Walni, a village in Maharashtra, is home to around 30 ponds and lakes. However, the high levels of ground infiltration meant that the ponds would dry up soon after the rains as the water would percolate into the ground. With the village staring at a water crisis, the residents of Walni decided to experiment with different methods to conserve water.
They tried filling the water bodies up with earth. Around two years ago, the villagers found the answer in their plastic waste, Times of India reported.
The villagers collected all of their plastic waste and stitched them up to create large plastic sheets. When laid out on the water bodies, the sheets kept the water from permeating into the ground.
The experiment has yielded positive results. This year, the villagers are extending it to other smaller ponds across the village. A resident told the daily:
Every Sunday, we collect the plastic and hand it over to the women to make big sheets by stitching them together. We are in the process of laying these sheets in other farm ponds.
This initiative has not only helped to conserve water, but also solved the problem of waste disposal.
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