Marathwada region from mid-March on a mission to spread water literacy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Former member of Maharashtra State Planning Board H M Desarda said the state should turn its adversity into an opportunity and pursue such participatory soil and water conservation programmes. He pointed out that there is scarcity, even in areas with normal rainfall because groundwater is not adequately recharged. &amp;quot;Indiscriminate sand mining has further depleted the water table,&amp;quot; he said, adding that the state needs to shift its priority from medium and large dams to multiple micro-watershed development and in-situ rainwater harvesting projects. &amp;quot;If the soil is kept well, it can hold up to 40% of rainwater.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
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-The Times of India

HIWARE BAZAR: For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its 'yes we can' spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence,..."/>
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                <strong>Villagers turn water warriors, tackle drought with rainwater harvesting -Madhavi Rajadhyaksha</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-The Times of India<br /><br /><em>HIWARE BAZAR: </em>For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its 'yes we can' spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity.<br /><br />It's not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently.<br /><br />Change began in the early 90s when Popatrao Pawar (51) took over as the sarpanch and sensed the potential of rainwater harvesting and tree-plantation. &quot;At that time, water scarcity and lack of employment were the chief concerns of villagers,&quot; said Pawar, recalling that women were forced to walk over 2 km for water and farmers had to scrounge for work in neighbouring villages. He realized that he could solve both the problems at a go if he employed farmers to build water-saving assets for the village.<br /><br />The gram sabha started out with a van kshetra (local plantation) initiative wherein farmers were paid through the state's employment guarantee scheme to plant saplings of lemon, custard apple and tamarind. Motivated by the success, the gram sabha then systematically involved villagers in building trenches and earthern bunds, which transformed over 1,000 hectares into a watershed of sorts. All the initiatives were funded through various government schemes.<br /><br />As farms began to be infused with water, community camaraderie swelled. In 1994, the villagers unanimously decided to ban private borewells, a measure that helped conserve the groundwater table. Three years later, they charted a mutually beneficial cropping pattern, banning water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and bananas.<br /><br />The strategic move enabled the villagers to slowly switch from rain-fed crops such as bajra and jowar to cash crops like onions and potatoes. &quot;We have a 1.5 acre farm and our annual onion yield earns us enough profit to keep us going through the year,&quot; said Vimalbai Vithal (55), a farmer. while picking chana from her field.<br /><br />At a time when drought-hit villagers elsewhere are struggling to make ends meet, Hiware Bazar boasts of an annual Rs 1-crore yield of onions, a daily milk collection of 3,000 litres and two percolation tanks brimming with water.<br /><br />Similar conservation efforts have proved successful in villages like Kadvanchi in Jalna and Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar.<br /><br />Experts believe the soil and water conservation initiatives implemented in villages like Hiware Bazar need to be replicated across drought-hit regions. A delegation of farmers from Hiware Bazar will, in fact, tour 20 parched districts in the Marathwada region from mid-March on a mission to spread water literacy.<br /><br />Former member of Maharashtra State Planning Board H M Desarda said the state should turn its adversity into an opportunity and pursue such participatory soil and water conservation programmes. He pointed out that there is scarcity, even in areas with normal rainfall because groundwater is not adequately recharged. &quot;Indiscriminate sand mining has further depleted the water table,&quot; he said, adding that the state needs to shift its priority from medium and large dams to multiple micro-watershed development and in-situ rainwater harvesting projects. &quot;If the soil is kept well, it can hold up to 40% of rainwater.&quot; <br /></div>               </font>
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-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;HIWARE BAZAR: &lt;/em&gt;For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its &#039;yes we can&#039; spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Change began in the early 90s when Popatrao Pawar (51) took over as the sarpanch and sensed the potential of rainwater harvesting and tree-plantation. &amp;quot;At that time, water scarcity and lack of employment were the chief concerns of villagers,&amp;quot; said Pawar, recalling that women were forced to walk over 2 km for water and farmers had to scrounge for work in neighbouring villages. He realized that he could solve both the problems at a go if he employed farmers to build water-saving assets for the village.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The gram sabha started out with a van kshetra (local plantation) initiative wherein farmers were paid through the state&#039;s employment guarantee scheme to plant saplings of lemon, custard apple and tamarind. Motivated by the success, the gram sabha then systematically involved villagers in building trenches and earthern bunds, which transformed over 1,000 hectares into a watershed of sorts. All the initiatives were funded through various government schemes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As farms began to be infused with water, community camaraderie swelled. In 1994, the villagers unanimously decided to ban private borewells, a measure that helped conserve the groundwater table. Three years later, they charted a mutually beneficial cropping pattern, banning water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and bananas.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The strategic move enabled the villagers to slowly switch from rain-fed crops such as bajra and jowar to cash crops like onions and potatoes. &amp;quot;We have a 1.5 acre farm and our annual onion yield earns us enough profit to keep us going through the year,&amp;quot; said Vimalbai Vithal (55), a farmer. while picking chana from her field.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
At a time when drought-hit villagers elsewhere are struggling to make ends meet, Hiware Bazar boasts of an annual Rs 1-crore yield of onions, a daily milk collection of 3,000 litres and two percolation tanks brimming with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Similar conservation efforts have proved successful in villages like Kadvanchi in Jalna and Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Experts believe the soil and water conservation initiatives implemented in villages like Hiware Bazar need to be replicated across drought-hit regions. A delegation of farmers from Hiware Bazar will, in fact, tour 20 parched districts in the Marathwada region from mid-March on a mission to spread water literacy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Former member of Maharashtra State Planning Board H M Desarda said the state should turn its adversity into an opportunity and pursue such participatory soil and water conservation programmes. He pointed out that there is scarcity, even in areas with normal rainfall because groundwater is not adequately recharged. &amp;quot;Indiscriminate sand mining has further depleted the water table,&amp;quot; he said, adding that the state needs to shift its priority from medium and large dams to multiple micro-watershed development and in-situ rainwater harvesting projects. &amp;quot;If the soil is kept well, it can hold up to 40% of rainwater.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
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-The Times of India

HIWARE BAZAR: For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its &#039;yes we can&#039; spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence,...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;HIWARE BAZAR: &lt;/em&gt;For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its &#039;yes we can&#039; spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It&#039;s not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Change began in the early 90s when Popatrao Pawar (51) took over as the sarpanch and sensed the potential of rainwater harvesting and tree-plantation. &amp;quot;At that time, water scarcity and lack of employment were the chief concerns of villagers,&amp;quot; said Pawar, recalling that women were forced to walk over 2 km for water and farmers had to scrounge for work in neighbouring villages. He realized that he could solve both the problems at a go if he employed farmers to build water-saving assets for the village.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The gram sabha started out with a van kshetra (local plantation) initiative wherein farmers were paid through the state&#039;s employment guarantee scheme to plant saplings of lemon, custard apple and tamarind. Motivated by the success, the gram sabha then systematically involved villagers in building trenches and earthern bunds, which transformed over 1,000 hectares into a watershed of sorts. All the initiatives were funded through various government schemes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As farms began to be infused with water, community camaraderie swelled. In 1994, the villagers unanimously decided to ban private borewells, a measure that helped conserve the groundwater table. Three years later, they charted a mutually beneficial cropping pattern, banning water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and bananas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The strategic move enabled the villagers to slowly switch from rain-fed crops such as bajra and jowar to cash crops like onions and potatoes. &amp;quot;We have a 1.5 acre farm and our annual onion yield earns us enough profit to keep us going through the year,&amp;quot; said Vimalbai Vithal (55), a farmer. while picking chana from her field.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At a time when drought-hit villagers elsewhere are struggling to make ends meet, Hiware Bazar boasts of an annual Rs 1-crore yield of onions, a daily milk collection of 3,000 litres and two percolation tanks brimming with water.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Similar conservation efforts have proved successful in villages like Kadvanchi in Jalna and Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Experts believe the soil and water conservation initiatives implemented in villages like Hiware Bazar need to be replicated across drought-hit regions. A delegation of farmers from Hiware Bazar will, in fact, tour 20 parched districts in the Marathwada region from mid-March on a mission to spread water literacy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Former member of Maharashtra State Planning Board H M Desarda said the state should turn its adversity into an opportunity and pursue such participatory soil and water conservation programmes. He pointed out that there is scarcity, even in areas with normal rainfall because groundwater is not adequately recharged. &amp;quot;Indiscriminate sand mining has further depleted the water table,&amp;quot; he said, adding that the state needs to shift its priority from medium and large dams to multiple micro-watershed development and in-situ rainwater harvesting projects. &amp;quot;If the soil is kept well, it can hold up to 40% of rainwater.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;HIWARE BAZAR: &lt;/em&gt;For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its &#039;yes we can&#039; spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Change began in the early 90s when Popatrao Pawar (51) took over as the sarpanch and sensed the potential of rainwater harvesting and tree-plantation. &amp;quot;At that time, water scarcity and lack of employment were the chief concerns of villagers,&amp;quot; said Pawar, recalling that women were forced to walk over 2 km for water and farmers had to scrounge for work in neighbouring villages. He realized that he could solve both the problems at a go if he employed farmers to build water-saving assets for the village.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The gram sabha started out with a van kshetra (local plantation) initiative wherein farmers were paid through the state&#039;s employment guarantee scheme to plant saplings of lemon, custard apple and tamarind. Motivated by the success, the gram sabha then systematically involved villagers in building trenches and earthern bunds, which transformed over 1,000 hectares into a watershed of sorts. All the initiatives were funded through various government schemes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As farms began to be infused with water, community camaraderie swelled. In 1994, the villagers unanimously decided to ban private borewells, a measure that helped conserve the groundwater table. Three years later, they charted a mutually beneficial cropping pattern, banning water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and bananas.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The strategic move enabled the villagers to slowly switch from rain-fed crops such as bajra and jowar to cash crops like onions and potatoes. &amp;quot;We have a 1.5 acre farm and our annual onion yield earns us enough profit to keep us going through the year,&amp;quot; said Vimalbai Vithal (55), a farmer. while picking chana from her field.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
At a time when drought-hit villagers elsewhere are struggling to make ends meet, Hiware Bazar boasts of an annual Rs 1-crore yield of onions, a daily milk collection of 3,000 litres and two percolation tanks brimming with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Similar conservation efforts have proved successful in villages like Kadvanchi in Jalna and Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Experts believe the soil and water conservation initiatives implemented in villages like Hiware Bazar need to be replicated across drought-hit regions. A delegation of farmers from Hiware Bazar will, in fact, tour 20 parched districts in the Marathwada region from mid-March on a mission to spread water literacy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Former member of Maharashtra State Planning Board H M Desarda said the state should turn its adversity into an opportunity and pursue such participatory soil and water conservation programmes. He pointed out that there is scarcity, even in areas with normal rainfall because groundwater is not adequately recharged. &amp;quot;Indiscriminate sand mining has further depleted the water table,&amp;quot; he said, adding that the state needs to shift its priority from medium and large dams to multiple micro-watershed development and in-situ rainwater harvesting projects. &amp;quot;If the soil is kept well, it can hold up to 40% of rainwater.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
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HIWARE BAZAR: For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its &#039;yes we can&#039; spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence,...&#039;
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-The Times of India

HIWARE BAZAR: For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its 'yes we can' spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence,..."/>
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                <strong>Villagers turn water warriors, tackle drought with rainwater harvesting -Madhavi Rajadhyaksha</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-The Times of India<br /><br /><em>HIWARE BAZAR: </em>For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its 'yes we can' spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity.<br /><br />It's not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently.<br /><br />Change began in the early 90s when Popatrao Pawar (51) took over as the sarpanch and sensed the potential of rainwater harvesting and tree-plantation. &quot;At that time, water scarcity and lack of employment were the chief concerns of villagers,&quot; said Pawar, recalling that women were forced to walk over 2 km for water and farmers had to scrounge for work in neighbouring villages. He realized that he could solve both the problems at a go if he employed farmers to build water-saving assets for the village.<br /><br />The gram sabha started out with a van kshetra (local plantation) initiative wherein farmers were paid through the state's employment guarantee scheme to plant saplings of lemon, custard apple and tamarind. Motivated by the success, the gram sabha then systematically involved villagers in building trenches and earthern bunds, which transformed over 1,000 hectares into a watershed of sorts. All the initiatives were funded through various government schemes.<br /><br />As farms began to be infused with water, community camaraderie swelled. In 1994, the villagers unanimously decided to ban private borewells, a measure that helped conserve the groundwater table. Three years later, they charted a mutually beneficial cropping pattern, banning water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and bananas.<br /><br />The strategic move enabled the villagers to slowly switch from rain-fed crops such as bajra and jowar to cash crops like onions and potatoes. &quot;We have a 1.5 acre farm and our annual onion yield earns us enough profit to keep us going through the year,&quot; said Vimalbai Vithal (55), a farmer. while picking chana from her field.<br /><br />At a time when drought-hit villagers elsewhere are struggling to make ends meet, Hiware Bazar boasts of an annual Rs 1-crore yield of onions, a daily milk collection of 3,000 litres and two percolation tanks brimming with water.<br /><br />Similar conservation efforts have proved successful in villages like Kadvanchi in Jalna and Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar.<br /><br />Experts believe the soil and water conservation initiatives implemented in villages like Hiware Bazar need to be replicated across drought-hit regions. A delegation of farmers from Hiware Bazar will, in fact, tour 20 parched districts in the Marathwada region from mid-March on a mission to spread water literacy.<br /><br />Former member of Maharashtra State Planning Board H M Desarda said the state should turn its adversity into an opportunity and pursue such participatory soil and water conservation programmes. He pointed out that there is scarcity, even in areas with normal rainfall because groundwater is not adequately recharged. &quot;Indiscriminate sand mining has further depleted the water table,&quot; he said, adding that the state needs to shift its priority from medium and large dams to multiple micro-watershed development and in-situ rainwater harvesting projects. &quot;If the soil is kept well, it can hold up to 40% of rainwater.&quot; <br /></div>               </font>
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-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;HIWARE BAZAR: &lt;/em&gt;For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its &#039;yes we can&#039; spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Change began in the early 90s when Popatrao Pawar (51) took over as the sarpanch and sensed the potential of rainwater harvesting and tree-plantation. &amp;quot;At that time, water scarcity and lack of employment were the chief concerns of villagers,&amp;quot; said Pawar, recalling that women were forced to walk over 2 km for water and farmers had to scrounge for work in neighbouring villages. He realized that he could solve both the problems at a go if he employed farmers to build water-saving assets for the village.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The gram sabha started out with a van kshetra (local plantation) initiative wherein farmers were paid through the state&#039;s employment guarantee scheme to plant saplings of lemon, custard apple and tamarind. Motivated by the success, the gram sabha then systematically involved villagers in building trenches and earthern bunds, which transformed over 1,000 hectares into a watershed of sorts. All the initiatives were funded through various government schemes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As farms began to be infused with water, community camaraderie swelled. In 1994, the villagers unanimously decided to ban private borewells, a measure that helped conserve the groundwater table. Three years later, they charted a mutually beneficial cropping pattern, banning water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and bananas.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The strategic move enabled the villagers to slowly switch from rain-fed crops such as bajra and jowar to cash crops like onions and potatoes. &amp;quot;We have a 1.5 acre farm and our annual onion yield earns us enough profit to keep us going through the year,&amp;quot; said Vimalbai Vithal (55), a farmer. while picking chana from her field.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
At a time when drought-hit villagers elsewhere are struggling to make ends meet, Hiware Bazar boasts of an annual Rs 1-crore yield of onions, a daily milk collection of 3,000 litres and two percolation tanks brimming with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Similar conservation efforts have proved successful in villages like Kadvanchi in Jalna and Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Experts believe the soil and water conservation initiatives implemented in villages like Hiware Bazar need to be replicated across drought-hit regions. A delegation of farmers from Hiware Bazar will, in fact, tour 20 parched districts in the Marathwada region from mid-March on a mission to spread water literacy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Former member of Maharashtra State Planning Board H M Desarda said the state should turn its adversity into an opportunity and pursue such participatory soil and water conservation programmes. He pointed out that there is scarcity, even in areas with normal rainfall because groundwater is not adequately recharged. &amp;quot;Indiscriminate sand mining has further depleted the water table,&amp;quot; he said, adding that the state needs to shift its priority from medium and large dams to multiple micro-watershed development and in-situ rainwater harvesting projects. &amp;quot;If the soil is kept well, it can hold up to 40% of rainwater.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
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-The Times of India

HIWARE BAZAR: For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its &#039;yes we can&#039; spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence,...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;HIWARE BAZAR: &lt;/em&gt;For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its &#039;yes we can&#039; spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It&#039;s not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Change began in the early 90s when Popatrao Pawar (51) took over as the sarpanch and sensed the potential of rainwater harvesting and tree-plantation. &amp;quot;At that time, water scarcity and lack of employment were the chief concerns of villagers,&amp;quot; said Pawar, recalling that women were forced to walk over 2 km for water and farmers had to scrounge for work in neighbouring villages. He realized that he could solve both the problems at a go if he employed farmers to build water-saving assets for the village.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The gram sabha started out with a van kshetra (local plantation) initiative wherein farmers were paid through the state&#039;s employment guarantee scheme to plant saplings of lemon, custard apple and tamarind. Motivated by the success, the gram sabha then systematically involved villagers in building trenches and earthern bunds, which transformed over 1,000 hectares into a watershed of sorts. All the initiatives were funded through various government schemes.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As farms began to be infused with water, community camaraderie swelled. In 1994, the villagers unanimously decided to ban private borewells, a measure that helped conserve the groundwater table. Three years later, they charted a mutually beneficial cropping pattern, banning water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and bananas.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The strategic move enabled the villagers to slowly switch from rain-fed crops such as bajra and jowar to cash crops like onions and potatoes. &amp;quot;We have a 1.5 acre farm and our annual onion yield earns us enough profit to keep us going through the year,&amp;quot; said Vimalbai Vithal (55), a farmer. while picking chana from her field.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At a time when drought-hit villagers elsewhere are struggling to make ends meet, Hiware Bazar boasts of an annual Rs 1-crore yield of onions, a daily milk collection of 3,000 litres and two percolation tanks brimming with water.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Similar conservation efforts have proved successful in villages like Kadvanchi in Jalna and Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Experts believe the soil and water conservation initiatives implemented in villages like Hiware Bazar need to be replicated across drought-hit regions. A delegation of farmers from Hiware Bazar will, in fact, tour 20 parched districts in the Marathwada region from mid-March on a mission to spread water literacy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Former member of Maharashtra State Planning Board H M Desarda said the state should turn its adversity into an opportunity and pursue such participatory soil and water conservation programmes. He pointed out that there is scarcity, even in areas with normal rainfall because groundwater is not adequately recharged. &amp;quot;Indiscriminate sand mining has further depleted the water table,&amp;quot; he said, adding that the state needs to shift its priority from medium and large dams to multiple micro-watershed development and in-situ rainwater harvesting projects. &amp;quot;If the soil is kept well, it can hold up to 40% of rainwater.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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	&#039;title&#039; =&gt; &#039;Villagers turn water warriors, tackle drought with rainwater harvesting -Madhavi Rajadhyaksha&#039;,
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-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;em&gt;HIWARE BAZAR: &lt;/em&gt;For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its &#039;yes we can&#039; spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
It&#039;s not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Change began in the early 90s when Popatrao Pawar (51) took over as the sarpanch and sensed the potential of rainwater harvesting and tree-plantation. &amp;quot;At that time, water scarcity and lack of employment were the chief concerns of villagers,&amp;quot; said Pawar, recalling that women were forced to walk over 2 km for water and farmers had to scrounge for work in neighbouring villages. He realized that he could solve both the problems at a go if he employed farmers to build water-saving assets for the village.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The gram sabha started out with a van kshetra (local plantation) initiative wherein farmers were paid through the state&#039;s employment guarantee scheme to plant saplings of lemon, custard apple and tamarind. Motivated by the success, the gram sabha then systematically involved villagers in building trenches and earthern bunds, which transformed over 1,000 hectares into a watershed of sorts. All the initiatives were funded through various government schemes.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
As farms began to be infused with water, community camaraderie swelled. In 1994, the villagers unanimously decided to ban private borewells, a measure that helped conserve the groundwater table. Three years later, they charted a mutually beneficial cropping pattern, banning water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and bananas.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The strategic move enabled the villagers to slowly switch from rain-fed crops such as bajra and jowar to cash crops like onions and potatoes. &amp;quot;We have a 1.5 acre farm and our annual onion yield earns us enough profit to keep us going through the year,&amp;quot; said Vimalbai Vithal (55), a farmer. while picking chana from her field.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
At a time when drought-hit villagers elsewhere are struggling to make ends meet, Hiware Bazar boasts of an annual Rs 1-crore yield of onions, a daily milk collection of 3,000 litres and two percolation tanks brimming with water.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Similar conservation efforts have proved successful in villages like Kadvanchi in Jalna and Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Experts believe the soil and water conservation initiatives implemented in villages like Hiware Bazar need to be replicated across drought-hit regions. A delegation of farmers from Hiware Bazar will, in fact, tour 20 parched districts in the Marathwada region from mid-March on a mission to spread water literacy.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Former member of Maharashtra State Planning Board H M Desarda said the state should turn its adversity into an opportunity and pursue such participatory soil and water conservation programmes. He pointed out that there is scarcity, even in areas with normal rainfall because groundwater is not adequately recharged. &amp;quot;Indiscriminate sand mining has further depleted the water table,&amp;quot; he said, adding that the state needs to shift its priority from medium and large dams to multiple micro-watershed development and in-situ rainwater harvesting projects. &amp;quot;If the soil is kept well, it can hold up to 40% of rainwater.&amp;quot; &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-The Times of India

HIWARE BAZAR: For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its &#039;yes we can&#039; spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence,...&#039;
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-The Times of India

HIWARE BAZAR: For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its 'yes we can' spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence,..."/>
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                <strong>Villagers turn water warriors, tackle drought with rainwater harvesting -Madhavi Rajadhyaksha</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-The Times of India<br /><br /><em>HIWARE BAZAR: </em>For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its 'yes we can' spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity.<br /><br />It's not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently.<br /><br />Change began in the early 90s when Popatrao Pawar (51) took over as the sarpanch and sensed the potential of rainwater harvesting and tree-plantation. &quot;At that time, water scarcity and lack of employment were the chief concerns of villagers,&quot; said Pawar, recalling that women were forced to walk over 2 km for water and farmers had to scrounge for work in neighbouring villages. He realized that he could solve both the problems at a go if he employed farmers to build water-saving assets for the village.<br /><br />The gram sabha started out with a van kshetra (local plantation) initiative wherein farmers were paid through the state's employment guarantee scheme to plant saplings of lemon, custard apple and tamarind. Motivated by the success, the gram sabha then systematically involved villagers in building trenches and earthern bunds, which transformed over 1,000 hectares into a watershed of sorts. All the initiatives were funded through various government schemes.<br /><br />As farms began to be infused with water, community camaraderie swelled. In 1994, the villagers unanimously decided to ban private borewells, a measure that helped conserve the groundwater table. Three years later, they charted a mutually beneficial cropping pattern, banning water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and bananas.<br /><br />The strategic move enabled the villagers to slowly switch from rain-fed crops such as bajra and jowar to cash crops like onions and potatoes. &quot;We have a 1.5 acre farm and our annual onion yield earns us enough profit to keep us going through the year,&quot; said Vimalbai Vithal (55), a farmer. while picking chana from her field.<br /><br />At a time when drought-hit villagers elsewhere are struggling to make ends meet, Hiware Bazar boasts of an annual Rs 1-crore yield of onions, a daily milk collection of 3,000 litres and two percolation tanks brimming with water.<br /><br />Similar conservation efforts have proved successful in villages like Kadvanchi in Jalna and Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar.<br /><br />Experts believe the soil and water conservation initiatives implemented in villages like Hiware Bazar need to be replicated across drought-hit regions. A delegation of farmers from Hiware Bazar will, in fact, tour 20 parched districts in the Marathwada region from mid-March on a mission to spread water literacy.<br /><br />Former member of Maharashtra State Planning Board H M Desarda said the state should turn its adversity into an opportunity and pursue such participatory soil and water conservation programmes. He pointed out that there is scarcity, even in areas with normal rainfall because groundwater is not adequately recharged. &quot;Indiscriminate sand mining has further depleted the water table,&quot; he said, adding that the state needs to shift its priority from medium and large dams to multiple micro-watershed development and in-situ rainwater harvesting projects. &quot;If the soil is kept well, it can hold up to 40% of rainwater.&quot; <br /></div>               </font>
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-The Times of India<br />
<br />
<em>HIWARE BAZAR: </em>For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its 'yes we can' spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity.<br />
<br />
It's not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently.<br />
<br />
Change began in the early 90s when Popatrao Pawar (51) took over as the sarpanch and sensed the potential of rainwater harvesting and tree-plantation. &quot;At that time, water scarcity and lack of employment were the chief concerns of villagers,&quot; said Pawar, recalling that women were forced to walk over 2 km for water and farmers had to scrounge for work in neighbouring villages. He realized that he could solve both the problems at a go if he employed farmers to build water-saving assets for the village.<br />
<br />
The gram sabha started out with a van kshetra (local plantation) initiative wherein farmers were paid through the state's employment guarantee scheme to plant saplings of lemon, custard apple and tamarind. Motivated by the success, the gram sabha then systematically involved villagers in building trenches and earthern bunds, which transformed over 1,000 hectares into a watershed of sorts. All the initiatives were funded through various government schemes.<br />
<br />
As farms began to be infused with water, community camaraderie swelled. In 1994, the villagers unanimously decided to ban private borewells, a measure that helped conserve the groundwater table. Three years later, they charted a mutually beneficial cropping pattern, banning water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and bananas.<br />
<br />
The strategic move enabled the villagers to slowly switch from rain-fed crops such as bajra and jowar to cash crops like onions and potatoes. &quot;We have a 1.5 acre farm and our annual onion yield earns us enough profit to keep us going through the year,&quot; said Vimalbai Vithal (55), a farmer. while picking chana from her field.<br />
<br />
At a time when drought-hit villagers elsewhere are struggling to make ends meet, Hiware Bazar boasts of an annual Rs 1-crore yield of onions, a daily milk collection of 3,000 litres and two percolation tanks brimming with water.<br />
<br />
Similar conservation efforts have proved successful in villages like Kadvanchi in Jalna and Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar.<br />
<br />
Experts believe the soil and water conservation initiatives implemented in villages like Hiware Bazar need to be replicated across drought-hit regions. A delegation of farmers from Hiware Bazar will, in fact, tour 20 parched districts in the Marathwada region from mid-March on a mission to spread water literacy.<br />
<br />
Former member of Maharashtra State Planning Board H M Desarda said the state should turn its adversity into an opportunity and pursue such participatory soil and water conservation programmes. He pointed out that there is scarcity, even in areas with normal rainfall because groundwater is not adequately recharged. &quot;Indiscriminate sand mining has further depleted the water table,&quot; he said, adding that the state needs to shift its priority from medium and large dams to multiple micro-watershed development and in-situ rainwater harvesting projects. &quot;If the soil is kept well, it can hold up to 40% of rainwater.&quot; <br />
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-The Times of India

HIWARE BAZAR: For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its 'yes we can' spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence,...',
	'disp' => '<div align="justify">-The Times of India<br /><br /><em>HIWARE BAZAR: </em>For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its 'yes we can' spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity.<br /><br />It's not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently.<br /><br />Change began in the early 90s when Popatrao Pawar (51) took over as the sarpanch and sensed the potential of rainwater harvesting and tree-plantation. &quot;At that time, water scarcity and lack of employment were the chief concerns of villagers,&quot; said Pawar, recalling that women were forced to walk over 2 km for water and farmers had to scrounge for work in neighbouring villages. He realized that he could solve both the problems at a go if he employed farmers to build water-saving assets for the village.<br /><br />The gram sabha started out with a van kshetra (local plantation) initiative wherein farmers were paid through the state's employment guarantee scheme to plant saplings of lemon, custard apple and tamarind. Motivated by the success, the gram sabha then systematically involved villagers in building trenches and earthern bunds, which transformed over 1,000 hectares into a watershed of sorts. All the initiatives were funded through various government schemes.<br /><br />As farms began to be infused with water, community camaraderie swelled. In 1994, the villagers unanimously decided to ban private borewells, a measure that helped conserve the groundwater table. Three years later, they charted a mutually beneficial cropping pattern, banning water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and bananas.<br /><br />The strategic move enabled the villagers to slowly switch from rain-fed crops such as bajra and jowar to cash crops like onions and potatoes. &quot;We have a 1.5 acre farm and our annual onion yield earns us enough profit to keep us going through the year,&quot; said Vimalbai Vithal (55), a farmer. while picking chana from her field.<br /><br />At a time when drought-hit villagers elsewhere are struggling to make ends meet, Hiware Bazar boasts of an annual Rs 1-crore yield of onions, a daily milk collection of 3,000 litres and two percolation tanks brimming with water.<br /><br />Similar conservation efforts have proved successful in villages like Kadvanchi in Jalna and Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar.<br /><br />Experts believe the soil and water conservation initiatives implemented in villages like Hiware Bazar need to be replicated across drought-hit regions. A delegation of farmers from Hiware Bazar will, in fact, tour 20 parched districts in the Marathwada region from mid-March on a mission to spread water literacy.<br /><br />Former member of Maharashtra State Planning Board H M Desarda said the state should turn its adversity into an opportunity and pursue such participatory soil and water conservation programmes. He pointed out that there is scarcity, even in areas with normal rainfall because groundwater is not adequately recharged. &quot;Indiscriminate sand mining has further depleted the water table,&quot; he said, adding that the state needs to shift its priority from medium and large dams to multiple micro-watershed development and in-situ rainwater harvesting projects. &quot;If the soil is kept well, it can hold up to 40% of rainwater.&quot; <br /></div>',
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	'title' => 'Villagers turn water warriors, tackle drought with rainwater harvesting -Madhavi Rajadhyaksha',
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-The Times of India<br />
<br />
<em>HIWARE BAZAR: </em>For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its 'yes we can' spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity.<br />
<br />
It's not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently.<br />
<br />
Change began in the early 90s when Popatrao Pawar (51) took over as the sarpanch and sensed the potential of rainwater harvesting and tree-plantation. &quot;At that time, water scarcity and lack of employment were the chief concerns of villagers,&quot; said Pawar, recalling that women were forced to walk over 2 km for water and farmers had to scrounge for work in neighbouring villages. He realized that he could solve both the problems at a go if he employed farmers to build water-saving assets for the village.<br />
<br />
The gram sabha started out with a van kshetra (local plantation) initiative wherein farmers were paid through the state's employment guarantee scheme to plant saplings of lemon, custard apple and tamarind. Motivated by the success, the gram sabha then systematically involved villagers in building trenches and earthern bunds, which transformed over 1,000 hectares into a watershed of sorts. All the initiatives were funded through various government schemes.<br />
<br />
As farms began to be infused with water, community camaraderie swelled. In 1994, the villagers unanimously decided to ban private borewells, a measure that helped conserve the groundwater table. Three years later, they charted a mutually beneficial cropping pattern, banning water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and bananas.<br />
<br />
The strategic move enabled the villagers to slowly switch from rain-fed crops such as bajra and jowar to cash crops like onions and potatoes. &quot;We have a 1.5 acre farm and our annual onion yield earns us enough profit to keep us going through the year,&quot; said Vimalbai Vithal (55), a farmer. while picking chana from her field.<br />
<br />
At a time when drought-hit villagers elsewhere are struggling to make ends meet, Hiware Bazar boasts of an annual Rs 1-crore yield of onions, a daily milk collection of 3,000 litres and two percolation tanks brimming with water.<br />
<br />
Similar conservation efforts have proved successful in villages like Kadvanchi in Jalna and Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar.<br />
<br />
Experts believe the soil and water conservation initiatives implemented in villages like Hiware Bazar need to be replicated across drought-hit regions. A delegation of farmers from Hiware Bazar will, in fact, tour 20 parched districts in the Marathwada region from mid-March on a mission to spread water literacy.<br />
<br />
Former member of Maharashtra State Planning Board H M Desarda said the state should turn its adversity into an opportunity and pursue such participatory soil and water conservation programmes. He pointed out that there is scarcity, even in areas with normal rainfall because groundwater is not adequately recharged. &quot;Indiscriminate sand mining has further depleted the water table,&quot; he said, adding that the state needs to shift its priority from medium and large dams to multiple micro-watershed development and in-situ rainwater harvesting projects. &quot;If the soil is kept well, it can hold up to 40% of rainwater.&quot; <br />
</div>',
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-The Times of India

HIWARE BAZAR: For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its 'yes we can' spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence,...'
$disp = '<div align="justify">-The Times of India<br /><br /><em>HIWARE BAZAR: </em>For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its 'yes we can' spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity.<br /><br />It's not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently.<br /><br />Change began in the early 90s when Popatrao Pawar (51) took over as the sarpanch and sensed the potential of rainwater harvesting and tree-plantation. &quot;At that time, water scarcity and lack of employment were the chief concerns of villagers,&quot; said Pawar, recalling that women were forced to walk over 2 km for water and farmers had to scrounge for work in neighbouring villages. He realized that he could solve both the problems at a go if he employed farmers to build water-saving assets for the village.<br /><br />The gram sabha started out with a van kshetra (local plantation) initiative wherein farmers were paid through the state's employment guarantee scheme to plant saplings of lemon, custard apple and tamarind. Motivated by the success, the gram sabha then systematically involved villagers in building trenches and earthern bunds, which transformed over 1,000 hectares into a watershed of sorts. All the initiatives were funded through various government schemes.<br /><br />As farms began to be infused with water, community camaraderie swelled. In 1994, the villagers unanimously decided to ban private borewells, a measure that helped conserve the groundwater table. Three years later, they charted a mutually beneficial cropping pattern, banning water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and bananas.<br /><br />The strategic move enabled the villagers to slowly switch from rain-fed crops such as bajra and jowar to cash crops like onions and potatoes. &quot;We have a 1.5 acre farm and our annual onion yield earns us enough profit to keep us going through the year,&quot; said Vimalbai Vithal (55), a farmer. while picking chana from her field.<br /><br />At a time when drought-hit villagers elsewhere are struggling to make ends meet, Hiware Bazar boasts of an annual Rs 1-crore yield of onions, a daily milk collection of 3,000 litres and two percolation tanks brimming with water.<br /><br />Similar conservation efforts have proved successful in villages like Kadvanchi in Jalna and Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar.<br /><br />Experts believe the soil and water conservation initiatives implemented in villages like Hiware Bazar need to be replicated across drought-hit regions. A delegation of farmers from Hiware Bazar will, in fact, tour 20 parched districts in the Marathwada region from mid-March on a mission to spread water literacy.<br /><br />Former member of Maharashtra State Planning Board H M Desarda said the state should turn its adversity into an opportunity and pursue such participatory soil and water conservation programmes. He pointed out that there is scarcity, even in areas with normal rainfall because groundwater is not adequately recharged. &quot;Indiscriminate sand mining has further depleted the water table,&quot; he said, adding that the state needs to shift its priority from medium and large dams to multiple micro-watershed development and in-situ rainwater harvesting projects. &quot;If the soil is kept well, it can hold up to 40% of rainwater.&quot; <br /></div>'
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Villagers turn water warriors, tackle drought with rainwater harvesting -Madhavi Rajadhyaksha

-The Times of India HIWARE BAZAR: For those who wonder if Maharashtra can tide over the current drought situation, HiwareBazar, with its 'yes we can' spirit, is the answer. Notwithstanding the fact that Ahmednagar is facing its worst drought since Independence, HiwareBazar in the same district has no water scarcity. It's not that Nature favoured Hiware Bazar with a special bounty. In fact, the village had received a normal rainfall of 199 mm last year, just like most regions that are hit by water scarcity today. But the 1,300 residents of Hiware Bazar scripted their destiny differently. Change began in the early 90s when Popatrao Pawar (51) took over as the sarpanch and sensed the potential of rainwater harvesting and tree-plantation. "At that time, water scarcity and lack of employment were the chief concerns of villagers," said Pawar, recalling that women were forced to walk over 2 km for water and farmers had to scrounge for work in neighbouring villages. He realized that he could solve both the problems at a go if he employed farmers to build water-saving assets for the village. The gram sabha started out with a van kshetra (local plantation) initiative wherein farmers were paid through the state's employment guarantee scheme to plant saplings of lemon, custard apple and tamarind. Motivated by the success, the gram sabha then systematically involved villagers in building trenches and earthern bunds, which transformed over 1,000 hectares into a watershed of sorts. All the initiatives were funded through various government schemes. As farms began to be infused with water, community camaraderie swelled. In 1994, the villagers unanimously decided to ban private borewells, a measure that helped conserve the groundwater table. Three years later, they charted a mutually beneficial cropping pattern, banning water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and bananas. The strategic move enabled the villagers to slowly switch from rain-fed crops such as bajra and jowar to cash crops like onions and potatoes. "We have a 1.5 acre farm and our annual onion yield earns us enough profit to keep us going through the year," said Vimalbai Vithal (55), a farmer. while picking chana from her field. At a time when drought-hit villagers elsewhere are struggling to make ends meet, Hiware Bazar boasts of an annual Rs 1-crore yield of onions, a daily milk collection of 3,000 litres and two percolation tanks brimming with water. Similar conservation efforts have proved successful in villages like Kadvanchi in Jalna and Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar. Experts believe the soil and water conservation initiatives implemented in villages like Hiware Bazar need to be replicated across drought-hit regions. A delegation of farmers from Hiware Bazar will, in fact, tour 20 parched districts in the Marathwada region from mid-March on a mission to spread water literacy. Former member of Maharashtra State Planning Board H M Desarda said the state should turn its adversity into an opportunity and pursue such participatory soil and water conservation programmes. He pointed out that there is scarcity, even in areas with normal rainfall because groundwater is not adequately recharged. "Indiscriminate sand mining has further depleted the water table," he said, adding that the state needs to shift its priority from medium and large dams to multiple micro-watershed development and in-situ rainwater harvesting projects. "If the soil is kept well, it can hold up to 40% of rainwater."