Towards Sustainability: Stories from India 16 5 Bringing Back the Water Multipronged efforts for harvesting and conserving water Not so long ago, Jhabua in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh was a heavily forested area. Over the last four to five decades, more than 80 per cent of its forests were severely degraded. The causes included intensive cultivation on uplands and clearing of forests by timber contractors. Loss of forests led to loss of land productivity, diminishing employment opportunities, and subsequently, the outward migration of local people. The impact was felt more deeply by the tribals who comprise 83 per cent of the district’s population, and whose survival is closely linked to forests. Over this period, Jhabua witnessed some severe droughts and famines. Migration in search of employment and sustenance swelled. During the 1990s, almost 65 percent of the local population was migrating out of the area.   In  October  1994,  the  state  government  launched  an  ambitious programme in response to the problems. The Rajiv Gandhi Mission for Watershed Development (RGMWD) was an effort to involve the people in a large-scale land and water management programme. The target was to improve 1.2 million hectares of land spread over several watersheds by the year 2000. It was envisaged that more than  2.9  million  hectares  of  land  area—spanning  6,691  villages through 5,024 watersheds, would be greened. What set this programme apart from earlier programmes was that in this case, the end-users were involved from the start, in the planning, implementation and maintenance of land and water conservation activities in their watershed areas. The decision- making was now in the hands of the community. Around 80 per cent of the funds marked for watershed activities were put in a bank account managed by watershed development committees formed by the villagers. Under the programme, new tanks built in the watershed helped in arresting water coming down the hill slopes, and also prevented soil erosion from the hills. This led to improvement in groundwater levels, leading to an increase in the irrigated area in the micro-watershed areas. Afforestation helped in reducing the wastelands, and the species that were planted (bamboo, neem etc.) also benefited the local people. Water availability, afforestation and soil conservation practices brought about changes that led to increase in agricultural production and fodder availability, thereby reducing migration flow from the region. The Mission was a success. Although it covered about 7,000 of the 52,000 villages of the state, the initiative needed to be scaled up considerably, in order to effectively counteract the recurring droughts in the whole state. The First Mission
Multistakeholder Involvement in Environmental Management 17 Scaling-Up In 1999 the State Government launched a novel initiative called Ek Panch Ek Talab (a pond for every panchayat member). The panchayat (local self-government body) members were asked to renovate or build at least one water harvesting structure in their village during their tenure. With healthy competition among the panchayat members, in less than 15 months, 3,412 tanks were renovated and more than 500 new ones were built. Remarkably, of the total cost of Rs. 160 million (US $ 3.2 million), one fourth was contributed by the community. In 1999-2000 the rains failed once again, underscoring the need for water conservation. This time the Madhya Pradesh state government launched the  Pani Roko Abhiyan (Save Water Campaign), the world’s biggest-ever rainwater conservation programme. The effort was to harvest and conserve water in every conceivable way. The new campaign involved the entire community, going beyond the earlier effort of making the panchayat members the key. It was conducted simultaneously in 51,806 villages of the state. Apart from constructing community water conservation / harvesting structures, farmers were encouraged to take up on-farm water conservation activities in a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mode. Between February and June 2001, more than 700,000 water-harvesting structures were created across the state. Funds available for water scarcity relief, and from other government schemes, were used strategically for water conservation works. Water-harvesting structures were set up to the chant of Gaon ka paani gaon mein, Khet ka paani khet mein (Water of the village in the village, water of the field  in the field). Today, there are over 20,000 villages in the state undertaking rainwater harvesting in a major way. The good rains of June and July of 2001 have already filled up tanks, ponds, Johads (earthen check dams) and other structures built by the people, with support from government and non- governmental organizations. It was not always easy to convince the communities to contribute 25 per cent of the cost which is an integral part of the scheme. But support and motivation provided by NGOs and government officials persuaded the communities to embark upon this new initiative. Farm Ponds Adihalli- Myllanhalli village area of Hassan district in the state of Karnataka used to be drought-prone. Due to erratic rainfall, poor soils, high water runoff and scarcity of water for irrigation and drinking, the area was socio- economically backward. The source of water for the village was groundwater, and water availability used to drastically fall during peak summer. The community had to fetch water from other sources which were perennial, but had low yields. This was the scenario until an innovative project was initiated here. An integrated watershed programme based on farm pond network was initiated to conserve soil and water resources for socio- economic and ecosystem well-being by the Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation (BAIF), with financial support from India Canada Environment Facility (ICEF) in 1996. It aimed to satisfy the water demands of individual farmers, and to recharge the groundwater, for improvement in overall water availability. The total area of the watershed included several micro-catchments of varying slopes. The project concentrated on development of a web of ponds, which were interconnected such that the excess rainwater would flow across the slope from the upper catchment area to the lower catchment. The focus has been on the use of eco-friendly technologies and empowerment of women. With an increase in vegetation cover, the runoff of water at peak intensity of rainfall reduced by 90 per cent. Since the project, two ephemeral streams now flow throughout the year, leading to the doubling of crop production. The family income has increased in the range of 1.5-4 times, and household assets have also increased from 20 per cent to 60 per cent. Womenfolk now spend less time on water collection, and people now feel empowered to manage and maintain the resources. The project’s success has been attributed to the fact that it equipped the communities with the capacities and tools to work for natural resource management, and also helped promote relevant technologies.
Towards Sustainability: Stories from India 18 Encashing the Efforts A National Movement With the first showers of 2001, communities began to see the benefits. In districts like Jhabua and Shahdol, water storage capacity has increased by 100 per cent. Villagers are already calculating the economic benefits they can derive from the stored water. They are also seeing the beneficial results of the decision of contributing 25 per cent of the costs. Their fields can now be irrigated through the stored water; the recharged wells are an additional water source. Poverty levels have been reduced. Not the least of the benefits is the large-scale awareness about the importance of water conservation. During 1999-2001, seven other Indian states were also badly affected by low rainfall—Gujarat, Orissa, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Uttaranchal. With scanty rainfall, the spectre of drought was looming over many parts of northern India.  The successive droughts resulted in crop failures and recession had set into business and industry. The response in all these states was to stress on participatory water management; programmes similar to Pani Roko Abhiyan were launched in many states. These responses are in keeping with the government’s national policies and programmes which promote community participation in the form of self-help groups, user-groups and involvement of NGOs in implementation of  watershed development programmes. Historically, the Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP) and the Desert Development Programme (DPP) have looked into the problem of drought and water scarcity. Both these programmes, along with the Integrated Wasteland Development Programme, were brought under the watershed approach and were included under the Guidelines for Watershed Development, from 1995 onwards. These guidelines take a holistic view of the drought and water scarcity problems and emphasize on the development of watersheds on a local scale with local participation. Reviving India’s Water Harvesting Tradition The Alwar district in Rajasthan is classified as a semi-arid region. It has a meagre 620 mm average annual rainfall,   and  droughts are a recurrent feature. In the early 1980s, with pressures of population, increase in consumption and overall environmental degradation, the water situation became worse. The district was officially declared by the Government of Rajasthan as a “dark zone” an area where the groundwater table has receded below recoupable levels. In 1985-86, a severe drought hit the region, adding to the already bleak situation of vanishing livelihoods and mass migration. Into this grim scenario entered a team of dedicated volunteers from the Tarun Bharat Sangh (TBS), a voluntary non-government organization. TBS volunteers were convinced that one of the ways to improve the situation would be to revive traditional practices, especially Johad (an earthen bund or checkdam to conserve rainwater), that had sustained Alwar and its populace in the past. But initiating a dialogue with the villagers and convincing them to take part in the revival was not an easy task. They decided that the best way to do this was to practice rather than preach. They themselves started digging to revive an already existing Johad in one village, Gopalpura. This hard work and patience paid off. Villagers started taking part in discussions and gradually getting involved in the process. TBS activists evoked a sense of commitment and involvement in the community. To spread the movement in the entire area, TBS organized Pani Yatras  (Water Tours). Every year these Yatras of about one and half months would travel extensively, to share the experiences of water harvesting. The goal was to involve at least a hundred more villages in this work.  The march carried the message of harvesting rainwater and saving forests, by using traditional systems and knowledge. Today, there are more than 4,000 Johads, which are totally managed by the community and have come to be regarded as community or village property. In many cases villagers have contributed around 90 per cent of the total cost. The role of the TBS has been that of a catalyst and motivator. The perceptible changes brought about by building Johads have been no less than a miracle. The wells have been recharged and water supply could be ensured for the entire year to meet the needs of the people and livestock. The effect has been evident in many areas in terms of increased food production, in soil conservaion, increased biomass productivity. It has even brought back to life two rivers, Aravari and Ruparel. These were once perennial, but had nearly disappeared during the drought in the eighties. Now they are perennial again. Wastelands that were sparsely cultivated earlier are now cultivated with higher cropping intensity. The transformation brought about by these efforts have turned an officially ‘dark zone’ into a ‘water-surplus zone’. The revival of traditional harvesting systems in Rajasthan is one example among several such intiatives undertaken all over the country, especially in drought-prone regions of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Karnataka.  
Multistakeholder Involvement in Environmental Management 19 Roof water harvesting is also being stressed to augment water availability. Some state governments and city authorities are making it mandatory for new houses to instal roof water harvesting structures.   The achievements in the area of watershed development have been considerable, but they have also thrown up several challenges for governments, NGOs and people. The biggest challenge is to sustain the effort. For this it is crucial to maintain the water-harvesting structures that have been built in tens of thousands. The Watershed Guidelines (2001) clearly mention the need for an exit protocol. It is suggested that the structures should be managed by the Watershed Associations or Committees under the supervision of Gram  

Panchayats. In Madhya Pradesh, ownership of these structures has been shifted to the Gram Sabha (village assemblies) which will manage and maintain the structures. In Gujarat, the government is planning to set up an institution funded by the government to maintain these structures, which are currently managed by the involved communities. Over the years, government policies have progressively moved towards participatory watershed development at a local scale. This has enabled community groups, NGOs and government departments to work synergistically to tackle problems of water scarcity effectively all over the country. The government is also concerned about the quality of rivers and is initiating participatory mechanisms to manage this. A National River Conservation Authority has been set up under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister. Tasks Ahead Our Clean Water Shanti Maluda accompanied by fellow members of her all- women Village Water and Sanitation Committee (VWSC), and an engineer from a support organization travelled all the way to Delhi, a distance of 350 km from her native village, to choose the right quality of pipes needed for the water system being installed in their village. Shanti is the Chairperson of the VWSC of Kamtoli village in the hill state of Uttaranchal. People exercising their choices and controlling the quality and standard of their services is the hallmark of the Swajal (‘swa’ means ‘our’ and ‘clean’, while ‘jal’ means ‘water’) project being implemented in Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal states of India. What makes this possible is an innovative decentralized approach being followed in the project. The Swajal project was envisaged in 1994 through the Project Management Unit, an autonomous government society, and the World Bank for developing a community-based, demand- driven, rural water supply and sanitation programme. The new institutional model designed to facilitate this functioning is based upon partnership among three organizations, the Village Water and Sanitation Committees, NGOs (serving as   support and capacity-building units) and the Project Management Unit (PMU). The scope of the Swajal project includes water supply and sanitation, community empowerment activities, including health and environmental awareness, and preparation of rural water and sanitation sector development plans for the entire state. The major stakeholders are the villagers or the beneficiaries. A VWSC is formed in each village as a formal body with a legal status as a sub-committee of the Gram Panchayat (Village Council). The committee made up of seven to twelve democratically elected members has at least 30 per cent representation from women and 20 per cent form socially and economically backward sections. In a unique precedent, under the Swajal project, all construction-related funds are transferred by the PMU to a community-managed bank account. These accounts are jointly operated with a support organization, usually an NGO. Once the funds are available, the VWSC moves ahead with the project planning, implementation, operation and maintenance at the community level. The PMU has developed guidelines and formats for the action plans to address the local water and sanitation issues of the village.  The villagers use these to draw upon their own plans based on their own situation, experiences and ideas. These plans are carried out by the community with the assistance of the support organization. Thus the programme runs as a collaborative effort between the villagers, the supporting NGO and the Project Management Unit. By June 2001, more than 1000 villages were in various stages of implementation of Swajal. About 250 villages are in the operation and maintenance stage, 350 in the construction and 600 in the planning stage. The VWSCs are regularly collecting the water tariffs and managing their own systems. The overall success of the programme has created a new model which has the community or the users at the centre of the programme.