3 Villages, 3 Water Stories, 1 Big Lesson in Climate Resilience. On World Environment Day, a glance at how communities in Chhattisgarh are responding to water uncertainty through local, community-led action
Extreme heat stress, erratic climate, depleting groundwater and shrinking reservoirs have pushed rural India into a critical compound emergency, threatening drinking water security as well as agricultural livelihoods. Apart from groundwater over-extraction and climate variability, rural populations also have to deal with inadequate distribution networks and intermittent supply. The silver lining in this bleak scenario? Rural India is now actively creating sustainable solutions from the ground up. In fact, a quiet movement is underway in Chhattisgarh to build practical and community-led systems around water conservation, storage, and livelihood resilience.
Sustainable resource management in Mardapal
For over 2,616 people in Mardapal Panchayat in Chhattisgarh, farming had served as the primary means of sustenance till it faced multiple challenges like climate change, extreme weather volatility and water scarcity. The resourceful Maradapal community then decided to proactively leverage local ponds for enduring climate and livelihood resilience with the help of Transform Rural India (TRI), a development design organisation, working to transform India’s bottom 1,00,000 villages into flourishing localities. Maradapal’s natural water system till now had been underutilised, but with TRI’s help, collective awareness increased, and institutional linkages clicked into place. TRI’s locality-specific model facilitated the synergy of the Gram Panchayat, CLFs (Cluster Level Federation), SHGs (Self-Help Groups) and the State Fisheries Department to make the most of existing resources. A collective aquaculture plan was mooted and the Gram Panchayat agreed to lease two community ponds, covering over 8 acres of water for 10 years to a group of 20 farmers. The State Fisheries Department stepped in to offer 30 kilograms of fish fingerlings at a 50 percent subsidy.
Now water bodies that had remained underused for years are brimming with life and opportunity as shared livelihood assets. The profound lesson the communities have learnt is that when they take care of their natural reserves, they return the favour as well. It has also become clear that with institutional convergence and synergised decision-making, community resources can offer sustenance even amid climate challenges.
Collective water conservation in Badgaon Charbatha
Badgaon Charbatha, a village in Chhattisgarh, had been in the throes of a persistent water crisis caused by unpredictable rainfall and frequent extreme weather events. The local community was well aware that they had to find a solution urgently to ensure the safety of their health and income opportunities. Their story took a turn when the decision-making about water governance was handed back to women, the grassroots stakeholders, and default water managers in rural households. TRI understood that systemic inequity could be rectified by bringing together SHGs, village organisation leaders, Panchayat representatives, and community members for a collective resolution. Today, women in the village do not walk long distances to fetch water but know how to conserve it and guide its use for collective benefit. Their hyperlocal wisdom about water and the land has been leveraged to augment an Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) framework. And now the Badgaon Charbatha community maps their own landscape, using GIS-based tools to ascertain how water flows and where it is collected. This work was carried out through convergence with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and now over 2,000 Soil Conservation Trenches (SCTs) and over seven farm ponds have been constructed to respectively slow down runoff and hold rainwater. With better access to water, the community has also increased plantation efforts to strengthen ecological balance and ensure future livelihoods. A once parched community is now the proud custodian of its water sovereignty.
Solar-powered irrigation revives farming in Hasel village
Hasel village in Kondagaon district of Chhattisgarh, has long depended on the monsoon for farming. With only 7.5% of cultivable land in the region irrigated throughout the year, most farmers were limited to a single cropping season, leaving fields dry and livelihoods uncertain once the rains receded. As rainfall became increasingly erratic, many turned to groundwater extraction, putting additional pressure on an already stressed resource. Recognising that water insecurity was at the root of the village’s challenges, community members came together to explore solutions. With support from TRI’s team of Development Designers, villagers assessed their local water resources and identified a Community Managed Solar Lift Irrigation (CMSLI) system as a sustainable way to improve water access. The system draws surface water from nearby rivers and check dams and lifts it to farms using solar-powered pumps, reducing dependence on groundwater while ensuring reliable irrigation for agriculture. To ensure long-term sustainability, Women Water User Groups (WUGs) were formed, which now manage and operate the system. Farmers were also trained in system maintenance, collective planning and water governance, while exposure visits helped them understand how reliable water access could improve agricultural productivity and incomes. Today, Hasel village is among the communities benefiting from 10 CMSLI sites established across Kondagaon, collectively supporting 152 farmers and irrigating 91 hectares of land. Access to reliable water has enabled farmers to cultivate crops during the Rabi season and prepare for multiple cropping cycles. What was once a village constrained by seasonal water scarcity is now demonstrating how community-led water management can strengthen livelihoods, reduce climate risks, and create pathways to year-round farming.