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Sukhomajri in Haryana was the first village to become self-sufficient and even pay income-tax on the income from its regenerated forests.
Jethu Ram's wrinkled face reflects pride. This 87-year-old resident of Sukhomajri village in Haryana, is far ahead of the times. Twenty-five years ago, the village had neither water nor trees. Jethu Ram joined up with environmentalist P R Mishra to spread the message of regeneration and conservation. Sukhomajri is now an example of how community forest management can make a village self-sufficient. The little Gujjar village nestles in the Shivalik foothills in Haryana's Punchkula district, north of Chandigarh. In the 1970s, Sukhomajri was like any other village in the area, riddled with severe ecological problems. The soil in the village was severely eroded, supported very sparse vegetation, sustaine! d few crops and contributed to enormous runoff and soil loss. The people were poor and hungry. Developed by the Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute (CSWCRTI), Dehradun, the Sukhomajri watershed project was one of the first comprehensively developed watersheds. Conservation of the soil was given priority and an afforestation drive was one of the main activities. The trees broke the pressure of the rain, reduced the water flow and helped it percolate into the ground. Excess runoff was collected in check dams to be used for irrigation purposes. The impact of the work has been tremendous. Tree density has increased from 13 per hectare in 1976 to 1,272 per hectare in 1992. There is greater resource availability, improved agriculture and animal care. This led to the average annual household income increasing from Rs 10,000 to 15,000 between 1979 and 1984. In 1989, the village became the first in! India to be levied income tax on its earnings from a regenerated forest. The success of the village is due entirely to the efforts of the people of the village, facilitated by the proactive role of government departments like the forest and the soil conservation department. Contact: Central Soil & Water Conservation
Research and Training Institute
218, Kaulagarh Road
Dehradun-248 195, India
Tel: 91-135-758 564/ 755 386/ 757 214
Fax: 91-135-754213
Email:
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