62  rotary news  noVeMber 2013

“The future of India lies in its vil-lages,” asserted Mahatma Gandhi

and his statement stands true to this day. Our villages contribute towards 80 percent of economic development. Agriculture, forestry, fishery and handlooms are the backbone of India in the global market. India is the largest producer of wheat and rice in the world today and all of this produce comes from villages where agriculture is the main source of daily bread. But for the villagers of Zinkapalem it was difficult to earn their livelihood by means of agriculture as the area suffered from water scarcity. Monsoons hit the land dry. The ground water was nothing more than a trickling solution which left the village dependant entirely on the Edurumandi Reservoir for the irri-gation of 250 acres of agricultural land and drinking water.

Today the scene has comprehen-sively changed. Rotary stepped into the frame of a distorted agricultural image and began the process of embellish-ment. Rotary Club of Chilakaluripet, RI District 3150 and Rotary Club of

The Hills-Kellyville, RI District 9680, Australia in association with TRF under its Matching Grants facility initi-ated the Zinkapalem Irrigation Project. The stupendous task included build-ing of tanks of various sizes to store water and the setting up of nine diesel motors and pumps. The total project cost worked out to a thriving amount of Rs. 17,60,000. The contribution was colossal and so was the task.

Tanks of various sizes were being dug up in various parts of the 250 acre

stretch. These tanks would nourish the land and make cultivation possible. But what if the tanks dried up and no monsoon came to the rescue and the reservoir ran dry? Well Rotary comes from an all-round school of thought. The next step Rotary initiated was to construct diesel motors and pumps to siphon water from the irrigation canal at Guntur district and from the Krishna River during monsoons. This would leave the village irrigated throughout the year immaterial of rainfall, dried

rotary acts

Beside the fourth longest river in India is a small village that has its veins running dry without any water. A miracle bestowed by Rotary Club of

Chilakaluripet, RI District 3150 and Rotary Club of The Hills-Kellyville, RI District 9680, Australia has restored the land with water. Here is the success story of Rotary in Zinkapalem village.

Happy villagers of Zinkapalem.

reservoir and saline water. This could also be called the introspective appear-ance of Rotary — Water for Life.

Work was completed under the support of PDG Jashti Ranga Rao, PDG Ravi Vadlamani, Rtn. E.V Girish Babu, Rtn. Shaik Abdul Rahaman, President Mohammed Yousuf Ali and Secretary Dr. Perni

Krishna Mohan. On 19th September 2013 Zinkapalem saw the inaugura-tion of their dreams. The gateway to growth channelised through 90 tanks and 9 diesel motors and pumps held the villagers in excitement and tears of joy. For them it was an answer to their prayers and cure to an ailing wound. For Rotary it was yet another

milestone of success, a tale of pas-sion and humanity and the inference of the joyful smile on the face of the villagers in Zinkapalem.

Kiran Zehrawith inputs from

PDG Jashti Ranga Rao, RI District 3150

noVeMber  2013  rotary news  63

Rotarians dedicating a pumpset to the village.