Vayalagam Foundation

DHAN Vayalagam Foundation

Water is elixir of life. Water is everywhere on our planet, in the air, in our bodies, in our food and in our breath.
Without it life as we know it would not be possible.

Promoting Community Governance in Water Resources

DHAN lays emphasis in building social capital for reviving the age old practice of community management (kudimaramath).At each level of the Farmers' Federation, leaders have emerged from among the local communities.

Augmenting Storage Capacity of the Tanks

Through the Vayalagam Farmers' Organisations, DHAN facilitates rehabilitation of tanks for not only restoring the physical structures to their originally designed standard, but more importantly, facilitating the proper maintenance of the tanks, efficient water management and implementing improved cropping practices in a sustainable manner.

Enhanced Water Management

Traditionally, most of the tanks in south India had water managers to effectively manage the water distribution. Each tank had one or more Neerkais. e Neerkais had several functions to perform ranging from supply of water to every field at the farm level to safeguarding the tank structures from all natural and manmade calamities.

Tank-based Watershed Development

An individual tank with its own catchment, water spread and command area is an integral part of a watershed within which it is situated. A cascade of tanks forms a micro-watershed by itself as the tanks are interlinked, often by a common stream or by the surplus water of an upper tank feeding a lower one.

Farm ponds for life-saving-irrigation

While the tanks serve irrigation water needs of the farmers in the entire command area, creation of farm ponds would supplement the irrigation needs of each farm, creating space for the farmers to go in for diversified cropping.

Creating access to drinking water

Through Vayalagam Associations have constructed drinking water ponds in 300 villages in the drought-prone districts of Tamil Nadu, and over 120,000 people now have access to drinking water.

Safe Drinking Water through Household Water Treatment

Bio-sand filters, adapted from the traditional slow sand filters have been provided to over 2500 households. Another 10,000 families have been given ceramic candle filters coated with silver, a bacterial-static agent. ese houses have also been provided with education on the need for safe drinking water, various ways to purify water at the household level, as well as lessons on the functioning of filters and their maintenance. Over 50,000 people have got benefied from these filters.

Endowments for Sustainable Management of Water Resources

DHAN has mobilised Rs 10 Million as Endowment grant to 500 Tank Farmers Associations, which was matched by the community with their contribution of another Rs. 10 million. e income from the secured investments of Rs. 20 million is used by for maintenance of tank structures aer their rehabilitation by the local-level Associations.

Demonstration of Different Partnership Models

Vayalagam Institutions could mobilise support from several mainstream agencies for water conservation and development works. To take up these works, they have mobilised Rs. 829 million from government, private organisations and individual philanthropies. is was matched with contribution of Rs. 207 million from farmers as cash and labour. ese efforts have resulted in securing water and improvements in soil moisture regimes of 159400 hectares of lands.

Facilitating farm finance

There are 6491 AFGs functioning in the Vayalagams effectively facilitating savings to the tune of Rs. 265 million, facilitated credit to members to the tune of Rs. 756 million and so far these AFGs have mobilised Rs.600 million from commercial banks for issuing credit to their members.

Farmers Producer Organisations

Producers, organised into Primary Producer Groups and further networked into Producer Companies (PC), have started governing a major part of the value chain of their produces. Currently there are 19 Producer Organisations covering 10000 farmers involved in cultivation of crops such as small millets, paddy, groundnut, tapioca, pulses, coon, jasmine, chillies, coconut, maize, sorghum, chillies and coconut.

Contributions to the Water Sector

DHAN Foundation has set up a Resource Support Organisation for popularising community tank management and tank-based watershed models in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. DHAN has prepared a strategy for Water Security through Integrated watershed development for the State Planning commission during 2004.

Vayalagam Tankfed Agriculture Development Programme

Through the Vayalagam Farmers Organisations, DHAN facilitates rehabilitation of tanks for not only restoring the physical structures to their originally designed standard, but more importantly, facilitating the proper maintenance of the tanks, efficient water management and implementing improved cropping practices in a sustainable manner.

Promoting Community Governance in Water Resources

DHAN organises the framers and farm labourers dependent on each tank into Vayalagam Associations, networks them at the cascade level (chain of tanks linked hydrologically) and federates them at the block or district level to take up conservation drive on the large scale, as well as builds alliances with private, public and non-profit organisations working on tank systems.

Vayalagam Tankfed Agriculture Development Programme

DHAN Vayalagam (Tank) Foundation

DHAN Vayalagam (Tank) Foundation's Quaterly Magazine which focusses on Water Situation in our country

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Water Matters

DHAN Vayalagam (Tank) Foundation's Annual Report

DHAN Vayalagam (Tank) Foundation

DHAN Vayalagam (Tank) Foundation, is a professional grassroots action oriented development organization with sub sectoral focus on water initiated on October 2, 2006.

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Vayalagam Tankfed Agriculture Development Programme

Promoting Community Governance in Water Resources

Augmenting Storage Capacity of the Tanks

Tank-based Watershed Development

Walk of Glory

Milestones of 25 Years of Vayalagam Programme

1992
1992 - 1994
1993 – 1994
1994 – 1995
1994 – 1996
1995
1996
1996 – 1997
1997 – 1999
2000 – 2003
2002, Mar 7
2003
2004 – 2006
October 2, 2006
2007-2008
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016

Initiation of Tank Rehabilitation Project
1992
Initiation of Tank Rehabilitation Project in Madurai District, Tamil Nadu (by PRADAN)
Initiation of Tank Rehabilitation Project
1992-1994
Implementation of tank rehabilitation works at system tanks with 75% of contribution from District Rural Development Agency and farmers contributed 25% of the project cost.
Implementation of tank rehabilitation works
1993-1994
Submission of proposal for Regeneration of Farmers Management in Tankfed Agriculture to Ford Foundation
Initiation of New programme
1994-1995
1. Initiation of programme in Ramnad district at Kamudhi and Mudukulathur blocks.
2. Completion of 1st phase pilot project at Madurai district.
Support for Pilot Tank Project
1994-1996
The Ramnad District Rural Development Agency's support for pilot tank project at Kamudhi & Mudukulathur blocks with 75% & 25% contribution model.
District level Tank Farmer's Federation concept
1995
District level Tank Farmer's Federation concept was evolved and promoted the First Federation at Ramnad district.
Vayalagam Programme Expansion
1996
Vayalagam Programme was expanded to Theni, Villupuram, iruvallur districts with the invitation from the district administrations.

Madurai District Tank Farmer's Federation was promoted.
Deepening at South Indian level.
1996-1997
Consolidation of tank rehabilitation project, initiation of programme expansion and deepening at South Indian level.
Expansion in Andhra Pradesh
1997-1999
Expansion to Kanchipuram, Chioor districts of Andhra Pradesh. New components such as microfinance, endowment to tank institutions, intensive focus on tankfed farming initiated. Tank based watershed development was evolved.
Support from Multiple Agencies
2000-2003
Expansion to Kanchipuram, Chitoor districts of Andhra Pradesh. New components such as microfinance, endowment to tank institutions, intensive focus on tankfed farming initiated. Tank based watershed development was evolved.
Launch of Vayalagam Movement
2002, March 7
Vayalagam Movement was launched in the presence of Anna Hazare to further the community-led water resources development nationwide.
Neerkattis at Madurai Symposium
2003
More than 1000 Neerkais gathered at Madurai Symposium 2003 for sharing their experiences and resolved to revive and stabilize effective water management.
Projects for Oorani renovation
2005-2006
Tank-based watersheds were done for Tamil Nadu Agriculture Department under NWDPRA.

Projects for Oorani renovation was initiated in Tuticorin, Kanchipuram and Ramnad district and started collaboration with Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST), Canada for promoting Bio-Sand Filter.
DHAN Vayalagam Tank Foundation
October 2,2006
An exclusive institution 'DHAN Vayalagam Tank Foundation' was launched to focus on scaling-up.
Madurai Marathon (Run for Water)
2007-2008
Madurai Marathon (Run for Water) was organised to sensitise the public and raise funds. ITC-Rural Development Trust sponsored CSR projects to revive tanks in Sivagangai district in Tamil Nadu was launched.
Launch of CURE
2008
Centre for Urban Water Resources (CURE) was launched
DEWATS community-government joint initiative in Panaiyur
2009
DEWATS community-government joint initiative in Panaiyur was launched. Launched CSR Project with BPCL and HPCL in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Gundar River Basin level Federation Collective was launched to take up long-term restoration drive.
Conservation and Development of Tank Cascades in Gundar Basin
2010
Launched Conservation and Development of Tank Cascades in Gundar Basin in partnership with Hindustan Unilever Foundation and NABARD to rehabilitate 250 tanks.
DHANA Project
2011
Launched DHANA Project with the support from AXIS Bank Foundation to renovate 750 water bodies in Pambar-Koakaraiyar Basin covering 4 districts
Ahar-pyne renovation at National Policy seminar
2012
Prepared manual for Ahar-pyne renovation at National Policy seminar as part of India Water Week with the Union Minister Shri Jayaram Ramesh.
Annual Tamil Nadu Water Week
2013
Launched Annual Tamil Nadu Water Week in partnership with consortium of TNAU, Anna University and MIDS.
Collaboration with NABARD
2014
Initiated collaboration with NABARD as a Resource Support Organisation for Andhra Pradesh to guide watershed development programme.
Promoting Farmers Producer Organisations
2015
Launched a programme for promoting Farmers Producer Organisations with NABARD Support for 19 crops all over India. Vaigai River Pageant was organised as a start for Vaigai River Restoration drive. Water Knowledge Centre was launched in Tata-Dhan Academy
Phase II of Hindustan Unilever Foundation sponsored project
2016
Phase II of Hindustan Unilever Foundation sponsored project in Gundar Basin to renovate 450 water bodies was launched. Expanded Ahar-pyne renovation programme in Munger district, Bihar and Tank-based watershed programme in Khammam district, Telangana with ITC Support.

Programmes

DHAN Foundation initiated an action research project in 1992 for regeneration of farmers' management in the tank irrigation system. Later it took a shape of a scalable 'Vayalagam Tank-fed Agriculture Development Program', which has expanded its approach of working on isolated tanks to tank-based watersheds, reviving chains of tanks in minor river basins to multiply the impact of the renovation and restoration works.

Our Numbers

297182

Small & Marginal Farmers benefitted by us

4443

Vayalgam Farmers' Associations promoted by us

83,500

Hectares of command areas with ensured access to water with DHAN efforts

120,000

People with clean access to water through drinking water ponds constructed by DHAN

Our Reach

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DHAN Foundation & Vayalagam Foundation has embarked on a historic mission to Uplight the Nuritution Value of our Women & Children. Help us fight campaign for Nutrition Security