Kanker. Large-scale water conservation work is underway in the hilly areas under the "More Village, More Water" campaign, aimed at arresting the district's declining groundwater levels and making villages water-sufficient. 3,443 water structures are being constructed in the district, primarily contour trenches, loose boulders, gabions, check dams, soak pits, and ponds. Their purpose is to increase groundwater levels by retaining maximum rainwater.
District Panchayat CEO Haresh Mandavi stated that approximately 43,500 trenches have been dug in the district so far through 58 contour trench projects. Work has been primarily carried out in the Kokanpur, Albera, Kapsi, and Dhanelikanhar gram panchayats. The plan has been developed using GIS technology based on the ridge-to-valley principle, allowing water flowing from the hills to be intercepted by the structures before reaching the valley. Trenches on hills – Contour trenches dug in lines of equal height on hill slopes allow rainwater to seep into the ground.