INTRODUCTION
India’s development hinges on water security , yet it ranks 2nd in water consumption and 132 in water availability per capita , highlighting a critical challenge. The country’s agrarian economy relies heavily on water, with 80 percent used for agriculture. India’s water crisis is essentially an issue of the growing population rate of about 0.8% per year , with the United Nations and other demographic studies estimating that India’s population may stabilize only around the 2060s, at about 1.7 billion. India has the ability to ‘survive’ till then and beyond and provide clean and adequate water to its population, through
- efficient water conservation
- infrastructure development
- policy reforms, and
- the public developing a ‘water conscious mindset’.
Success depends on each stakeholder taking shared responsibility for the country’s water security by effectively fulfilling their unique role and actively seeking synergistic collaborations to achieve optimal outcomes. The Industry-CSR and Civil Society Organization (CSO) partnerships play a highly significant role in the national fabric.
S M Sehgal Foundation implements Industry-CSR projects focused on a major and vital section of the Indian population, the economically and developmentally challenged small and marginal farmers, who make up about 117 million people which is over 80% of the farming population, who produce around 60% of the total food grains and over half of the country’s fruits and vegetables. India cannot meaningfully, and sustainably prosper without progress reaching this segment of people. Since 2000 till date, about 25+ Industry partnerships have been implemented by the S M Sehgal Foundation in rural India, covering a population of about 5.27 million people in over 2,700 villages, 71 districts and 13 states.
Water security in villages is a complex phenomenon with intrinsically inter-dependent technical and social aspects that requires an integrated approach to create impact. This effort needs to be community-led with the active participation of women and the introduction of processes like water-budgeting. The essential features of rural water management include — creating water conservation structures, promoting water conservation practices, improving water quality, equitable distribution, awareness, and capacity building, empowerment of women, convergence with government, strengthening existing local institutions, and setting up new waterfocused ‘Community-Based Organizations’ (CBOs).
The 3 case studies that have been elucidated here demonstrate
- how rural women entrepreneurs have taken charge of a water issue that was profoundly affecting the quality of life of their community and specially the women, on a daily basis
- impact of a check dam
- utilization of modern, environmentally sustainable solar power-source in irrigation.
WOMEN-LED ENTERPRISE ENSURES SAFE DRINKING WATER IN UTTAR PRADESH
In block Chhata of district Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, an initiative led by community women in village Guheta 10 Biswa has helped the village attain drinking water security. With no natural source of drinking water near the village, the women were forced to bring water from ponds, wells, and other sources. Manjulata recalls, ‘We collected three types of water for domestic use viz; drinking, washing, and bathing—since the level of cleanliness was different across water sources.’
Omvati says, ‘We had to go a long way to get a bucket of drinking water, but the water was contaminated and caused stomach infections.’ Shyamvati reveals, ‘Often it was tough for us to carry such a heavy ghada (pitcher), which led to fatigue but there was no respite from this daily chore.’ The Total Dissolved Salts (TDS) in the water that they fetched was more than 1700, much higher than the permissible limit of 500 mg/L, according to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
Several activities aimed at holistic village development have been undertaken in 15 villages of the Chhata block of Mathura under the HDFC Bank Parivartan project implemented by S M Sehgal Foundation.
Village Development Committees (VDCs) formed in each village facilitate development initiatives alongside the project team. During community meetings organized by the project team, VDC members from Guheta 10 Biswa highlighted the critical issue of unsafe drinking water in their village, reporting that the water sources were contaminated with sewage, salt water, and industrial and domestic waste.
VDC members also formed a specialized group called the ‘Water Users Group’ (WUG) with 22 members—17 women and five men, working primarily to resolve water-related challenges in the village. WUG together with the project team came up with the concept of ‘Jal Minar’ (Water Tower), which could provide the whole community with clean drinking water through the use of a gravity filter, within the village. The group decided to build the Jal Minar near the government school for easy accessibility by the women. The Jal Minar was set up in March 2023 with project support and a monetary contribution of Rs 70,000 from the community, including a kilometer-long pipeline from the water source arranged by the panchayat. This collective effort strengthened the community’s involvement in the initiative. However, this was not the end of the struggles. To the WUGs’ disappointment, the filter that had been installed in the water tower could not adequately remove the high TDS levels in the water.
Now the task at hand for the WUG was to regain the trust of the community.
Although uncertain about the definitive solution, the team held discussions to explore further options, including the installation of a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system. This required additional financial contribution and active buy-in by the community. Five women from the WUG came forward to form a Joint Liability Group (JLG) micro-enterprise, each contributing Rs 25,000 and taking the responsibility of managing the water tower. In November 2023, with the assistance of the project team, a solar-powered RO system was installed in the Jal Minar. This resulted in both roundthe-clock water availability and empowerment of women.
Being able to access clean, potable water without the hardship of walking long distances felt like a dream come true for the women. Omvati says, ‘We had never thought that this would ever be possible.’ Manjulata, head of JLG, enthusiastically explains, ‘The Jal Minar operates from 7 am to 10 am and 3 pm to 7 pm. The rates fixed by the group are Rs 5 for 20 liters, Rs 3 for 10 liters, and Rs 2 for 5 liters. We also supply water for marriage functions and other celebrations which allows us to earn extra income.’ Another member of the WUG, Vimla adds, ‘The Jal Minar lifts and stores 3,000 liters of untreated source water, which is then purified by a solarpowered RO system at the rate of 1,000 liters of water per hour. The overall storage capacity of the filtered water in the tank is 4000 liters, which is sufficient to meet the demand during peak times and ensure a steady supply of safe drinking water.’ The RO reject wastewater is repurposed for use in the school toilets, nearby. Now, Shyamvati, Vimla, Sunita, Omvati, and Manjulata are contributing to their family income. Manjulata proudly says, ‘The enterprise is rewarding as we can take home Rs 4,000-5,000 a month after meeting all the operating costs and setting aside some money for repair and maintenance.’
The Gram Panchayat has also supported the initiative by constructing an approach road, fencing around the water tank to prevent damages, and bearing electricity expenses for the operation of Jal Minar. To further strengthen the enterprise, JLG now plans to start a battery-operated vending cart to supply water directly to households and a chiller for Jal Minar.
Jal Minar is a collaborative success of the project, the community, and village-level institutions. Women managing the water tower as a micro-enterprise is a positive social change that empowers women both socially and economically.
KHOHAR CHECK DAM, RAJASTHAN
India accounts for 25 percent of the world’s extracted groundwater and contamination is a grave delinquent all over the country, with many crucial agricultural regions suffering from both groundwater overexploitation and pollution. Central Ground Water Board also reports that Rajasthan follows Punjab among the states of India in the rate of groundwater depletion in India.
Conventionally, in India, water was stored through various water conservation and harvesting techniques for the dry seasons of the year. Tankas, kund, kundi, Talab, Vadis, step wells, and others are just a few means to practice conservation and harvesting. However, these traditional water harvesting technologies have been outdated due to negligence over time. The literature suggests that ‘check dams’ are the most commonly constructed structure in water conservation programs.
Recharge check dams, built across seasonal streams, natural drainage channels, and rain-fed runoff pathways, offer a cost-effective solution for replenishing groundwater aquifers, on which rural communities rely for irrigation, drinking water, and other essential needs. These structures act as barriers, slowing the rush of water and allowing it to seep into the soil, effectively recharging the underground water sources. Without them, the precious water rapidly and wastefully flows downstream, becoming lost to the area.
Among the villages of Rajasthan, Khohar village in Ramgarh Taluk, Alwar district has a unique significance due to its acute water scarcity and distress migration. The area is inhabited by approximately 150 households with an estimated population of 890 (census, 2011). Understanding the multitude of benefits of constructing a check dam, S M Sehgal Foundation with support from Mosaic Company Foundation, implemented the construction of check dam for rainwater harvesting in Khohar. Located at the foothills of Aravalli, the village has a vast potential for harvesting rainwater, but due to the lack of water storage structures, the rainwater runoff into the village farmland is extensively causing damage to the soils along with minimal groundwater replenishment.
An analysis of water scarcity challenges in Khohar village advocates that water security is one among the main problems that hinder the economic development and food security of the area. The village has an acute water shortage due to constant depletion of groundwater with the depths of bore wells stretching from 1000 to 1200 feet since 2016. Maximizing water productivity is the primary challenge to agricultural sustainability in Khohar. Depletion of groundwater sources is magnified by both demand-side practices of the villagers and the specific hydrogeological settings of the aquifer. Despite significant challenges, solar desalination, wastewater management, and groundwater recharge provide opportunities for improving the water security in the region.
After organizing focus group discussions, community mobilization meetings, and site identification during this period, the foundation team initiated work in July 2014. The average dimensions of the Khohar check dam are 185 meters long and 3 meters high with a capacity to hold 320 million liters of rainwater annually. Water that is retained by the check dam percolates in the ground within 48 hours and excess rainfall sometimes results in water overflow. Apart from the wall which is called the spillway, there are four nallah bunds, four loose stone structures, and two recharge wells. Nallah bunds and freestone structures act as speed breakers for flowing water; recharge wells are constructed to facilitate the infiltration of flowing water.
Low recharge along with excessive exploitation is the primary cause of rapid ground water depletion. Therefore, the planned recharging of groundwater along with proper irrigation is proving to be a promising solution to reduce Water Foot Print. Construction of the check dam has permitted the seasonal monsoon rains to be retained for far longer, maximizing the accessibility of a natural resource ecologically. This practice, in turn, has enabled farmers to become significantly more efficient and has made agriculture more profitable.
Key impacts post check dam construction include area under wheat cultivation increasing from 11 Ha in 2004 to 73 Ha in 2018 and, fallow land during Rabi season decreasing from 74 Ha to 42 Ha in 2014 demonstrating the significant impact of check dam. Availability of water in the village has also led to a shift from jowar based production system to cotton based production system in Kharif season and wheat-based production system from mustard in Rabi season. However, the switch to water intensive crops needs to be checked through introduction and consistent use of water efficient irrigation systems to avoid water distress in the long run.
Constructing a check dam in Khohar has been helpful in curbing the water struggle and has increased the agricultural output, provided food security, enhanced groundwater resources, and will potentially reduce poverty of the village in the coming time.
SOLAR WATER PUMPS: PROMISING ALTERNATIVES FOR IRRIGATION, IN HARYANA
‘The path to the country’s prosperity passes through the fields and barns of the villages.’ — Chaudhary Charan Singh, fifth prime minister of India.
The availability of water is reaching a tipping point due to the relentless challenge of feeding India’s everincreasing population. So a shift to using sustainable agricultural methods is imperative. One such method is solar pumps, which are promising alternatives for making use of renewable energy and providing water for irrigation.
Jahul is a progressive farmer from Nasirbas village, Firozpur Jhirka block, district Nuh, Haryana. His family of eight members has five acres of land and the family’s income comes from farming, livestock, and seasonal labor. Jahul procured a micro-irrigation system, through a subsidy from a government program.
The 320 farmer families of Nasirbas mostly grow mustard, wheat, millet, sorghum, and onions. They have electricity-operated tube wells for irrigation, which can also run on diesel. However, electricity is erratic, and diesel is a significant expense including for transportation to the farm with its supply also being unreliable, as well as it is a polluting fuel. Those farmers who depend on electricity have to cope with drudgery, as they even have to operate their pumps in the wee hours whenever electricity is available. This often leads to water shortages for irrigation.
HDFC Bank Parivartan began a three-year development project implemented by S M Sehgal Foundation, beginning in 2021. Project Parivartan aims at integrated village development of the area, including natural resource management, agriculture, education, and skill development. The project introduced solar-powered water pumps to the farmers to promote the use of renewable energy for irrigation. Irrigation through a solar water pump was a new idea for many farmers, including Jahul, who attended the meeting. A demonstration had to be done for the farmers to see its benefits. Through a selection process by the community, Jahul was selected for the solar pump demonstration. The pump cost of Rs 5 lakhs was covered by the project, except for Rs 88,500 which Jahul gave as the beneficiary contribution.
Some of Jahul’s friends loaned him money to cover his contribution cost, and the 10 HP unit was installed in his field in February 2022.
Due to the assured and adequate water availability for irrigation from the solar pump, Jahul was able to diversify into vegetables giving him additional returns. The table below shares his additional income from vegetable cultivation in 4 acres of land, as against his previous average income of approximately Rs 1,00,000 from cereal crops in the same area of land and during the same period.
Jahul’s solar pump also irrigated 34 acres of land for six other farmers who hired this facility in two seasons.
These farmers too were able to shift to cultivating high-value crops such as tomatoes, radishes, eggplants, and cauliflower because of the assured availability of adequate water for irrigation.
“Earlier, accessing water from the tubewell using electricity was inconvenient due to the unpredictable power supply, which comes and goes at any time of day or night. The solar water pump ensures water availability during the day.”
On the whole, while there are upfront costs associated with solar pumps, which can potentially be addressed with the help of government subsidies, the benefits like minimal operating costs, and long-term savings on energy can make them a viable and cost-effective option for Indian agriculture in the long run. Along such lines, the Parivartan project is inspiring farmers to use better farming techniques to boost crop harvests and farm incomes.
