A tribal woman builds 35 stone dams by hand

https://organiser.org/   Shashank Kumar Dwivedi Jun 16, 2025

Mary, a tribal woman from the small, forest-fringed village of Badhaniya in Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR), has constructed 35 stone check dams, locally called patthar dams, using only local resources and the strength of community spirit. She did all this without formal training, government funding, or engineering assistance. Just resolve, vision, and compassion.

One evening in early 2024, she gathered village elders under a neem tree and proposed a simple but bold plan: to build small stone dams across seasonal streams. These would slow down the water, allow it to seep into the earth, reduce erosion, and nourish life through the brutal summer.

To her surprise, the village supported her. The Palamu Tiger Reserve officials were informed, and the villagers, young and old, came forward with tools, stones, and bare hands.

They built the first seven check dams within a month. Each dam took about four to five hours to construct. No cement, no blueprints, just human effort, guided by nature and instinct.