Rivers Kevnadi and Gadhnadi are the lifelines of Kondgaon and Sakharpa villages situated in Devrukh Mukhyalaya of Sangmeshwar Taluka in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. Kevnadi river originates from Amba Ghat and Gadhnadi river from foothills of Vishalgadh at a height of about 850 meters and they confluence at Kondgaon Sangam at a height of 80 meters.

Over the years,  the river’s depth reduced to 70 meters, out of which 60 meters of the riverbed in front of the Kondgaon marketplace has got covered with stones and pebbles. During the rainy season the river floods and due to the lack of depth, water spreads, soil erosion happens on both sides of the river, and silt and stones-pebbles accumulate on both sides.  The river slope near Kondgav Sangam is less, due to this silt accumulating at the deep pools in the riverbed. This results in water flowing by the side of kondgaon marketplace, causing damage to the shops.

 After the assessment, approx. 16000 cubic meters of silt were removed from the area of around 200 meters in length, 15 to 20 meters in width, and 1 to 2 meters in depth. Rejuvenating deep pools of the riverbed – Bamankond, Ghodekond, Chinchkond and 2 more konds of approx. 8000 cubic meters. Approx. 20000 cubic meters silt near the bridge between bazaarpeth and puryegao and Sakharpa dam sand was removed. Two bandharas were constructed within the ground – the lower side of Sangam and the lower side of the bamankond (65 meters in length and 1 meter in height and 0.5 meters in width) and (80 meters in length and 1 meter in height) near the bridge joining bazaarpeth and puryegao.

Key Impacts

• Removable bandhara constructed above baandh within the ground formed water bodies resulting in no water wastage
• During summer, water was retained leading to no water shortage