WOTR rejuvenates 147 water structures in rural Rajasthan

The Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR) has announced to have marked a significant milestone by rejuvenating and constructing 147 traditional water-harvesting structures across Rajasthan over the past three years. WOTR is a leading non-profit organization based in Pune, working at the intersection of ecology, economy, and equity to build climate resilience and sustainable development in rural India.

This WOTR initiative includes Pokhars; stone-reinforced earthen ponds with storage capacities of up to 1.2 crore litres of rainwater and Pagaras, cement embankments designed to curb soil erosion. Collectively, these structures have added over 452 million litres of water storage capacity, directly benefiting 1000+ rural households and enabling irrigation across 845 acres of farmland in the districts of Karauli, Udaipur and Dungarpur.

In regions grappling with erratic rainfall, declining groundwater levels, and soil erosion, these low-cost, low-maintenance water-harvesting structures have delivered transformative outcomes. Pokhars and Pagaras have converted once-barren land into productive fields growing crops such as maize and wheat, enabling farmers to move away from hazardous livelihoods like sandstone mining.

WOTR held that the impact is also evident in villages such as Mandi Bhat and Shamipur, where improved water availability has expanded cultivation, reduced distress migration, enhanced access to drinking water, and improved school attendance. Fields that once lay fallow now support seasonal crops, livestock have reliable water sources, and families previously forced to migrate in search of work are returning to their villages.

Community ownership has been integral to the initiative. WOTR has trained Water User Groups of 10–12 farmers in water budgeting, crop planning, and maintenance before handing over the responsibility of maintaining these structures to the community, while individual households take responsibility for maintaining Pagaras built on their land; ensuring long-term sustainability.

Dixit Joshi, Technical Officer at WOTR, said, “The flat and gently undulating terrain of these villages in Rajasthan particularly, combined with well-defined river systems, makes Pokhars and Pagaras especially effective. By placing them strategically along natural drainage lines, we are able to intercept rainwater before it flows away, ensuring that every drop is put to productive use. Earlier, villagers had to rebuild mud embankments every year. Now, two to three years of hard labour are saved, allowing them to focus on farming rather than repeated repairs.”

Prakash Keskar, Executive Director at WOTR, said, “When communities plan, manage, and maintain their own water resources, it improves water availability and such locally owned solutions ensure that development continues well beyond the duration of any project and supports a more climate-resilient and self-reliant rural economy.”

Working on similar lines, WOTR recently collaborated with Hindustan Unilever Foundation (HUF) to launch a three-year programme to strengthen water security and sustainable farming in 30 villages of Maharashtra.