India is deeply water-stressed. Reports from NITI Aayog have already called it one of the most water-insecure countries in the world. Groundwater tables continue to fall, while rainfall patterns grow less reliable each year.
Walk into any village in semi-arid Haryana during peak summer, and you will see the strain of water shortage everywhere. Hand pumps often run dry, women walk long distances carrying pitchers, and farmers wait anxiously for the next spell of rain. The problem of water insecurity is not abstract here – it decides daily routines, crop yields, and even health. For many it also decides the marriage of daughter, higher education and pay back of the loan.
Amidst this crisis, communities and local projects have been showing that solutions lie not only in technology but in community participation, where people come together to own the problem and work for change.
Why community engagement matters?
When a water security project begins in a village, the first step is rarely digging or building. It starts with conversations. Villagers are invited to sit together and discuss memories of how their ponds once held water, or how wells once recharged quickly after rain. These exchanges help in understanding the community, their challenges and start of building a connect. Without this connect, most projects risk becoming temporary fixes.
A Village Development Committee (VDC) often plays a central role. By including both men and women, elders, and youth, the VDC ensures diverse voices guide decisions. The committee helps track expenses, supervises work, and spreads awareness about why maintenance is everyone’s duty. This way, the entire village feels invested.
What is the role of rainwater harvesting?
Across rural India, what rainwater harvesting means is not only storing rainwater but also ensuring that the soil and underground aquifers benefit from it. Every drop that runs away during the monsoon is a wasted opportunity. By building check dams, renovating ponds, and creating recharge pits, rainwater is stored and diverted into the ground. This improves the soil moisture and increases groundwater availability for the time we need it.
Pond rejuvenation and pond renovation are especially effective because they combine both visible and invisible benefits. On the surface, ponds hold water for daily use, livestock, and irrigation. Below the surface, they allow seepage that recharges wells and borewells. The community sees the pond fill up, and over time, they also notice their handpumps lasting longer into the dry season.
A journey of transformation: Bajina pond
The village of Bajina in Tosham block, Bhiwani district, Haryana, once had a pond that villagers barely noticed anymore. Over the years, silt had reduced its depth, and the water holding capacity was almost gone. During rains, instead of collecting, water overflowed into the streets, flooding homes and causing discomfort.
In early 2024, a water security project supported by IndusInd Bank and implemented by S M Sehgal Foundation decided to restore this traditional water body. The first step was dialogue. After understanding the challenges and opportunities, The project team worked with the panchayat and community to form a Village Development Committee of 15 members. This body took ownership, supervised every stage, and motivated villagers to contribute labour and ideas to make it better for village.
The desilting began slowly, and the sight of mud being lifted from the pond drew children and elders alike to watch. Soon, an embankment was built, allowing the pond to retain water more effectively and avoiding the flooding of streets. Around its edges, 100 saplings were planted, giving shade and strengthening the soil structure.
Today, Bajina’s pond is unrecognisable. Measuring 95 x 95 metres, it now stores nearly 90 lakh litres of water. Families fetch water, cattle drink freely, and most importantly, the groundwater below gets replenished. In the evenings, villagers even stroll around the pond, enjoying the fresh environment. As one elder put it, “We never thought this pond would breathe again, but now it’s the pride of our village.”
The pond ignored for long is now a focal center of the village.
Farming solutions: Ravinder Dahiya’s sprinklers
Water insecurity affects agriculture most sharply. Farmers depend on borewells and pumps, but with declining water tables, their costs of cultivation rise. Traditional sprinklers also waste water, as large nozzles spread it unevenly and consume huge volumes.
Ravinder Dahiya, a farmer from Nigana Khurd village in Tosham block, faced these same issues. With just two acres and a personal borewell, he used large sprinklers that consumed 1,600 litres an hour yet covered only a small patch. Moving them across his field was tiring and inefficient.
When the water conservation project introduced mini-sprinklers, Ravinder decided to try them. With a modest contribution from him and support from the project, he installed a system with one main nozzle and 63 sub-nozzles. The result surprised him. The new system watered 300 square metres with the same amount of water that earlier covered only 150 square metres. His pearl millet yields also improved, and he saved time and labor of shifting the equipment.
For Ravinder, this was not just about convenience. It showed how community participation in adopting new technology could change farming practices. His success story soon encouraged others in his village to try similar systems.
Solar solutions: Krishna’s spray pump
In Alampur village, also in Tosham block, Krishna faced a different problem. Owning five acres of land, he cultivated wheat, millet, and mustard. Spraying pesticides was a regular requirement, but the manual sprayers he rented were both costly and inefficient. Often, spraying one acre would take a whole day, and crop protection remained incomplete.
In March 2024, Krishna received a solar spray pump under the same project. Light, portable, and powered by the sun, this tool changed his farming routine. Now, he could spray 2-3 acres in a single day. The pump could charge while in use, making it highly reliable.
Beyond saving money, time and effort, Krishna chose to share the pump with other farmers free of cost. In just three months, his pump had covered about 50 acres across the village. This act of community ownership meant more farmers benefitted, and the idea of renewable, sustainable solutions gained popularity.
Krishna himself noted, “It’s not only about my farm. This solar sprayer has saved crops across the village.”
Why these stories matter?
From Bajina’s pond to Ravinder’s sprinklers to Krishna’s solar sprayer, a clear pattern emerges: projects succeed only when villagers are active participants and come forward to adopt the new technology. Community engagement ensures that once the external project teams leave, the village continues to care for and expand the work.
The importance of environmental responsibility becomes real when people see the results – cleaner water, healthier crops, greener surroundings. Whether it is storing rainwater in rejuvenated ponds or experimenting with water-efficient tools, the real power lies in communities treating these resources as their own.
A way forward
India’s water insecurity cannot be solved by infrastructure alone. Pond renovation, underground water recharge, and modern irrigation all play their part, but without people’s involvement and judicious use of resources, the results are short-lived. Sustainable water security means blending traditional wisdom with modern tools, adopting the water efficient agri practices and strengthening the hands of those who depend on water the most.
Future projects must continue to invest in community participation, create local committees, and ensure that benefits are equitably shared. After all, water is not just a resource – it is the foundation of life, health, economy and dignity in rural areas.
As seen in Haryana, when communities take charge, even a neglected pond or a small farm can become an example of resilience. And resilience, in times of changing climate, is the most valuable resource of all.
About the Author
Ms. Pooja O. Murada
Principal lead, Outreach for Development, S M Sehgal Foundation
Mass communications master’s; English honors; bridge marketing program (Tuck School of Business); over twenty years in brand management, marketing, and development communications in the corporate and development sector. Spearheaded a community radio in an aspirational district; former chairperson of the gender committee at Sehgal Foundation, invited ICC member, Volvo India, and former governing board member of Community Radio Association.
Contact us 
Sign up for