Two-thirds of Maharashtras villages are prone to drought.

Result: mass suffering, poverty, migration, suicides

Less than 20% of land under cultivation gets water from big
and medium dams. Scope for further increase is limited.
 The rain that falls in the village should be pushed into
the ground water for year-long use.
This is a tried-and-tested solution. E.g. Hiware Bazar
This is a low-cost, low-tech solution.
 Very small number of villages have implemented scientific
watershed management. Historically, this has remained largely
a government programme with little peoples involvement.
The Answer: If people decide to take ownership, then every
village CAN be made drought-proof.
 Satyamev Jayate Water Cup

Launched in February 2016 to communicate through a

competition:
What is to be done - Decentralised watershed management
How is it to be done - Training
Why is it to be done - Water security for the village. Prestige and
large cash prizes of Rs 50 lakhs, Rs 30 lakhs and Rs 20 lakhs.
 Generous Support

The unstinting support of the Tatas and Reliance made it

possible for Paani Foundation to solely focus on the Water Cup.
 Knowledge Partner

WOTR, an organisation with more than 25 years

experience in watershed development was chosen as the
knowledge partner for the Water Cup.
 Pilot Edition

One taluka each was selected in 3 districts in 3 different regions:

Koregaon taluka of Satara district in western Maharashtra
Ambajogai taluka of Beed district in Marathwada
Warud taluka of Amravati district in Vidarbha
Participation based on self-selection
Open to every village in these 3 talukas
 Large Number of Entries

161 villages out of 225 (excluding the canal-fed villages in

Koregaon, Satara) submitted entry forms that:
Had a valid Gram Sabha resolution endorsing participation
Listed 5 people who would participate in a 4-day residential
training
 Training Centres

3 centres set up in drought-prone areas but in villages which had

successfully done watershed management:
Hiware village for Beed
Nalawadewadi village for Satara
Hiware Bazar for Amravati
Villagers from Beed and Amravati travelled hundreds of miles for
training.
 Training Curriculum

Based on EXPERIENCE and OBSERVATION

No Lectures - 52 different activities
Designed as an emotional experience that educates
 Training Curriculum

Calculating how much water the village gets through rainfall

How much gets wasted
How it can be saved
Training Curriculum

Live Watershed Model

Seeing is believing
 Training Curriculum

The Straw Game: What are we leaving for our children?

 Villagers go for Training

Around 140 villages sent 5 representatives for the training.

Often included 2 women and 2 youth
Heartfelt participation by seniors and women in all activities
including shramdaan and games
Didnt want to leave on Day 4
 Village Water Plans

Rules of the Satyamev Jayate Water Cup

 Village Water Plans

To be prepared by each village

 Village Water Plans

Submitted by 116 villages

Complex plans
Displayed technical knowledge
Reflected peoples participation
 The Competition

From 20th April-5th June, 2016

No funding from Paani Foundation
Will the training result in action?
 Tidal Wave of Shramdaan

Over 10,000 people daily across the 3 talukas

Maha-shramdaans with over 1,000 people in a single village
Akhand Shramdaan Jyot round-the-clock shramdaan
 Mass Participation from Outside Villages

Government officers participated daily

Top government officers led from the front
Spontaneous participation by civil society. E.g. Handicapped
Peoples Association, Warud Football Club, Giants
International, Baramati ST drivers, IT students from Satara,
doctors, lawyers, well-off people from cities
 Celebrities Join Shramdaan

Several actors, writers, journalists, directors participated in

shramdaan. Dozens of others volunteered.
 Shramdaan Transformed Villages

It created unprecedented unity in action. Old differences

set aside.
Created pride in ones village.
There was joy in work. People danced in drought.
Broke the cycle of dependence on government by creating
confidence in ones own abilities.
 Water Heroes

Giving till it hurts. Senior citizens in Wathoda donated

part of their meagre pensions.
 Water Heroes

Bhoodan: In Anpatwadi, farmers donated 58 acres of

their land for water conservation.
 Water Heroes

From Alcohol to Water: In Raadi Tanda, a village of

alcoholics, people joined shramdaan and gave up alcohol.
 Water Heroes

First shramdaan, then the wedding: A couple postpones its

wedding to avoid any distractions in the shramdaan efforts.
Another couple joins shramdaan immediately after their wedding.
 Water Heroes

Women in Kanherkhed village who practiced the gosha

(purdah) system came out to take part in shramdaan.
 Huge Collateral Benefits

Youth got a new direction

Very few criminal cases
No farmer suicides in these villages
Funders Complemented Shramdaan with Machines

Samast Mahajan Group, Manav Lok, Dnyan Prabodhini

provided machines.
Sugar factories gave support.
Villagers raised funds.
 Work Accomplished

Total water storage potential created: 13680 TCM.

Equivalent to 13,60,000 tankers of water.
Equivalent to 272 crores of rupees worth of water annually.
 Work Accomplished by Top 35 Villages

75.69 kilometres of CCT

33.67 kilometres of Deep CCT
65.5 kilometres of Nala Deepening/Widening
 Work Accomplished

Over 30 villages in 3 districts on their way to becoming

model villages. Thousands of volunteers now trained in
watershed management.
 A Unique People and Government Model

The partnership was not of Paani Foundation and

government. It was of people and the government officers on
the ground. New relationships have been forged.
 A Peoples Movement has Begun

Villagers aware of their strength in unity

Full of hope
Confident of transforming their lives through their own action
Rapidly Scalable Model

From 3 to 30 to 300 Talukas

 Connect with Us

Website: www.paanifoundation.in

YouTube: www.bit.ly/PaaniFoundation

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SatyamevJayate
www.facebook.com/paanifoundation

Twitter: www.twitter.com/satyamevjayate

Email: paanifoundation@paanifoundation.in