In 1985, the people of the village of Rahatalav (Dholera district) in
India resolved to work together and dig a pond the size of a footbal
field, in order to collect and conserve the monsoon rainfall water. I
am trying to find more information about this story. I read the above
in the book "Water Wars" by Diane Rained-Ward, page 214. If you can't find
information on the story, I'd be happy if you could find contact
information for Ward (not through her publisher - tried that). I know
she's married to Geoffrey C. Ward, and that Together they run a
nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation efforts in India. But
I can't find the details of that 1985 story. Thanks. |
Request for Question Clarification by
muhammad-ga
on
23 Aug 2005 08:24 PDT
Hello!
Can you tell me the date (or at least the month) when this project
was initiated in 1985? Are there any Newspaper references mentioned in
the bibliography/appendices of the book? If yes, please provide me the
details about that. Being from India, I can check the newspaper's
archive library and provide you the information about that.
Regards,
muhammad-ga,
Google Answers Researcher
|
Clarification of Question by
gavron-ga
on
23 Aug 2005 14:49 PDT
hello muhammad, and thank a lot for trying to help me on this one.
unfirtunately, i don't have a specific date for this. also, there
isn't a direct reference to an article, and at the bibliography there
is a very long list of books from south asia - around 80. i checked
the list carefully and it's possible this story appeared in a number
of them. however one seemed close: "Sainath P. Everybody Loves a Good
Draught: Stories From India's Poorest Districts. Penguin Books India,
New Delhi, 1996." i looked for this book in the british library (i'm
from london), but couldn't find it. there is only one article
referenced to south asia, which i don't think is related: "Rahmani,
Asad R. "Just Deserts, the story of Indira Gahndi Nahar Project,"
Sanctuary magazine, vol XIV no. 1 Bombay 1994.
The only thing i could do beyond the information i gace is to quote
the full paragraph from page 214. this is all i have:
"In 1985, seeking a way out of such trouble, the people of the village
of Rahatalav decided not to migrate. Instead, they resolved to work
together to dig a pond the size of a football field, then kined it
with heavy plastic to keep monsoon water from seeping into the ground.
A plastics manufacturer from Baroda instructed the villagers in how to
fashion well-graded slopes, build sand filters, and add pumps for
drinking water. The women of Rahatalav were especially heroic,
organizing, excavating, grading. The well-engineered pond was ready
for the 1987 monsoon, but somehow the rains passed it by. Acting
quickly, the villagers dug a tw0-mile channel from a place where rain
had fallen to their pond, and it filled beautifully. In the years that
followed, when villages all around them dried up, the people of
Rahatalav welcomed their beighbors to drink. Since then, at least
seven more villages have built ponds of their own. the end of the
story is simple. The people of Dholera district have water and they
take care of it."
That's it.
Hope it can help you find something. Maybe that plastics manufacturer?
Thanks, Assaf
|
Request for Question Clarification by
politicalguru-ga
on
24 Aug 2005 00:31 PDT
Dear Assaf,
I have managed to obtain Diane Raines-Ward's email address. Woudl you
like to have it as your answer?
|
Clarification of Question by
gavron-ga
on
24 Aug 2005 01:26 PDT
hello,
mmm... yes i would like the email address, though if the guy in india
find information on the story from local press etc., i wouldn't like
him to stop searching. what should i do? how does it work in cases
like these?
|
Request for Question Clarification by
politicalguru-ga
on
24 Aug 2005 03:37 PDT
Dear Assaf,
I'll just wait until Mohammad comes back with his search results. If
you're not in a hurry, so am I.
|
Clarification of Question by
gavron-ga
on
24 Aug 2005 04:17 PDT
Dear Politicalguru,
Sure - let's wait and see what he comes up with.
Buy don't disappear - I might buy it off you anyway...
Thanks,
Assaf
|
Request for Question Clarification by
muhammad-ga
on
24 Aug 2005 04:41 PDT
Dear politcalguru,
You may post the author's email address, I could not find any
information about the story. Contacting the author may be helpful.
Regards,
muhammad
|
Clarification of Question by
gavron-ga
on
24 Aug 2005 07:32 PDT
Thanks for trying, Muhammad, and for waiting, politicalguru.
Please give me the email address and the money's yours.
Assaf
|
Clarification of Question by
gavron-ga
on
25 Aug 2005 07:39 PDT
dear politicalguru,
i'm waiting for your answer, whenever you are ready.
Thanks,
tssaf
|
Dear Assaf,
Thank you. As I said, I managed to find Ms. Raines-Ward address
through one of the organisations in which she is active, and mostly
after searching the Internet (thoroughly, because it is hidden
somewhere around the 99th result...) for the term ["Diane Raines
Ward"].
Her address is - DRainesWard and then add the @ and aol.com. (I prefer
not to write it as it should appear, to avoid spam sent to this nice
lady).
I hope this answers your question. Please contact me if you need any
clarification on this answer before you rate it.
PS - May I also ask you a question? Are you the musician A. Gavron? |
Request for Answer Clarification by
gavron-ga
on
25 Aug 2005 08:29 PDT
Thanks. I sent her an email, and hopefully will get a reply from her sometime.
Your job is done. I'll rate the answer highly.
Yes, I am, among other things, a musician, thought I wouldn't think
anyone would have heard of me outside of my native Israel. The only
time I was interviewed about music to an American mag was when I
worked with a friend on a computer game soundtrack. Is that what you
read?
Assaf
|
Clarification of Answer by
politicalguru-ga
on
25 Aug 2005 08:41 PDT
No, I have a friend who is into Israeli music and I heard tapes. I
have a horrible mind for trivia, with nothing sustential besides that,
like my real research work.
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