Stagnant Water Tank Rehabilitated, Aquatic Life Preserved
On 13th May, 2017 the volunteers of the Art of Living foundation took the initiative to rehabilitate Itali water tank at Shukrawar Peth, an area in Washim District, Maharashtra. The service project was started to mark the birthday of the Art of Living founder Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
The water in the tank was extremely dirty and unfit for use. The project was aimed at cleaning the tank and making it ready for use. Water tank rehabilitation requires detailed knowledge of the complex techniques, and the project was completed under the guidance of top environmental, bird and water experts.
Conserving Aquatic Life
To make the process as swift as possible and so that the aquatic life doesn’t get inconvenienced, the silt removal, deepening, widening and cleaning of this 500 ft x 250 ft tank was done in a record time of twelve days and eleven nights. Utmost care was taken to safely handle and transfer precious aquatic life such as tortoise to another water source.
The soil culture of Itali tank was maintained as it is in order to get the same flora and fauna at the bottom of the water reservoir. This offered a cleaner yet familiar environment to the aquatic animals. Also, the tank was lime-treated so that the aquatic life gets calcium and the water is clean.
This place has been home to many migratory birds as well, and it had to be readied to welcome many more birds this year too. Bird resorts made of stones were created, as part of the project in the water body, so that the birds could take shelter there.
The Itali tank water is now totally clean and can even be used for drinking purposes. The tank, that now has a storage capacity of approximately 3 crore litres, was rehabilitated by using public funds. The entire project was executed without relying on CSR funds or government funds. It was the sheer hard work, determination and commitment of the Art of Living volunteers that made a project of this magnitude happen, benefitting lakhs of people in the area.
Founded in 1981 by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, The Art of Living is an educational and humanitarian movement engaged in stress-management and service initiatives. The organization operates globally in 155 countries and has touched the lives of over 370 million people.
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Read about how The Art of Living has been bringing dead rivers back to life, here.
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