10 Community-led Water Management

in the Alwar District, Rajasthan, India

Project
Objectives:
Community-led water management through utilization of
a traditional water-harvesting structure (johad)

Results:
Construction of 333 johads in the river basin,
generating employment for community members
Rise of the water table and increased river flow,
resulting in improved water storage capacity of
villages after the construction and restoration of
johads
Substantial increase of crop production and
stockbreeding, resulting in increased income and
improved welfare of villagers, and returning of people to their villages
Increased self-esteem among community members through their active participation in water management
activities
Dissemination of successful experiences and methodologies to more than 100 communities

Participating organizations
Tarun Bharat Sangh (local NGO)

Background of the community

Rajasthan’s northernmost district of Alwar has a population of 2.3 million and consists of 1,991 villages, engaged in
agricultural and livestock farming. Villages suffer from poverty caused by low agricultural productivity and severe
environmental degradation.

Environmental issues
Environmental conditions deteriorated due to the loss of vegetative cover caused by excessive grazing and
deforestation through illegal logging. The district is located within a semi-arid region, facing serious problems of
drought and depletion of groundwater.

Approaches toward community innovation

Utilization of a traditional water-harvesting structure, johad and the adoption of cultural and religious practices in
conducting environmental campaigns
Active involvement of local people in water management activities through village assemblies
Active facilitating role played by a local NGO

Elements of innovativeness
Utilization of culture, local knowledge and indigenous systems
In order to replenish groundwater reserves, the villagers sought to restore traditional mechanisms for water-
harvesting, johads. A johad is a semi-circular earthen check dam, designed to block the flow of streams during the
monsoons and to create a small reservoir behind them, helping to recharge the groundwater to ensure sufficient
water supply, even during the dry season.

The project was initiated in the village of Gopalpura in 1986, under the facilitation of the Tarun Bharat Sangh NGO.
Villagers in Gopalpura repaired all nine johads of the village, resulting in significantly increased crop production. In
order to improve the environment of the catchment area surrounding johads, the villagers reforested the area and
built fences to prevent overgrazing.
Leadership
Activities of the Tarun Bharat Sangh were facilitated by the leader of the organization, who strongly promotes self-
help attitudes and financial independence of communities. Tarun Bharat Sangh helped in attracting external funding
from various NGOs, government organizations and donor agencies.

Community involvement
The village assembly, which consists of members of every family in the village, played an important role in ensuring
wide participation of villagers in decision making and implementation of activities. In 1992, the role of village
assemblies was reaffirmed under an amendment to the Indian constitution.

Involvement of an external facilitating organization

Tarun Bharat Sangh, established in 1975, played a key role as the initiator of water management activities in the
district. Between 1985 and 2001, the NGO helped in the construction of about 4,500 water-harvesting structures in
850 villages in Alwar. It encouraged communities to utilize internal resources and capacities, instead of depending
solely on external assistance.

Financial independence
In 1989, Tarun Bharat Sangh introduced a policy requiring communities to bear at least a quarter of project costs,
while covering the cost to hire skilled labor, and providing other materials that were not available in the villages. This
arrangement continued until 1997, when the proportion to be provided by villagers was raised to one third. As a result,
reliance on internal resources increased fivefold and village assemblies set up village funds that were designed to be
used for maintaining johads and improving the welfare of communities. Each family contributes one-fortieth of its
annual income to the funds or provides one day of voluntary labor every month for community work.

Barriers to innovation
Interventions by the local government declaring johads as illegal, banning other related activities within the catchment
areas, and transferring the catchment land to families outside the village, hampered the smooth implementation of the
initiative.

Factors contributing to sustainability

The combination of economic benefits through increased opportunities for employment and income generation, and
social benefits through improved environmental and living conditions for villagers.

A johad in Raika village, Alwar district

Source: Centre for Science & Environment