Patel Community holds rein in Surat Diamond

Northern region of Gujarat is called Saurashtra. If you ever have found time to peep into workforce of Surat Diamods, you will find large number of them from Saurashtra. It is not that they came here simply and started diamond business. Main problem of this region is water scarcity and this had forced thousands of people to migrate form the parched lands to seek employment as diamond cutter and polishers in the glittering diamond industry of Surat in 70s and 80s. After working hard in the industry for all these years and amassing weath runnig into crores of rupees, the wealth patals are now spending a huge amount of money for their community members black home. These patels are setting up water-harvesting facilities in the present generation does not have reasons to migrate elsewhere, facing water scarcity and drought-like condition.
Take an example of Mathurbhai savani owner of RS 400-crore Savani Brother – started water harvesting in his hometown in khopala village in Bhaavvnager district. As part of the invitiave, 200big and small check dams and around 10 ponds in 1998 were constructed. This turned into a collective missions for the patel to bring water to their parched lands in Saurasthra. This work was done throught shramdaan that is voluntary. Unpaid labor contributed by the villagers themsellve. Non-farmers in the village contributed to the princess by digging up a big village pond.
This is how Saurashtra jalthara Trust, an organization of the diamond trader, was born under the able leadership of math urbhai in 19999. Around three lakh patels from more than 4,000 village s in Saurashtra, who are working with the diamond industry of Surat and many settled abroad , chipped in fencers running into crores of ripest for building check-dams and ponds.
In the 80s thousands of youths left Amreli and Bhvnagar to work in the diamond-cutting unit in Surat They lived on meager incomes while supporting their families in the village. But , as they branched into diamond trading and set up big business, they left that future generation should not have reasons to migrate . Thus the check dam campaign was born, said savani.
The trust has been building check-dam under the start’s 80:20s scheme under sardar shabhagi jalsanchay yojana. Onec the dam is built , the trust signs an agreement with the villagers that they will maintain it . for ; this they have set up a village committee for managing the funds of villagers. The trust spends roughly around Rs1.5crore from its own pocket for the maintenance of its fleet of 40JCb machines technical staff , procuring rawmaterial reduced cost , among others.
We earnaed money from diamond business and now we are using it to quench the thirst people back home said Govinnd Dholakia chairman shree Ramkrishan Export , who doesn’t even remember the amount of financial assistance disbursed by him for water har vesting project in the last few years.
Today, around 200 small and big rivers in Saurashtra , which usually go dry a month after monsoon , are being revived with thousands of check dams constructed in the last decade. If the trust members are to be believed, agricultural crop production has seen a substantial increase the last few years , following water harvesting facilities in the village of Saurashtra.
The water harvesting initiative has become a reality in the villages of Saurashtra , All because of the active participation of villages, diamond tradesrs in Surat and abroad and the state government. In the last decade , we have collected more than Rs150crore to Rs 200crore from our brethren in the diamond industry in Surat and abroad for water harvesting project, said savani, a class V drop out , who manages a technical and engineering team of around 100 people for building check dams in Saurashtra.