Sacred Groves Help Community in Watershed Management

Pioneering Initiative in Velhe

- Dr Rina Mukherji.

Velhe Taluka in Pune, near Rajgad Fort, is a rural area with one of the lowest human development indices in Maharashtra. Agriculture is the main livelihood, but water scarcity severely affects it, leading to high migration. The depletion of green cover and rising temperatures have dried up grazing lands, impacting herders. Recognizing the crisis, the villagers, with support from their panchayat leaders and the Raintree Foundation, decided to restore their resources using watershed ecology principles. To know more, read this article by Dr Rina Mukherji.

Thanks to beautification and infrastructural projects, Pune has been steadily losing its green cover. The loss of greenery, which was more than evident to its citizens, has been confirmed by the just-released India State of Forests Report (ISFR) 2023, published by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Forest Survey of India. From 2021 to 2023, Pune lost 4.57 sq. km or 467 hectares of forests.

The loss of green cover has corresponded to the increased urbanization of fringe areas of Pune city, and their inclusion in the Pune Municipal Corporation in 2021 (This merger followed a decision in 2013-14 to include 34 villages in the PMC).

A decline in green cover has several implications, besides the obvious loss of biodiversity. Trees regulate temperature, rainfall, and groundwater resources. In Pune district, increased urbanization and construction activity have resulted in water scarcity affecting agricultural activity and livelihoods in its rural outposts.

How Velhe Made a Difference