What happens when a school turns into a pond every monsoon?
That used to be everyday life for Government Senior Secondary School in Kherla village, Haryana. Each monsoon, the grounds filled with water. Morning prayers stopped. Sports were cancelled. Students avoided the flooded toilets. Learning came to a standstill.
But in 2021, things changed.
With help from S M Sehgal Foundation and a CSR-supported project, the school now has a recharge well. This single intervention transformed the campus. What once remained waterlogged for weeks now drains in just two days. In addition, the recharge well sends more than 1.5 million liters of rainwater back into the ground each year.
How does water management impact rural development?
Water affects everything: farming, health, education, and daily life. Over 80 percent of India’s water is used in agriculture. Without water, rural life struggles. With it, all life thrives.
Why water management matters?
- Agriculture: Efficient water use through drip irrigation or rainwater harvesting means better crop yields and more income, even in drought years.
- Public health: Clean water and proper drainage prevent diseases. In Kherla, better drainage reduced mosquito breeding, dilution of groundwater contaminants is obvious.
- Gender equity: Women and girls gain hours back each day when water is nearby. That time goes into school, work, and leadership.
- Education: Flooded school grounds keep students home. Dry campuses mean regular classes and safer spaces, especially for girls.
- Migration: When water runs out, families move. Reliable water supports farming and daily needs, keeping communities rooted.
What are the biggest water-related challenges in rural India?
Even with numerous schemes in place, rural India faces a water deficit caused by a mix of natural and man-made factors:
- Groundwater depletion: India uses more groundwater than any other country. In states like Punjab and Haryana, over-irrigation has caused dangerous groundwater depletion thereby rise in contaminants.
- Silted traditional water bodies: Traditional tanks and ponds are filled with silt. They cannot hold rain. In Kherla, this led to severe flooding before the recharge well was built.
- Low awareness of watershed conservation: Many communities do not realize how upstream rain affects local water. Simple conservation steps are missed due to lack of knowledge.
- Lack of rural water infrastructure: Broken pipes, missing drainage, and poor storage waste precious water and expose families to contamination and vector breeding.
- Climate change impact: Extreme hydrological events puts burden on the system and infrastructure which impacts the life.
What are the key activities in rural water management?
To make water management work in agriculture and rural development, communities must adopt a range of strategies:
- Recharge Wells: As seen in Kherla village, recharge wells help drain excess rainwater and restore groundwater. The wells are a simple, cost-effective and efficient solution for flood-prone areas and a powerful tool for sustainable water management.
- Check Dams and Farm Bunds: These small barriers slow down rainwater runoff, allowing it to store and seep into the ground. Over time, they improve groundwater levels and reduce soil erosion, which is especially helpful in hilly or semiarid regions.
- Watershed Management: By protecting and managing catchment areas, watershed management ensures that rainwater flows gradually and nourishes the land and life downstream. This is key to long-term water security in rural landscapes.
- Rainwater Harvesting: Capturing rain from rooftops or open grounds helps store water for later use and recharges underground aquifers. This is a crucial response to irregular rainfall and growing water demand in rural India.
- Tank Silt Application: Silt from desilted ponds is rich in nutrients. When applied to fields, it improves soil fertility, reduces the need for chemical fertilizers, improves soil texture and increases crop yields—a win-win for farmers and soil health.
These core principles of integrated water management programs are designed for rural India.
What does smart water use look like in agriculture?
Farmers do not need more water; they need to use it smarter.
| Technique |
Yield Improvement |
Water Savings |
| Water Savings |
30–40% |
50–60% |
| Tank Silt Application |
10–20% |
Indirect via better soil |
| Mulching and Bunds |
15–25% |
25–30% |
These tools reduce agricultural water use while growing more food. They make farms climate-ready and more profitable.
Why must the community lead water management efforts?
Real change begins when people lead.
Water affects each household differently. Locals know which well dries up first, or which area floods fastest. When communities manage their own water, the solutions stick due to their ownership, care, and long-term maintenance.
Women especially play a key role. They manage water daily. When they lead, the impact multiplies.
- Village Development Committees (VDCs): In Kherla, the local VDC oversees the recharge well and keeps it ready for harvesting the rain.
- Women leaders: Women promote conservation in homes and schools.
- Traditional knowledge: Farmers and elders often know rainfall patterns better than outsiders.
How can collaboration improve rural water systems?
The most successful water management projects are those where CSR, government, and NGOs work together.
- Government schemes like Catch the Rain, Jal Jeevan Mission and MGNREGA offer funds and infrastructure.
- CSR efforts such as Rio Tinto India’s role in Kherla bring in vital resources.
- NGOs like S M Sehgal Foundation offer technical know-how and community trust.
In Kherla, this three-way partnership solved waterlogging as well as public health, groundwater depletion, and school dropout challenges.
What long-term benefits can rural India expect?
When rural communities actively manage water resources, the ripple effects last for generations. Improved water access management increases farmers’ potential which means he can grow more than one crop a year, increasing their income and reducing reliance on seasonal migration. Clean, available water also improves public health by reducing waterborne diseases and improving hygiene.
Children, especially girls, attend school more regularly when they do not have to walk miles for water. Women gain time for income-generating activities and community participation. Recharge wells, check dams, and watershed conservation protect against drought, floods, and soil erosion, making villages climate-resilient.
Over time, farming becomes more profitable, youth find reasons to stay, and migration slows. Stronger local economies emerge, powered by better yields, healthier families, and empowered communities. Water becomes not just a resource, but a foundation for lasting rural development.
A 2023 World Bank report noted that better water management systems in India could raise the country’s GDP by up to 6 percent. That scale of transformation is possible!
What exactly changed in Kherla?
Kherla village, Haryana, transformed through just one smart move, a recharge well.
- The school ground, once flooded for weeks, now drains in two days.
- Toilets stay dry and usable, improving hygiene.
- Girls no longer skip school during monsoon.
- Farmers consider a second crop season with better water access.
- Community members contribute and maintain the system.
So, is water the key to rural success?
Without a doubt, yes.
Water influences every aspect of rural development—from agriculture to education, from health to employment. And yet, water remains under-prioritized in policy, planning, and action. The Kherla example proves that small-scale, sustainable water management systems can solve large-scale problems if communities are at the heart of it.
Let us embed water management into every rural development program, not as an add-on, but as the foundation. Let us fund smart water management systems, promote watershed harvesting, and empower villagers to take the lead.
Because when rural India controls its water, it shapes its future.
Lalit Mohan Sharma
Principal Scientist, Water Research and Training
Lalit Mohan Sharma is the Principal Scientist, Water Management, at S M Sehgal Foundation, with over 20 years of experience in water and soil conservation. He has developed innovative solutions, such as the JalKalp Biosand Filter and MatiKalp ceramic filter, for providing safe drinking water, and presented a freshwater model at the UN Solution Summit 2015.
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