Community-led water harvesting in action

In a state where water is often more precious than gold, the village of Bhoyal in Rajasthan's Baran district is making waves—literally. Facing chronic water scarcity, this small community has teamed up with social enterprise Grow-Trees.com to build a rainwater harvesting pond that stores over 7 lakh litres of water. It's a grassroots model of sustainability, proving collective action can offer real solutions to State's deepening water crisis.

- Kavita Pant

In the parched heartland of Rajasthan, where water scarcity is both a seasonal and structural challenge, a small village in Baran district is setting a shining example of how community action and environmental innovation can transform lives.

In Bhoyal, a village in Shahbad tehsil, residents have partnered with social enterprise Grow-Trees.com to construct a rainwater harvesting pond capable of storing over 7,00,000 litres of water.

Completed in just one and a half months, this humble yet impactful initiative is proving to be a game changer for farmers and households that have long grappled with erratic water supply.

It is worth noting here that in Rajasthan, a region plagued by water scarcity, traditional rainwater harvesting methods have been revived, transforming the landscape.

Small-scale structures like 'johads' (small earthen check dams) have also helped rejuvenate local water sources, dramatically improving the water table and revitalising agriculture.

DESERT STATE'S DEEPENING WATER CRISIS

Rajasthan, India's largest state by area, is no stranger to water woes. With vast tracts of arid and semiarid zones, it receives most of its rainfall during the monsoon months. For the rest of the year, water becomes a precious commodity—more so in districts like Baran, where agriculture, labour, and animal husbandry form the economic backbone.