River linking project is first of its kind that successfully executed in India. The project aimed to provide resolution to a perennial problem of water scarcity in the village of Ugamedi in Botad District of Gujarat.
For years the soil of Saurashtra has been water-scarce & it was very much essential for the residents to have a sustainable water supply for better & healthy living.
Growing up as a farmer's son, Laljibhai has always been concerned about rainwater conservation. He knew how uncertain rain affect annual crop yield. To resolve this, water conservation at very large capacity was necessary.
In his native village of Ugamedi, located in the Botad district of Gujarat, Laljibhai initiated a ground-breaking rainwater harvesting project. This pioneering endeavour aimed to tackle the perennial problem of water scarcity in the area. Laljibhai took the initiative to dig three ponds, spanning an impressive 300 feet wide, 1 km in length on the river Sonal. These ponds were made up to average 30-45 feet deep with a capacity to store nearly 250 crore litres of fresh water, making them the largest artificial ponds in Gujarat.
Due to its impressive depth these reservoirs have a recharge capacity of 1000 crore litres of water at a time. In the subsequent year, it was noticed that mere rainwater couldn’t completely fill the three ponds and an alternative was needed. India’s former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee had a dream of interlinking of rivers to deal with problems of draught or irrigation. Taking inspiration from this, Laljibhai, researched that there was another river Keri nearby whose water was flowing into the sea.
He then linked the 2 rivers with 3 feet wide and 6000 feet long underground pipeline and diverted the water of river Keri to the artificially built ponds on river Sonal. It was a successful project that filled the three ponds to it full capacity.
Laljibhai's personal contribution to these projects amounted to approximately 11 crore rupees.
Today, thanks to Laljibhai's tireless efforts, not only Ugamedi but 20 villages encompassing over 17,000 hectares of land in the vicinity reap the benefits of these three ponds today. Moreover, his ground breaking project has raised the water table by an average of 80 feet, due to which more than 1,00,000 farmers can harvest up to three crops annually, significantly improving their financial well-being.
Moreover, 10,000 trees are planted in this area to bring Green Revolution. Before this project, due to shortage of fodder farmers were forced to leave livestock to cattle-camp but not anymore. This project proved Sarva-Jeeva-Hitavaha in real sense.
His remarkable contribution to water conserva on garnered widespread recognition, leading to the Indian Government to name the pond he developed to "Dharmanand Amrit Sarovar" in February 2023. This accomplishment received extensive coverage in Gujarat's newspapers and became the first-ever Gujarat’s Model of inspiration in the field of rainwater conservation, earning accolades from both the State and Central Governments.
