“Where there is collective resolve and strong intentions, history is created.” It was not only a slogan, but a living fact in Lakhimpur Kheri district, where a remarkable achievement of environmental foresight, rural uplift, and administrative prowess led to the creation of a national record. Within a span of one month, from May 15 to June 15, 2025, the district built 1,030 community ponds in the ‘Har Gaon Talab’ campaign and secured a prestigious spot in the India Book of Records.
What started as a water conservation campaign became a people’s revolution, setting the district as a shining example of how rural development, ecological sustainability, and people’s participation can go hand in hand. At the epicentre of this revolution were District Magistrate Durga Shakti Nagpal and Chief Development Officer Abhishek Kumar, who took the lead and transformed a state-level initiative into a mass movement.
The culmination of the first-ever such campaign was celebrated by a grand felicitation ceremony at the Vivekananda Auditorium in the Lakhimpur Kheri Development Building on June 18. Pramil Dwivedi, India Book of Records adjudicator, handed over certificates and medals to DM Nagpal and CDO Kumar, appreciating the district administration and villagers equally for their commitment.
Babbling about the effort as a “shining star of water empowerment,” Dwivedi added, “Lakhimpur Kheri has taught the nation what can be achieved when citizens and the administration are in harmony. This campaign is no longer just a government programme. It’s become a public movement for water security.”
The ‘Har Gaon Talab’ programme was intended to build at least one pond in every village. But here in Lakhimpur Kheri, this target was not just achieved. It was surpassed with awe-inspiring scale and speed. Almost 700 acres of land was turned into zones for water conservation, and 70 to 80 ponds were built and prepared in each block of the district before the very first monsoon showers.
Addressing the ceremony, DM Durga Shakti Nagpal reasserted that the award is not for a record but for a symbol of participatory development. “This is a historic feat due to public participation. It’s not quantity. It’s quality. We did more than 1,000 ponds in one month with one mission of having them ready before the rains and we achieved that,” she explained.
The campaign was conducted in mission mode, with the on-ground leadership provided by CDO Abhishek Kumar. The administrative machinery of the district, ably assisted by Block Development Officers, MNREGA functionaries, and local villagers, toiled day and night, sometimes fighting scorching heat, to finish the work within schedule.
The magnitude of the campaign had wider implications beyond water harvesting. The administration claims that almost 7 lakh man-days of employment were created during the campaign, which offered temporary employment to thousands of rural workers, particularly during the off-season summer months.
A remarkable aspect of the campaign was its high participation by women. More than 30 per cent of those taking part were women, imbuing the campaign with a distinct sense of identity centered on gender-equitable development. “This campaign shows how environmental actions can also be platforms for social inclusion, economic resilience, and women empowerment,” stated CDO Kumar.
The ponds are likely to act as essential water recharge infrastructure, facilitating improved rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, and enhanced agricultural productivity for marginal and small farmers in the long run.
The Lakhimpur Kheri experiment highlights a model of rural change by ecological interventions. It is in tune with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s idea for water conservation and nature protection, and translating it into a people’s mission.
“Rainwater is fresh and precious. Floodwater is dangerous. Our aim is to store every drop of rainwater before it turns into a flood,” said DM Nagpal. She added that more water conservation initiatives will follow, with a focus on sustainability and long-term maintenance.
The campaign’s success is already inspiring replication in other districts, with the state government keen to adopt and upscale such community-centric approaches across Uttar Pradesh.
Khet Talab Yojana: A Companion Push Statewide
Parallelly, the state has been making a push under the ‘Khet Talab Yojana’ or the Farm Pond Scheme to construct individual water reservoirs for farmers. From 2017 to 18, more than 37,403 farm ponds have been developed under the scheme, facilitating rainwater harvesting for irrigation purposes and thus enhancing agricultural sustainability and self-reliance.
Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi has recently announced that under the ‘Per Drop More Crop’ sub-scheme of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, farmers are now eligible to apply online for the farm pond construction for the season 2025 to 26 at subsidised rates. One pond measuring 22 by 20 by 3 metres will cost ₹1.05 lakh, shared equally between the farmer and the government.
The mechanism is transparent and first-come first-served, with online reservation and SMS reminders. The farmers have to upload documents of the land and consent to fit micro-irrigation systems (drip or sprinkler) in order to be entitled. This is to assure efficient use of water and sustainability of the farm ponds in the long run.
What Lakhimpur Kheri has done is not just a figure in the record books. It is a blueprint for rural India’s sustainable tomorrow. In a time of climate change, the depleting groundwater, and agrarian distress, the solution is not in policies but in people’s movements such as ‘Har Gaon Talab’.
The campaign has become a janandolan or people’s movement. It has been demonstrated that if citizens, women, workers, and administrators unite with one vision in mind, even the most challenging of objectives can not only be achieved but exceeded.
When the first monsoon drops fall on the freshly excavated ponds scattered all over Lakhimpur Kheri, they won’t just recharge the soil. They will also feed a legacy of determination, grit, and rural rejuvenation.
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