NEW DELHI: A Class 11 student in Gurugram has started a crowdfunding campaign, Project Urvara, to plant trees in the arid regions of Sikar district in Rajasthan. Fifteen-year-old Adhi Daiv, a student of the Shri Ram School at Moulsari, Gurugram intends to eradicate water scarcity in arid regions through the initiative.
“I did extensive research two years ago to find solutions to tackle water scarcity and problems faced by the farmers in arid regions. I interacted with Sundaram Verma ji, Padma Shri awardee and environmentalist, who taught me about growing diverse vegetation with the ‘one-litre water technique’ that he has already put in practice,” said Adhi. He added that attending workshops such as those organised by PAANI Foundation made him understand that deforestation was the root cause of water scarcity in states like Rajasthan.
Explaining the one-litre water technique, Adhi said the process required 30 centimetres of deep soil ploughing that has to be done five days before the beginning and just after the conclusion of the monsoon season. Through this process, moisture of the soil can be absorbed by eliminating the weeds and controlling the capillary action in upper soil surface that allows recharging of aquifers.
“Our project will generate employment especially for village women as they can grow and sell fruits and vegetables,” he stated and added that the fodder obtained as a by-product could be used for feeding animals and raw materials extracted from trees could be used by artisans and other small-scale industries.