Strengths

  • Awareness spreading through mass events – padyatra,sammelan, etc.
  • Leadership initiative is commendable – trust winning capacity or credibility
  • Strong financial ground – many donors and able to build good infrastructure, e.g. JCB machines (earth moving machinery)
  • Women’s participation is stressed.
  • Community association is used for good purpose with good will that yield good results.
  • Interesting symbols around water have been evolved.
  • Rootedness – know ground level reality, experienced.
  • Quality consciousness for check dams.
  • Single agenda programme – water harvesting related holistic efforts.
  • One man show – leadership qualities that has been recognized by several villages and supported by like minded people.

Weakness

  • Selective implementation, where the village dynamics are able to taken care of however, not denying the need of the other villages.
  • Initiatives by land holding castes and rich people.
  • Om man show – due participation of others at implementation level and spreading vision of the intervention.
  • Populist programmes.
  • Single agenda programme for promotion of water harvesting strategies.
  • Capitalist way of working; village committee has to contribute.
  • No women member in village committee despite stress on women’s participation – stereotype gender concerns.
  • Slow progress regarding resource management & optimum utilization of water to be passed on to VC.
  • Village people not aware about far-fetching consequences, long term planning and vision for better use of increased income.
  • Cost benefit analysis to be done.

Opportunities

  • Geographic areas: check dam locations, its numbers.
  • Functional: forestation, land development, amenities, etc.
  • Role model for other NGOs and people for its financial strength.
  • Role of “Gram Vikas Samiti” can be expanded.
  • Formalization process for functioning of VC could be initiated.
  • Water harvesting strategies other than check dams should be explored like work in Surat city that has just started and ongoing work of deepening ponds
  • No women member in village committee despite stress on women’s participation – stereotype gender concerns.
  • Community development should be greater.
  • Optimum utilization of water resource – soil, land, crop,drinking purpose, other occupations, trade & commerce should be well thought off and should be planned rigourously.
  • Adequate technical and scientific knowledge base and environmental impact assessment could be carried out before starting check dam or such intervention
  • Cost reduction by use of appropriate technology should be considered

Threats

  • Economical Darwinism – land holding pattern and domination of land holding castes, vested interests may align with economic and political barons.
  • VC may bring in corruption, social dominance, vested interests, etc