Dispur has chalked out 10 models of rainwater harvesting under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme for drought-prone areas of the state, where groundwater level has been falling over the years. The 10 models include micro-rainwater harvesting programme for the benefit of people living below poverty line, who, in the absence of a tubewell can opt for rainwater, harvested through the GI sheets of houses built under the Indira Awas Yojana. Assam rural development minister Rockybul Hussain announced the state government’s decision to go for planned water harvesting at a recent meeting in Nagaon. “We are launching the mission targeting schemes for individuals as well as communities in Nagaon district. The mission would be expanded all over the state and give the people an alternative water source,” Hussain said. Nagaon deputy commissioner P. Ashok Babu said related departments, including soil conservation and public health engineering would be involved in the programme and the schemes would be implemented under the NREGA. “Our dream is to go for big community works which will benefit people over a large area. Bigger water harvesting programmes in rivulets, waterbodies and low-lying areas seem the most desirable for agricultural purposes,” he said. People living in the western hilly parts of the central Assam district have had to face severe water crisis during winter because of the decreasing groundwater levels. “During the past few years, some parts of the district have suffered from drought-like conditions. Planned water harvesting programmes might bring the water level up and ultimately bring an end to the crisis,” said an official of the soil conservation department. According to Nagaon DRDA project director, Niranjan Borua, a rainwater-harvesting device would be installed in all the houses constructed under the IAY hereafter. “We will make a package of some important items for the BPL beneficiaries from this month. There would be a small garden in the front yard of the house. The water-harvesting device would be set up on the roof of the house using the GI sheets. A sanitary latrine would be installed under the National Sanitary Mission, at the rear of the house,” Borua added. According to the official, the public health engineering department has been entrusted with the task of designing low-cost model rainwater harvesting schemes for the IAY houses. “Our stress is on maximum utilisation of rainwater. One of the plans is that instead of going for an RCC boundary wall around a plantation scheme under the NREGA, we will dig a channel around the plantation. The channel would work like a boundary and provide necessary water to the trees in winter,” Borua said.