Water scarce villages of Hamirpur district have set an example by reviving the traditional water sources to meet their requirements this summer. This initiative of self-dependence by 229 gram panchayats has been turned into a success story under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Generation Scheme (MGNREGA), that too in a record time of six months. At least 666 traditional water sources have been re-designed, repaired and restored across all six development blocks of the district. This has benefitted 38,145 households of nearly 600 villages, which is 40 per cent of the households in the district, according to the district authorities. Officials said Rs 257.39 lakh was spent to bring boulis, wells and khatris (to store rainwater) to the present state. The district had set March 31 as the deadline and now these traditional sources are ready to be used as alternatives whenever the water supply by irrigation and public health department is not adequate, which happens frequently in summers when water recedes in the drinking water sources. People in these villages also managed to generate 1,25,515 days of employment as they revived the traditional sources, which had been neglected for a long time. Most of these water bodies are on the common land, which generated the community interest to collectively restore and maintain them, said an official spokesperson in a statement released on Sunday. A comprehensive plan was drawn to clean up and lay roofs and install gates at each of these sources to block entry of animals and other elements so that the water is not polluted. Around 380 boulis, 134 wells and 152 khatris were revived in Hamirpur, Bamson, Sujanpur, Nadaun, Bhoranj and Bijhari blocks of Hamirpur. Maximum thrust was on the Bamson block, which was traditionally considered as the most water-scarce block in the district, and 200 water sources out of total 666 in the district were rejuvenated in this block. As many as 112 traditional water sources in Bijhari block, 107 in Hamirpur, 85 in Sujanpur, 82 in Nadaun and 80 in Bhoranj block were restored. The villages also managed to make separate provisions of water for animals and for cleaning clothes, so that these water sources are not disturbed. Last summer, the government had to send a large fleet of tankers in such water scare areas and still many villages could not be covered on regular basis.