Started in 2018, the ‘Creation of Water Economic Zone’, through integrated watershed development project focuses on enhancing natural resources, particularly water and soil of an area to increase its productivity. The company has partnered with Mahan Seva Sansthan and Arpan Seva Sansthan for Alsigarh and Kurabad Watershed areas respectively to implement the project. The project is reaching out to more than 23000 people from 26 villages, mostly from a tribal background, and will cover an area of around 11000 hectares across both locations in Udaipur. The project area has low productivity rain-fed farming, severe soil erosion in the undulating topography, and degraded land and forest. The project is developing water resources, for the tribal and rural community to enhance their livelihood through value addition in on-farm and off-farm activities.
Currently, the project is being implemented in an area of 9214 Hectares (4984 Hectares in Alsigarh and 4230 Hectares in Kurabad).
DSL has constructed 311 soil and water conservation structures such as Anicuts or Check Dams, Mini Percolation Tanks or Earthen Dams, and other structures like Continuous Contour Trenches, Gabion, Gully Plugs, Recharge Pits, etc. These structures have a water storage and recharge capacity of about 21,52,931 Cubic meters. 1,26,860 cubic meters of Continuous Contour trenches have been constructed so far, which can recharge 7,04,960 cubic meters of water in an average monsoon.
The project is also promoting efficient use of water through improved irrigation practices such as Drip Irrigation and Rain guns along with harvesting climate-friendly crops
DSL in partnership with Apna Sansthan has constructed 6 earthen dams and installing a Solar Lift Irrigation system in Kaccherki Dhani village of Vallabh Nagar block in Udaipur district.
These 6 Earthen Dams (Nadi) are recharging/augmenting the groundwater and solar lift irrigation is promoting water-efficient farming practices to benefit around 200 households.
DSL in partnership with Alert Sansthan and Gayatri Seva Sansthan is constructing traditional and community managed low cost water harvesting structures such as Earthen Nadi (Earthen Dam) and Anicut at Gogunda and Sarada block of Udaipur district of Rajasthan. 19 such structures have been completed. These structures will benefit more than 2500 inhabitants of the project area and around 45-50 hectares of land will get additional water for irrigation water in Rabi season.
DSL in partnership with Mahan Seva Sanasthan has undertaken the construction of 4 Check Dams in Amod village of Phalasiya Block, Udaipur district. The initiative aims to improve the groundwater level through harvesting and storage activities. It will also focus on increasing the irrigated areas to improve agricultural productivity.
Around 350 households is benefitting from the project.
In continuation, Solar Lift Irrigation Systems are also being installed to promote judicial and effective use of available water to help 120 farmers and irrigate around 35 hectare land.
The Thar Desert of India, spread across the state of Rajasthan mainly, and the region is chronically hit by persistent droughts and communities in the rural parts are forced to live with poverty, illiteracy and poor health.
The project by DSL aims to mitigate the impact of droughts through improve water availability for drinking and agricultural needs through construction of 90 Rainwater harvesting structures (60 taankas, 20 khadins and 10 Beries) benefitting impoverished communities in 5 remote villages of the Thar Desert.
DSL has constructed 14 Pagaras and 40 Pokhars in the Daang region in Karauli district of Rajasthan in partnership with Gram Gaurav Sansthan. 5 community ponds in different villages were also revived. 26 more structures are being constructed under this project to increase the availability of water for needy sections of the society.
DSL partnered with Jan Shiksha Evam Vikas Sangathan to construct and repair 3 water harvesting structures in Surata Gram Panchayat, Dungarpur district of Rajasthan. The company is already promoting Agricultural and Horticulture practices for the advancement of Livelihoods in the area and construction of the water harvesting structures will further facilitate this.
DSL initiated the water conservation project in Sikar district, Rajasthan, in 2013. A total of 21 water conservation structures were constructed and 2 community ponds were revived to conserve approximately 4,17,347 Cum of water. The project was implemented in Deepawas & Mokalwas Gram Panchayat in Neem Ka Thana Block and Triveni Dham Panchayat in Hathoda Shree Madhopur Block.
These are predominantly drought-prone areas with less than 400 mm average annual rainfall with undulated topography and poor soil depth resulting in low crop productivity.
DSL has partnered with SWERA Santhan for the construction of the Chouka System in Kanpura, Tilana & Dhal village of Shrinagar block in Ajmer district. It is a method to harvest rainwater in arid areas that have monsoon rains. These structures retain rainwater, prevent soil erosion and recharge the surface water.
The initiative helped around 350 households by improving the water table and coverage of the irrigated land so that the agricultural productivity improves.
DSL is constructing fiveadditional nadis (Earthen Dam) with cut off waste weir and two sunken farm pondsto improve access to water for drinking and agriculture. It is expected that, 725 inhabitants of Kanpura and Farkiya gram panchayat will benefit from these structures.
DSL has partnered with Manjari Foundation to construct and renovate 13 traditional water harvesting structures in Sarmuthara located in Dholpur district, Rajasthan, with an expected water storage capacity of 0.28 Cubic Metre, bringing an additional 75 hectare land under irrigation. The project benefits around 200 households in the region that depend on seasonal agriculture, from a topography that is erosion prone and lacks ground water and minimal rainfall.
Project Manthan focuses on improving the economic status of the farmers of 78 villages of Rajasthan. DSL in partnership with Jan Siksha & Vikas Sangathan is working in; 48 villages in Dungarpur and has partnered with Arpan Seva for the 30 villages in the Sikar district. With proper veterinary services and inputs on livestock management, more than 2500 farmers have directly benefitted with enhanced milk production and market linkages that has given them better pricing. Additionally, more than 15,000 farmers had the advantage of breed improvement, vaccination, treatment, and capacity building. The project has introduced new practices such as Azolla feed, herbal feed, Silage preparation for better feeding, and the Veterinary Path Lab (Manthan Pashu Chikitsa Nidan Kendra), the first of its kind veterinary diagnostic center in the state. It is a well-equipped path lab capable of diagnosing complex diseases, apart from undertaking the basic diagnostic tests for cattle and livestock. It is catering to the farmers and veterinarians of the 100 villages around Reengus, which is one of the major milk-producing areas in Rajasthan with a considerable number of livestock.
DSL has undertaken Promotion of Agricultural and Horticulture for Advancement of Livelihoods (PAHAL) is a pioneering social project that encourages the farmers to produce seasonal vegetables and fruits along with the regular crops for Sustaining Livelihood with Resource Management in Horticulture. Around 500 marginalized farmers have benefitted from the training on “WADI” development that encourages water efficiency and organic farming as a tool for improved agriculture and food security. The profitable vegetable cultivation meets the local demand and simultaneously generates additional income for the farmers and secures their livelihood. This also helps in resolving the issue of malnutrition and many other social and economic issues for these poor tribal families and also helps to enhance the green cover of the area.
DSL worked with coriander growing farmers to build their capacity through improved cultivation practices and post-harvest processing technology for better crop yield and price realization in Jhalawar, Rajasthan.
Under the project, a sorting and grading unit was installed at Sareri village, Manohar Thana block, Jhalawar district for. The project is also helping farmers to market the products directly to industrial buyers, leading to better prices realization for them.
DSL has launched a project - Sustainable and Comprehensive Agriculture for Livelihood Enhancement (SCALE) to improve livelihood of the farmers through introduction of Good Agriculture Practices (GAP), strengthening Farmer’s Producer Organizations(FPO) and establishing better market linkages. The project aims to reach out to more than 2000 farmers in Jodhpur and Baran districts of Rajasthan. The company has partnered with Gramin Vikas Vigyan Samiti (GRAVIS) and Gram Unnati Foundation in Jodhpur and Baran, respectively.
Youth Leadership and Empowerment Academy is a space for school dropouts in the age group of 16-22 years. It allows them explore their potential and design their learning path with the best suitable skills, for earning their livelihood and boost the local economy too.
The project is being implemented by DSL in Surata Village of Dungarpur District in Rajasthan, in partnership with Shikshantar Sansthan. The project is expected to empower and train more than 250 school dropouts with livelihood oriented skills.
DS Sons in partnership with Pratham implemented Project ‘Improving Learning Outcomes’ in Bichhiwara Block in the Dungarpur district of Rajasthan. The project helped bridge the learning gaps of about 2600 children across the schooling spectrum.
DSL has extended support to Akshaya Patra Foundation to re-establish a Mid Day Meal (MDM) kitchen with the capacity of 25,000 meals per day, in the Jhalawar district of Rajasthan. The MDM kitchen provides a nutritious meal to more than 15,000 children of classes one to eight.