Dated 15th December 2025
A unique centre for water and environment studies, named (Arun and Dhriti Deb Centre for Water and Environmental Studies) has been established at IIEST, Shibpur, a prestigious engineering college of the country. SIGMA Foundation has entered into a non-financial agreement with the centre to work together for a pilot project of harvesting rainwater in Jajuhatu village within Mathari Khamar Gram Panchayat of Jhalda I block. The harvested water will be used to strengthen agriculture and livelihood of the village. 
The high-level engineering skill of IIEST and SIGMA Foundation’s extensive experience in water security, climate adaptation, and natural resource management across multiple states, will provide a technically sound and socially acceptable solution to the acute water crisis of the area. A check dam to harvest rainwater will be constructed to start with in Jajuhatu village.
The project site was visited by a team of ADDCWES and SIGMA Foundation on the 12th December 2025. The team spoke to the villagers, met the elected representatives including the Pradhan of the Gram Panchayat and the BDO along with some other officials of Jhalda I block. The visit will be followed by design of the check dam structure and a survey of the households who are going to be benefitted from the impounded water of the check dam and the check dam will be constructed before the coming rainy season.