Restoration of our ecosystem has become increasingly important and necessary in the current decade. Many of our ecosystems today are damaged beyond unassisted self-recovery but efforts are to assist the recovery to its pre-degradation status.

Nature is mother to all wellbeing on Earth, it is the best gift to the human being, but we all know the way we have been harming these natural sources and facing unpredictable disaster events in a landscape.

Realizing the importance of nature, the Bihar government has launched Bihar Jal Jeevan Hariyali Yojana on October 2, 2019. The water-life-greening campaign has been started in the state to increase environmental balance, adequate water and green cover. In this Mission, the Government has decided to strengthen Ahar, Pokhra, small rivers and old wells. Check dams will be built in small rivers, drains and hilly areas. In rural Bihar, this programme was linked with MGNREGA campaign.

Moving with this, Community of Sitamarhi have completed channel desilting work to restore nature assets and contribute to reviving Eco- System. A total of 1100 man-days were generated in finalizing desilting and 55 labourers worked to earn livelihood during the lockdown.

This 10 Km long Channel originates from Bagmati near Deng and it goes across 04 blocks of District and merges in Old cannel of Bagmati river. An important source of irrigation for farmers, Fishermen takes free fish and run their livelihood. As per the primary sources/community, around 5000 farmers are using this water of this channel and irrigating 941 acres of land. In 2018, the southern part of the channel was filled with silt and flow of water obstructed and it prevented the water to reach down in the field of farmers.

In 2018 Community members decided and developed a plan of desilting/restoration of the channel and presented the same in annual Gram Saba Meeting of 2018. After Panchayat approval, series of follow up was facilitated by Caritas India and partners with panchayat & block level officials by DRR committee have been made to start the di-siltation. This plan was selected under the Jal Jeevan Hariyali Yojana in January 2020, finally, the work started in the month of June 2020 under the Bihar government scheme. A total of Two lakhs sixty-seven thousand (2,67,000) rupees were spent on this work and 1100 man-day work created for the 55 unskilled labours, who lost their livelihood due to COVID 19 situation.

Under the supervision of the DRR committee of Simardah village restoration of the channel has been carried out and completed. It has also provided employment to skilled labourers of villages. While talking with Mr. Santosh Paswan, ward secretary of Simardah village shared, “this restoration work has multipurpose advantages to villagers. There are a lot of benefits by opening the channel to the farmer. It helps in irrigating the land on one side and also solve the issue of waterlogging during floods. Even in lockdown, people received employment through this scheme”