This presentation describes Bharat Petroleum's 'Project Boond', funded by the Oil Industry Development Board and with The Bridge Charitable Trust as NGO partner, which covered five villages with a total population of 6,500 in the Kasara region of Thane District in Maharashtra.

This area falls in the rain-shadow of the Western Ghats, and while it receives adequate precipitation during the monsoon season, it becomes completely parched by Feb-March, remaining that way till the next monsoon. The project objectives were to make this seasonally water-scarce tribal region water-sufficient, provide safe drinking water, enable perennial agriculture and reduce distress out-migration and school drop-outs that arise from survival needs.

The work undertaken to meet these objectives included:

• Repairs and leak proofing of wells
• Repairs of existing washed out wells
• Underground Bund
• Construction of Kolhapur Type Bund on river
• Reducing water seepage from ponds
• Reinforcing of pond wall
• Construction of sub surface bunds
• Building of gabions on the monsoon streams
•  Cordoning of rain springs by way of ‘Bandharas’

The project outcomes found that:

• It led to reduction in water carrying drudgeries thereby improving health of entire family, especially women
  It led to higher awareness level amongst women and their greater participation in village development
  It led to improved school attendance of girls from these villages

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